Gino and Taylor both grew up in Merritt Island, FL where they attended the same middle and high schools. At Merritt Island High School, they played on the varsity golf and tennis teams which were their very first memories of each other. 10 years later...Gino was a Miami-based Maritime Attorney and Taylor an Advertising Director in NYC. They both have a love for the culture and lifestyle a big city has to offer. In October 2015, they both returned to MI for their 10-year high school reunion. Taylor's first sighting of Gino was when he walked into the reunion with a box of Tequila and Fireball (and thought, “Wow, Gino is so handsome!”). Taylor offered to help Gino pass out shots to get the party started which may have been the moment sparks flew...or was it the Fireball? 1 year later...Taylor traveled to Miami for work and reached out to Gino for local recommendations. Gino was thrilled she would be in his city for a few days so he asked her out for drinks to catch up. Little did Taylor know, he planned a full night of hopping all over South Beach to some of his favorite spots. They had such a memorable night, that they made plans for an official date two nights later. Before she headed to the airport, Gino asked her "which city would you like to have our next date in...NYC or Miami?" Taylor chose Miami and from that moment on, we were inseparable.

Taylor loves her friends and family. She also loves a good adventure. I wanted to try to combine those two passions for the proposal. The result was a scavenger hunt around NYC with different friends and family members at each stop. Each stop was meaningful to our relationship in some way (favorite diner, memorable dates, etc.) and I (okay, really the ring) would be the “prize” at the last stop. The support for the idea was overwhelming and my initial idea for a simple 4-5 stop scavenger hunt grew into a 13 stop, afternoon-long tour around Manhattan with friends and family joining from across the country. It was so nerve-racking having 30+ people keep it a secret from T, but everyone did such a great job and it went off without a hitch. I was waiting for T on the Gapstow Bridge in Central Park (overlooks the Plaza Hotel) and she arrived within 5 minutes of my estimated time of arrival! From there, we went to one of our favorite rooftop bars to celebrate. We will never forget that day and we will be forever grateful to everyone that helped make that day so special to both of us.