It all started with a right swipe, we matched on Bumble where Mariel dazzled Kyle with the opening one liner, "hey". Kyle was bold and asked if we could meet for drinks later that same day. We had our first date at Monument in Charlestown, after showing up 45 minutes late (Mariel), and abruptly ending the date (Kyle) we said goodbye with no way of knowing where this first date would lead us. Despite a series of unusual events on our first date, something clicked. We found ourselves talking and laughing, discovering shared interests and unexpected connections. Kyle's former client turned out to be the company Mariel worked at. We had lived within a 6 block radius of one another for years, both frequenting reggae night at Shenanigan's. What began as a nerve-wracking first meeting slowly turned into our last first dates. Looking back, it's hard to believe that this seemingly awkward night would lead us here. It just goes to show that sometimes, even the most inauspicious beginnings can lead to the most wonderful endings.

We got engaged by the Charles River Esplanade looking over the city of Boston and one of our favorite places, Fenway Park. Kyle woke up on the morning of July 13, 2025 and knew that was the day. After planning a surprise trip to Italy, that ultimate was a smoke screen to throw Mar off the scent, he was trying to find the perfect moment to surprise her. After going fishing and calling our families, Kyle asked Mar to take a walk by the Esplanade. As we started driving the skies opened and it started down pouring. Mariel immediately recommended a pivot, let's get bagels and coffee instead. Kyle insisted that we wait for the rain to slow so we could take Luna for a walk. After some pouting we got out of the car and started walking along the water. Kyle got down on one knee, and after almost a year of fake outs, it was hard to believe it was real. Once Mariel realized that this one was different, Kyle asked Mariel to spend the rest of our lives together. After asking "are you serious" no less than 10 times, she said YES!