The very first time I ever crossed paths with my fiancé, I didn’t even know it would matter. He was just my older brother’s really good friend—one of the guys my brother had gone to high school with. It was 2008, their graduation day, and my mom handed me a camera. I snapped a picture of the two of them, thought nothing more of it, and went on with life. Every now and then my mom would mention him, usually with a dreamy “He’s such a handsome young man,” but I could never seem to remember what he looked like. Years went by. Then, fast-forward to my brother’s 30th birthday. He had a few people over at my mom’s house, and among them was him. This time, we actually talked—really talked. We “chopped it up,” just enjoying the flow of the conversation. That’s when I found out he was a criminal justice major and had a very cool profession. Fast-forward again to my brother’s wedding. I saw him there, familiar now, and my mom gave me the idea to ask if he’d take me to the shooting range. He agreed without hesitation. That little plan turned into our first outing together in June 2020. And then, on July 4th, 2020, we went on our official first date at La Dulce Vita in Belmar and watched the fireworks on the beach, sitting on the lifeguard stand—all of it fitting in a way that only makes sense looking back. Now here we are, after all the years, all the coincidences, all the moments that kept bringing us back to each other—engaged to be married. A love story that started with a picture in 2008…📸

On January 21, 2025, my fiancé pulled off the surprise of a lifetime. A week earlier, he told me his mom wanted to take my mom and me out to dinner, and he had picked a taco place in Belmar, NJ—right on the shore. I was completely on board. Tacos? Say no more. Fast forward to the 21st. We got in the car to pick up both of our moms, it’s around 3pm. On the way, his mom suddenly said she needed to talk to him about something and asked him to stop at a gazebo in Belmar. He kept pressing her about what was so important, but she wouldn’t budge—she insisted they stop. When we arrived, he and his mom got out and walked over to the gazebo. I sat in the car confused, wondering what on earth they needed to discuss outside in the middle of winter, by the freezing shore of all places. Then my fiancé called me and asked if my mom and I could come to the gazebo because his mom wanted to tell us something too. At that point, I was convinced he had to be joking. Why couldn’t they just talk in the car? It was cold, it was windy, and all I wanted was tacos. My mom and I walked over, and I immediately asked his mom what she needed to tell us. Before she could say anything, my fiancé took my hand and said the one thing I absolutely did not want to hear: “We are not getting tacos.” I was instantly annoyed—If we’re not getting tacos, then why am I standing outside by the beach freezing? But as he held my hands and gently moved me toward the center of the gazebo, he added, “We’re not getting tacos because you’re getting something else.” And that’s when it hit me, he was about to propose to me. For the first time in my life, I was completely speechless, and I couldn’t even move. He said very beautiful words to me and he got down on one knee, and asked, “Will you marry me?” Of course, I said yes. Afterward, he took me—and our moms—to the exact restaurant where we had our very first date. It was the perfect full-circle moment, wrapping the beginning of our story into the start of our forever. A day I will cherish for the rest of my life.