A Classic Love In a Modern World

Linzee and Vincent met at Florida Gulf Coast University during the fall semester of 2014 (her freshmen year and his sophomore year of college). One afternoon, Linzee returned to campus after an unusually large grocery haul, because she was shopping for both herself and her roommate who was sick that week. The parking garage was far from the dormitory building, so Linzee was determined to take all the bags with her in one trip. She was dropping bags along the pathway when Vincent spotted her and offered his help. Unbeknownst to them both, the elevators were out of service that day; so they had to carry everything up six flights of stairs in the summer heat. By the time they reached the top floor, both of them were sweaty and exhausted. Once they arrived at Linzees unit, there was a long awkward pause before Vincent eventually realized he was not going to be invited inside (stranger danger)... So he simply placed the bags by the door and said “I’ll see you around," to which Linzee flirtatiously responded “I hope so” and they parted ways without so much as exchanging names. Little did they know, both of them lived in that building only two floors apart. Months went by and the pair never ran into one another on campus or in student housing. At the time, online dating apps were becoming increasingly popular and Linzees roommates convinced her to create a profile. As fate would have it, Vincent was the first person to 'match' with Linzee. He immeditely starting sending her direct messages with personal questions like "Do you live in Osprey Hall on the sixth floor?" which freaked Linzee out. Her profile identified her as an FGCU student, but certainly did not give details about her residence. She was all but ready to delete the app and never respond again, when Vincent sent one last message explaining how the two had met the year before. Embarrassed that she hadn't initially recalled their first encounter, Linzee finally responded and nervously agreed to meet him in person; she insisted they go somewhere public though. She was already on her way to the campus gym, so she invited him to tag along. They exchanged pleasantries between workouts, and afterwards went to the community student kitchen to cook dinner together. Time flew by as they got to know eachother, and before they realized it was the wee hours of the morning. Before they said goodnight, Vincent convinced Linzee to allow him to take her on a proper date sometime soon. The rest is history...

On Halloween night 2015, Linzee and Vincent were returning to his dad’s vacation home in Naples after a party. There’s a grand fountain at the entrance to the subdivision. As they drove by, both of them were egging the other one on to climb in the fountain. So they did what any sensible young people would do…jumped in fully clothed! Amid splashing around, Vincent told Linzee he was crazy about her and asked her to be his girlfriend. Fast forward 6 years to September 28, 2021: Linzee and Vincent were preparing to host a housewarming party to celebrate the end of renovations on the home they bought together during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their immediate families were already in town because they planned to enjoy an intimate dinner together in Marco Island before the extended family and friends arrived for the event the next day (or so Linzee thought)... On the way to dinner, they were told someone in the other car forgot their wallet and had to turn around to retrieve it. Restaurants are known to be quite busy that time of year, so they knew if they arrived too early without the entire party there they probably wouldn’t be seated. Along the route to the restaurant is the community where Vincent's father previously owned that vacation home. They have continued to build new homes in that community over the years, so Vincent suggested they would kill some time while the others backtracked for their wallet. As they drove through the community, Linzee suggested they drive by the fountain where he asked her to be his girlfriend for 'old times sake'. Everything was going according to Vincent's grand plan... While walking around the fountain, Vincent stopped to take Linzee's hand and smoothly slipped off the promise ring he had given her a few years earlier while symoltaniously kneeling down to propose. Little did Linzee know, her best friend and her boyfriend (who are conveniently a photographer/videographer duo) were hiding nearby to capture the entire proposal. You can watch the video by scrolling up on this page.