Our story begins just over 15 years ago. We were two Staten Island kids who loved local shows. We knew the same people, hung out with some of the same crews, and we knew of each other. There’s even some pictures with us right next to each other, but we never said more than hi to each other, and were actually never really officially introduced to each other. But whenever someone asked “You know Val Val, right?” Or “you know Cuomo, right?” The both of us would answer “Yes!” Flash forward to 2014, Joe and I were hanging out with mutual friends at Play Sports Bar. One of our friends introduced us officially and Joe’s first words were “You’re the Val Val??” And yes, I said “So you’re Cuomo!!” From there, our friendship started to grow. We would see each other often, and we would snap each other all the time. However, it wasn’t until 2016, that our friendship turned into something more. In 2016, we decided to see where things would go. The transition from being friends to being in a relationship just felt natural.

Joe popped the question on 11.26.2022 at Olana State Castle, in Hudson, NY. No, I didn’t know it was coming. The night before he proposed, he had called and said “it’s clearly going to happen within the next year,” which would always be his response, along with “soon.” I responded with “I don’t want to hear about anymore!” The morning of the proposal was absolutely beautiful, the sun was shining in Hudson, and it was the perfect weather for some exploring. Joe had booked 2 back to back tours of the Olana Castle. The first tour was of the grounds. As we approached the last part of the first tour, Joe asked the tour guide to take a picture of us. Which is out of character for him. That’s when he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! Everything was absolutely perfect!