After Maria rescheduled our date not once, but twice (shoutout to Mikey for sticking it out), we met at one of our favorite Manhattan bars, The Spring Lounge. Mikey had a nice Italian dinner planned after a couple drinks, but once we saw each other, it was huge smiles, nonstop laughs… and suddenly, new plans. The night was electric so electric, in fact, that we completely missed our Italian dinner and ended up grabbing a slice at Bleecker Street Pizza, followed by karaoke. This marked the first of many times Mikey would sing “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra and bring the house down. From the start, every date was easy, fun, and full of laughter. We quickly discovered how much we had in common. Somewhere along the way, Mikey became a dog person and started caring not just for Maria, but for Millie too. Mikey introduced Maria to The Sopranos, and Maria introduced Mikey to The Ohio State Buckeyes — a win-win. Between beach days, new adventures, Millie’s narrated thoughts, and our grand attempts at cooking new recipes, we realized that no matter how big or small, life together could be a lot of fun. The cherry on top of all the fun was discovering the values and faith we share. Our adventures became intentional, and our meals began with our one of a kind “freestyle” prayers. It became clear we were onto something even better. After three years of dating, we became each other's biggest cheerleaders and realized we make a pretty great team. Mikey proposed at the place where we feel the most peace: the beach. It was simple yet special...just the two of us, our Tommy Bahama beach setup, a beautiful Manasquan sunset, and a few celebratory drinks—bad day to be a Coors Banquet. We always say to each other, “Nothing crazy. Simple…peaceful. That’s all.” As we head into marriage, we know this life is better together in all its big adventures and small, ordinary moments. We can’t wait to keep living it side by side. Cheers! – Maria & Mike