Oh wait, wrong show! Picture it: Washington, DC, 2019 Matt & Cory met "the old-school way", as all millennials do: Tinder! While they can't be sure whom swiped right on whom first, they both remember being instantly smitten with the other. Cory even jay-walked across the street to get to Matt faster during their first date at La Tasca (RIP). Dinner was such a success that when the time came to pay the bill, Matt couldn't resist inviting Cory to have just one more drink at Crimson Diner. As if the date couldn't have gone any better, a kiss shared on the Metro platform sealed the deal while waiting for the last train out of the city. As they say, the rest is history!

Matt knew he wanted to propose in October because it was when the two of them had first met back in 2019 - and a long walk on the National Mall just seemed like a perfect fit. After Cory had accidentally made up the cover plans for the day, which included carving pumpkins with friends, the pair started the morning belting out show tunes (Don't Rain on My Parade was first in honor of the day's rain). After a quick stop at Union Kitchen and a short metro ride to the mall, Cory pointed out how beautiful the flowers were and Matt took this as the sign to bring him over to the Smithsonian Castle Gardens. Little did Cory know, Matt had been scoping out this spot for weeks and had a photographer hiding in the background. Matt surprised Cory with the proposal - to which Cory yelled out "What are you doing?!". After some laughter, tears, and a lot of hugs - Cory said YES! The couple took celebratory photos on the National Mall and some of the museums and gardens nearby. Matt had then planned a surprise celebration at The Lucy with some of our friends and family! Cory had no idea any of it was being planned and the day was truly magical and full of love and celebration.

After Matt stole Cory's proposal idea, Cory had to quickly pivot and formulate a new plan! He enlisted the help of their close friend and travel liaison, Falon, to help plan the perfect proposal. After lots of research, Cory chose to propose in Aruba under the guise that it's an extension of Matt's birthday, as he had just turned 30 in January! With lots of meticulously planned secret meetings, the magic soon started bringing the vision to life. Cory knew he wanted to keep the proposal as intimate as possible, so he hired photographer Yvette Franken to capture those special moments. To help keep most of the details a secret, Cory didn't share the trip itinerary with Matt until a few days before they left. Once they landed in Aruba, they were taken to the private resort where they were able to relax and fully un-plug from the outside world (or so Matt thought). Cory was in constant contact with Yvette as they finalized the location of where he would propose. As the day of the proposal arrived, the boys relaxed on the beach while reading their books and sipped some frozen cocktails. While Matt was getting ready for dinner, Cory ran to meet with the driver and photographer one final time. To kick off the night in style, Matt was transported to dinner via private escort (a 1947 Pontiac convertible). The driver, who was in on the whole plan, did a fabulous job getting them to the drop-off location where Yvette was awaiting in secret. Cory led Matt down a small grove to the water-side, where he took his sunglasses off (long story, ask Matt), got down on one knee, and asked Matt the most important question of his life! Of course, Matt said YES! Right afterwards, Yvette guided them through the most beautiful and romantic photo shoot just as the sun was setting. In true Cory and Matt fashion, the ride to dinner was nothing short of magical, like a scene right off of the silver screen! They were seated for dinner on a romantic and private deck overlooking the sea, the perfect ending to the perfect day.