It all started with a 10-day trip to Israel in July 2017. Joey intended to sign up for the UCSB birthright trip with his friends from school, but luckily there wasn't enough space. After searching for many days, Joey found a trip leaving from the Bay Area that still had openings. Leeat and Joey both signed up for the same trip. Little did they know, their lives were going to change forever. By the final leg of their trip in Israel, they had become inseparable. After two weeks of riding camels in the desert, floating in the Dead Sea, and going out in Tel Aviv, their summer romance came to an end. They had known that they found something special in Israel - each other. Their Birthright trip was only the beginning of their love story. Once they returned home, they made every effort to stay connected. Joey returned home after the 10-day trip while Leeat stayed in Israel a little while longer. As soon as Leeat returned home, Joey asked Leeat on their first official date…and the rest is history. Who would have thought that they had to travel across the world to find each other, even though they grew up a mere 30 miles apart.

Joey asked Leeat to marry him on June 10th, 2023, in Half Moon Bay, CA. Early that morning, Leeat started getting ready for what she thought was a mother/daughter photoshoot. Much to Leeat’s surprise, when she arrived at the Ritz Carlton, she saw Joey. He was standing cliffside, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with a beautiful set up. As Leeat moved closer, Joey took her hand, got down on one knee and asked Leeat to marry him. Without a doubt, Leeat said yes!