Matt and Lori had their first date in May 2021. They went to Lori's favorite Mexican restaurant, and as Lori likes to say, Matt "didn't let her eat", so they finished off 3 margarita pitchers on an empty stomach. Neither of them remembers much about that first night, but they both knew they found someone special. They hung out basically every day over the next few weeks, and after a few more mimosas, Matt asked Lori to make it official. Over the next 2 and a half years, they would fall more and more in love. Whether they were sipping drinks on the beach in Jamaica, eating lobster rolls in Newport, or dancing the night away at their many friends' weddings, they were inseparable. In October 2022, they moved into their first apartment together in Astoria. They love spending every night cooking new food and binging their favorite TV shows together. In August 2023, they added a new furry member to their family when they adopted the only thing they love more than each other, their Australian Shepherd puppy, Lyla.

Lori is incredibly stubborn and hates surprises. Naturally, this means Matt planned a surprise proposal that required convincing Lori to go somewhere she didn't want to go. He enlisted the help of one of Lori's best friends (and bridesmaid), Stef, to lure her to Central Park before the Shania Twain concert. Lori did not make this easy for Stef. She complained to Matt pretty much the entire day about how Stef was making her go out of her way to eat dinner in the park. Luckily, Stef was eventually able to get Lori to the Bethesda fountain, and as Lori walked down the stairs, Matt was waiting for her with the ring. It took her a few seconds to realize what was going on when she saw him standing there, but once Matt got down on one knee, her confusion turned to excitement. She was happy to say yes to her very best friend; even though she had to remind him to put the ring on her finger not just stay on one knee with the box open.