We met on Hinge on January 15, 2021, at 8:33 a.m. Noelle had a prompt that said, “I’m looking for… someone who is romantic, and isn’t afraid to show it 😊 .” Lucas replied, “I’d like to think I know how to treat a beautiful girl like yourself, you just have to give me a chance to prove that on a date.” Noelle answered, “Hi! Sure, I’ll go on a date with you 😊 😊.” And that’s how it all began. Our first date was at Applebee’s, and our second was at the Airport Diner where Noelle ordered spaghetti and French fries. When she came out of the bathroom and saw Lucas waiting to walk her to her car, she had this feeling that he was the one. When they got outside, Lucas gave her a rose since Valentine’s Day was coming up. Then Noelle dropped her phone between the seat and console in her car and needed help getting it out, so Lucas came to the rescue. Our third date was at Coyle’s Ice Cream in Islip, our fourth at Maria’s in Nesconset, and our fifth at Strong Island Ice Cream where we walked to the library lawn and went stargazing. Our sixth date was at Izumi in Holbrook. Lucas said he liked sushi, but it turned out that was his first time having it. He just really wanted to see Noelle again. By the end of February, Lucas met Noelle’s family. Noelle met Lucas’s family soon after, and six days later, on March 16, 2021, we officially started dating. Since then, we’ve gone to Washington D.C. twice, visited the Moritz cabin more times than we can count, and taken three magical trips to Disney. We’ve spent time at Ridin’ Hy Ranch three times, visited Hershey Park, NYC, and Mystic, Connecticut. We even went to Rhode Island for Comic Con, where Noelle met the voice of Ariel, Jodi Benson, and to New Jersey where Noelle surprised Lucas with Star Wars in Concert as a graduation gift from St. Joseph’s University. We’ve also made amazing memories in Punta Cana celebrating Morgan’s 21st birthday. From a simple Hinge message to countless memories, adventures, and laughter, we can’t wait to start the next chapter of our story together. ❤️

I had been planning to propose to Noelle at the gazebo on the Disney Boardwalk, one of the most peaceful and beautiful spots at Disney, and I couldn’t wait for her to be completely surprised. The morning started off great. We got to the airport with no issues, checked in, and boarded our flight pretty quickly. But then, the delays started. Our plane ended up being delayed for about three hours, and I started to stress that we wouldn’t make it down in time. My biggest worry was that we’d arrive too late to get to the Boardwalk before it got crowded, especially since my grandpa was picking us up from the airport and already knew what I had planned. I just kept thinking, Please let this plane take off. Finally, five minutes before everyone would have had to deplane, we got the all-clear to go. When we landed, I made sure the ring was safely in my pocket before we grabbed our bags and met up with my grandpa. He and I had already come up with a plan so Noelle wouldn’t suspect anything. On the drive to our hotel, he casually suggested that we make a quick stop at the Boardwalk to “see what had changed.” Luckily, Noelle didn’t think twice about it. We parked and started walking, checking out the shops and bakeries before heading toward the gazebo. There were a few people already there, so we waited for our turn to take some photos. Then, by total coincidence, the couple ahead of us got engaged right before I was about to propose. I couldn’t believe it. I just hoped Noelle wouldn’t catch on. After they left, we walked into the gazebo and started taking a few pictures. I gave Noelle a penny and told her, “We should both make a wish.” She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, I was down on one knee asking her to marry me. The moment was perfect. My grandpa was there to capture it all, and even with all the flight delays and surprises that day, everything led us right to that spot, the gazebo on the Disney Boardwalk, where I got to ask the love of my life to marry me. It couldn’t have been more magical, and it couldn’t have been more us. ❤️ ✨ And now, we can’t wait to return to Disney, this time, as husband and wife. 💍 🏰