In 2019, Daniella’s friend, James’ coworker, decided to play matchmaker. She knew James had recently come out of a long term relationship, and Daniella was very unlucky in love. Their friend told James she had the right woman for him. She told Daniella she had the right man for her. Daniella was skeptical. She was in the dating world for over a decade - the apps, the mutual friends, the coworkers, she tried it all. But she had to admit, he did sound like quite a guy. The plan was low-pressure. Their friend invited James to Main Event so the two could meet. If he showed up, great. If not, the girls were going anyway because they just wanted to have fun. Those who know James know his social battery depletes quickly. So an event with his mom and sister already planned, meant the likelihood of him attending another outing was low. His response to the matchmaking invite had been the classic “I’ll let you know" which is polite but not promising. The evening before they were supposed to meet, fueled by pizza rolls and excitement, Daniella pulled up James on Instagram and slid into his DMs. The message was cheeky, and challenging, "I'm gonna assume if you don't join us, it's because you're afraid of losing? 🤷🏻‍♀️” The next day, James spent part of the evening with his family, chugged coffee, and called to the challenge in his inbox, decided to step out dangerously close to his bedtime to meet Daniella and her friend at 8:30 in the evening. The moment Daniella saw James, she swooned. Those lips. That was all it took. And James? The first thing he noticed about Daniella were her eyes. As for the bowling? The smack talk in that IG message turned out to be exactly that, talk. Daniella lost and James has yet to let her forget it. But hey, it worked in their favor. After bowling and games, they went to their friend's place to chill and watch TV. A few hours later, Daniella walked James out to say goodnight. James, a man raised in a family of huggers, went in for a warm hug. Daniella, a self-professed non-hugger (it takes time), gave him a quick little side hug, a move that would have James convinced there would not be a follow-up date. Nonetheless, he sent her a text letting her know he'd made it home safely and that he'd like to see her again. A gentleman's move. The next morning, Daniella, completely unaware that her side hug sent the wrong signal, texted him first. James asked to meet up again 1:1. What started as a casual daytime hangout stretched beyond its original plans, and shortly after, James followed up with an invitation for a proper date night. Daniella was very shy in person and didn't say much, which left James confused. Face-to-face, he couldn't read her at all. In texts, however, she was a full-on flirt. He stayed confused and kept showing up anyway. After their first official date, Daniella and James spent nearly every day together. They met each other's families. They made things official. They introduced their dogs to one another and not long after, Gizmo, her dog, quietly moved in with James and his dog, Kili. Looking back, it's impossible not to see how perfect the timing of it all was. James, became single, then his coworker became single shortly after, which opened up time to hang out. Just a couple of months after Daniella and James met, James's company went through a massive layoff and her friend/his coworker, was let go. God had their separate paths leading to one another and opened a small window of opportunity to meet at the right time. Fast forward six years later, James proposed to Daniella in St. Augustine. A small town in Florida that they have visited every year since being together. As Daniella and James’ story continues to be written, they are excited to add you to their love story when they wed in Aubrey this August. Oh and for those wondering, Daniella said "I love you" first. Thankfully, James said it right back in that very moment.