6.23.2024

Love at first sight was on a basketball court in middle school. Joey was leading his team to victory when Sophie and her friends heard about the big shot playing in their school gym. She quickly went to go see the boy who she now reminiscently describes as being "cute". We became friends in high school and continued our friendship through college. We supported each other through the toughest of times in our own lives, constantly checking in on each other and ensuring we always had someone we could lean on. Being there for each other through the hard times created an even stronger bond between us. The timing finally aligned perfectly only two weeks before Joey moved to Savannah after he graduated college. With Sophie still living in Atlanta, he finally got the guts to ask her on a proper date before he moved away. We spent the day exploring nearby Chattanooga. Joey could hardly keep his eyes on the view. We both knew this was the start of something that could last forever. We promised each other we would try the "long distance" relationship from Atlanta to Savannah. When Joey finally convinced Sophie to visit him, he knew this was it. With a fresh pilot's license in Joey's pocket, we flew from Savannah to Charleston for the day, then spent the rest of the weekend in Savannah. Joey asked Sophie to be his girlfriend while exploring the town on July 31st, 2021. About a year later, Sophie moved to Savannah! We had a blast for another year before Joey convinced her to move once again to Miami! Through all the changes and new beginnings, we continue to be each other's best friends. We can't wait for this next chapter of our lives together!

In the Spring of 2023, Sophie accepted an amazing opportunity to be a travel nurse in Honolulu, Hawaii. We both believed this was potentially a once-in-a-lifetime decision to try something WAY different. It was daunting, but she took the offer. By the time she left for Hawaii, Joey already had his plane ticket booked to come visit her 6 weeks later. We've grown so much stronger in the past year, and Joey knew he wanted to propose, but living with someone as nosey as Sophie meant that planning a surprise engagement would be nearly impossible. Until now! We had already planned on traveling to Italy for Joey’s family vacation, so we added on a short weekend trip to our favorite spot on the Amalfi Coast. Joey convinced Sophie that we had a dinner reservation at a very special spot. She was confused when we went to a boat check-in desk instead of the restaurant. Joey wasn’t answering any of her questions because he was still trying to keep the secret. He could barely hold in his excitement! Joey planned an amazing sunset boat cruise. We boarded the boat, and Joey popped the question in front of the beautiful town of Positano. We spent the rest of our weekend enjoying our time together and jokingly scouting out a wedding venue in nearby towns…

We visited Italy for the first time together to celebrate our birthdays in 2022. We planned an unforgettable trip through several Italian regions, but we saved the best for last. The Amalfi Coast. Although we only spent two nights in Positano on the Amalfi Coast in 2022, we absolutely loved it. We wanted to return as soon as we left. When we found out we would be returning to Italy in the Summer of 2023, we were excited to plan a return trip to Positano for a few days. Joey wanted to propose in a place that was special to us, where we had been before and will always remember. This small town on the Amalfi Coast was perfect. After he popped the question, we spent the rest of our weekend soaking up our engagement and exploring the coast. Sophie woke up on our last full day with a gut feeling that we should really go visit a small town in the mountains above Amalfi, named Ravello. When we made it to the town center, we were in awe. We walked through the cute town and stopped by a few historic villas open to the public which led to the most beautiful ocean views we had ever seen. Wouldn’t it be insane if we get married here? Could we make it work? We fully acknowledge that planning a destination wedding is difficult for everyone involved. We understand that attending can be difficult for many reasons, and that this is a HUGE ask for people to travel long and far with their families to join us. We would love to have everyone join us, but will absolutely understand and accept that not everyone will be able to. You all have had impacts on our lives, and you have helped shape us into the lucky couple that we are today. We seriously want you all to know how much we appreciate every one of our family members and friends. Because we want to share this special time with you all, we hope to also have a small celebration in the States after the wedding to celebrate our marriage with those who are unable to attend the ceremony in Ravello. The details including the location and time of this celebration are still to be determined, but we will update you as soon as we can. We ask that you make the best decision for you, knowing that either way, we cannot wait to share this experience with you!