We are so excited to celebrate with you!

Her Version: My friend was gushing to me during lunch about how "cute, charming and Italian" her new classmate Joe was, and insisted that she introduce us to each other. Clearly, I had high hopes for this kid. Fast forward five minutes, and we had bravely ventured over to the "boy table" on the other side of the cafeteria. We approached 12-year-old Joe, who was surrounded by friends and busy laughing at something most likely super inappropriate. I, being the sweet and polite girl Joe never knew he needed, offered a handshake while my friend gave us a formal introduction. However, Joe was too busy stuffing a cookie in his mouth, and could barely utter a response. Are you kidding me? These middle school boys were the worst. I knew right then that there was only one place for Joe... in the friend zone. We became close friends in the years that followed, and I eventually gave Joe a shot during our senior year of high school. Though distance separated us in college and the years that followed, we eventually picked up where we left off when Joe joined me in Boston in 2016. His version: It was the middle of a fairly typical seventh grade day, and I was enjoying my respite from solving for x, the Revolutionary War, and Punnett squares -- lunchtime. Seemingly out of nowhere, two blonde girls stood beside me as I munched on my post-lunch cookies. One of the girls I knew already; she was a classmate of mine I had met earlier in the school year. The other I didn’t recognize, but boy, was she a looker. “Joe, this is my friend Emily Arturi,” said my classmate, as the unfamiliar girl extended her hand towards me. I was unprepared (recall the cookies), but I accepted her handshake anyway. Then, as quickly as they had appeared, they were gone. The other boys at the lunch table were perplexed, and so was I. What just happened? Who shakes hands in middle school? Did the mystery girl even attend this school? In the end, none of that mattered. The rest, as they say, is history.

As a gift for completing my Masters degree in August, Joe took me on a surprise trip to Nashville, Tennessee. I didn't know where we were going until we got to our gate at Logan! The whole first day was spent exploring downtown, eating and drinking on rooftop decks, listening to live country music, and enjoying the hot weather. Little did I know, Joe was carrying a diamond ring in his pocket the entire time. That first night we took an Uber to another surprise- Joe had bought us tickets to a live show at The Grand Ole Opry, right outside the city. When we arrived, we explored the resort next door, which featured an indoor waterfall, river, bridges, and other plants in the central courtyard area. We were walking around admiring how cool it all was, when Joe spotted a couple posing for a selfie in front of the waterfall. We went over to look at it, and Joe offered to take a picture of them. Afterwards, Joe asked if they could take one of us. We posed in front of the waterfall, and after the first picture was taken, he asked the woman if she could take one more. All of the sudden, Joe was on his knee next to me, asking me to be his wife! Luckily, the couple was able to capture the entire sequence on Joe's phone. Shortly after, we were seated rows away from Carrie Underwood, Old Crow Medicine Show, and other country artists performing live at the Opry. It definitely felt like a dream. We decided to keep it all a secret for a full day before telling our families and friends.