Paulo and Amanda first crossed paths at the University of Florida Small Animal Hospital, where what began as a simple research project quietly turned into mutual curiosity. Months later, an Instagram follow led to a message, a Latin night out, and a full evening of dancing — followed by hosting a children-filled open house the next morning. Both were impressively and unmistakably hungover, discovering early on they could suffer through anything together. They quickly realized they balanced each other perfectly: her fiery spirit grounding his calm nature, his steadiness softening her edges, and a shared love of food, and animals sealing the deal early on. During the chaos of Amanda’s move to South Florida, her cousins convinced her to dress up for a “nice dinner” (2 hours away) while Paulo claimed he was out with the boys — instead, he was waiting beneath the oaks at Washington Oaks National Park to ask her to marry him. Waiting afterward were both of their families, all of their dogs, and an evening thoughtfully planned just for them, proof that even when they don’t agree on the timing, they always end up exactly where they’re meant to be together.