This love story began on a chilly December evening in Boston’s North End. Elena had been living in Southie for almost three years, while Joey had just returned back to Boston after a year away. They met for dinner at Umbria, a cozy Italian spot tucked in one of the city’s most charming neighborhoods. Conversation flowed easily, laughter came naturally, and something clicked — a shared love for family, wildly different but similar music tastes (Frank Sinatra meets Noah Kahan meets Fred Again meets Fleetwood mack), and a feeling that they were exactly where they were supposed to be. Not quite ready for the night to end, Joey brought Elena to his favorite bakery, Bova’s, for a Florentine cannoli — a now-beloved tradition that started it all. They spent the next few months exploring Boston together, especially restaurants neither had tried before, and making memories in the city they had been falling in love with — and in love in. As they say, the rest is history. On May 17, 2025, Joey proposed to Elena in the little park just outside the apartment that they shared together — the one nestled in the neighborhood where everything began. It was simple, sweet, and completely them. Their love story is filled with laughter, late-night cannolis, good music, good food, good wine, and a deep, steady kind of love that feels both like an adventure and a homecoming. And this is just the beginning.