Donnie and Refat met at work, with some even seeing it as fate. It all started one summer night when Refat hesitantly decided to go in for a server interview at the Improv Comedy Club. Meanwhile, Donnie stopped by his workplace at the Improv on his day off and was unexpectedly pulled into interviewing candidates. Refat just so happened to be his first interviewee. She recalls that the interview went terribly considering it was her first one and she had little experience. Donnie, however, claims to barely remember it because he was captivated by her beauty (Refat thinks he said this to flatter her). Fast forward a few months, Refat started working at Wet Willies which was adjoined with Improv. Donnie and Refat would exchange small talk as they passed by occasionally. As time went by, they spent more time with each other, and both started developing feelings for one another. When they finally had their first official date, Refat accidentally spilled spaghetti all over Donnie's favorite shirt while trying to feed him a bite of her food, giving him a glimpse of her endearing clumsiness. Although things were going great between Refat and Donnie, there was still one big hurdle to cross. Donnie had made plans to return to California before meeting Refat, and the time was drawing near for him to leave his job for the move. The night before his move, he told Refat he'd like to stay in Florida to give their relationship a chance. She eagerly agreed and they both moved in together almost immediately. From South Florida, where they met, they moved to Jacksonville where they both attended the University of Florida. They supported each other throughout all the hardships and ups and downs during school and have remained strong since. They now both have careers that they love, enjoy traveling, and even expanded their family of two by adopting the cutest cat named Gus.

Donnie always planned to propose in his hometown of Napa. So, when an invitation to his cousin's wedding in Napa Valley came, he seized the opportunity. Usually, Refat handles all their travel plans, but this was the perfect chance for Donnie to plan a trip without raising suspicion. Refat’s only request was that he dedicate a day to wine tasting at the wineries, little did she know that he had already planned such a day. The day of the proposal started at Cakebread Winery where they enjoyed Refat’s favorite Cabernet along with some other tastings. The day was already off to a perfect start! After the tasting, they grabbed a quick lunch and then headed to Chappellet Winery which was located on top of Pritchard Hill overlooking Lake Hennessey. The winery was expecting him because he had planned his proposal with them in advance. When they arrived at Chappellet, Donnie went to the front desk to check-in. Ironically, the front desk attendant mixed up their reservation with another couple that had scheduled a tasting tour. As Donnie and Refat embarked on their unplanned tour, the other couple showed up for their reservation. It didn’t take long for the winery to realize that someone goofed. As the front desk was trying to sort out who was who, Donnie and Refat’s tour guide apologized for the confusion and continued to blurt out that someone had planned a big proposal on the property. While Donnie was sweating and worried that the proposal had been blown, Refat remained completely oblivious and was quietly hoping they would be around long enough to witness the proposal. Well, she got her wish! Donnie led Refat to a beautiful private meadow, where a charming picnic table with a bottle of wine and a charcuterie board awaited them. He also had a couple of photographers waiting for them on the lawn disguised as picnickers, ready to catch the big moment. The photographers had already scoped out the area and instructed Donnie to propose under the large tree in the middle of the meadow for the best lighting. So, before Refat and Donnie could enjoy the view, Donnie guided Refat under the tree to propose. However, while Donnie was trying to do that, Refat kept thinking they were blocking the view of the nice couple (photographer and his wife), so she kept running back to the picnic table. Finally, Donnie got her to stand under the tree, got down on one knee, and proposed. Refat was completely surprised, and the photographer managed to get her surprised face on camera which Refat hates but Donnie loves! Overall, it was an absolutely magical day!