John found Alexis while searching for a woman to match his stature. We met for the first time at Red Cow on a Wednesday night and matched wits. As we found ourselves still laughing together 3 hours later, it became clear that we may really be a match.

We took our first trip out of the country together to Italy, where John had the honor of standing up in his good friend Luke's wedding. After an amazing week in Lake Como with the wedding party and breathtaking wedding festivities on the Amalfi Coast, we ventured off on our own to Florence and Rome. On our first full day in Florence, we took in as much of the city as we could. We shopped the market, strolled the Boboli Gardens, and hiked up to Piazzale Michelangelo for a gorgeous view of the city (with some wine and gelato along the way, of course). That night, we went out for a classic Italian dinner at Pensavo Peggio Ristorante. Alexis should have realized something was up when John put on his fancy pants and cuff links for dinner, but somehow thought nothing of it. After dinner we walked along the Arno river and stopped for an aperol spritz. John guided the conversation a bit more romantically than normal, but that's to be expected in Italy, right? As we were on our way home, we stopped in a plaza just a block from where we were staying, John popped the question and a shocked Alexis said "a lot of things that weren't yes" before, of course, agreeing to marry him. John gave her the ring, we kissed, and two strangers clapped. We had a blast celebrating our engagement in Rome and now we can't wait to celebrate our wedding with all of you!