Amanda and Joe met when she joined the Saddle River Fire Department on Memorial Day, only 6 months after he did. They spent a summer getting to know one another and here they are! Well not exactly, after the summer wrapped up and Amanda returned to New York City, Joe kept in touch. Visiting often enough to quickly learn how to navigate the city and explore nearby attractions like the High Line. Fast forward a year, and they've begun cooking together, watching Criminal Minds, and exploring. By now, they've perfected their risotto making skills and Joe even made multiple trips to visit Amanda while she spent a summer in a log cabin at Fort Drum, NY, over five hours away. Joe got his passport and they made quick use of it with weekend excursions to Canada and a more exotic trip to Antigua. From city chic to cabin in the woods, Joe always visited. Things never slowed down for this couple! In the fall, Joe made some big moves. Joe and Amanda, along with her parents, bought an 1840s farmhouse together. They spent weekends cleaning it up and creating a place to enjoy for years to come. But that wasn't all, before rolling up their sleeves and diving further into this new project, Joe showed his commitment to more than the house by asking Amanda to marry him. Year two of their relationship wrapped up with a bang! Amanda Graduated Law School and got a job, Joe became an expert at mowing the fields on the family's tractor, and the couple adopted a 4 month old puppy named Taser. Somehow they made it through a summer of bar prep and puppy training, thanks in large part to Joe's patience and support. Together they watched Amanda's brother walk down the aisle and began to dive into wedding planning. They even managed to squeeze in a vacation and took off for St. Lucia in August.

Joe pulled out all the stops. He had a lovely bouquet of flowers for Amanda when she arrived back at her apartment and had dinner reservations waiting. They headed to a restaurant he'd picked that served a vegetarian risotto (one of their favorite date night meals!). Over glasses of Malbec they talked and enjoyed the evening. Not wanting it to end she readily agreed to a walk with him after dinner, and where did they end up? At the High Line, just like on their first walk in the city. Looking to take advantage of the warm November night, they paused in a quiet section overlooking New Jersey. That's when he got down on one knee and the whole carefully planned evening finally dawned on her. Without waiting for Joe to have his moment, which he planned and had prepared for, Amanda said yes and couldn't hold back all of her tears before he'd even asked the question.