We met at a Halloween party that Tessa almost didn't attend. That fateful day our best friend Adam bailed her out of a date, on one condition, "you go to your girl's night late and come to my Halloween party". On her way to the party, she realized she was hungry and stopped at Market Basket for sushi and a rotisserie chicken thigh to eat when she got there. She parked her car on Jean Ave, ran inside, and went straight for the kitchen. She dove straight into her rotisserie chicken (utensils excluded) only to hear Adam walking in and introducing her to another one of his UMass Lowell friends, Alex Bouthot. She looked up with a handful of rotisserie chicken, mid-bite, to see a man dressed in an exquisite McPoyle costume (from Always Sunny in Philadelphia). Slicked hair, green robe, and whitey tighties she just knew she had to speak to him. He didn't know yet what to make of the girl dressed to go to the gym with a face full of chicken. As time passed, she got the courage to go up and talk to him. He informed her all her friends had been following her location on SnapChat for months and he was a graduate of Tewksbury Memorial High School (she thought: my dad would love this guy). She then left to go venture to her girl's night. After a few glasses of Cabernet, she called her friend Adam and asked for Alex's number. They went on a date the very next day and the rest is history.

After a particularly stressful school year, Alex suggested they take a trip to Martha’s Vineyard during her April break. After all, she had been telling Alex for years about her fond childhood memories with her family and how she would love to go back. They found the perfect spot in Oaks Bluff right by the harbor and a two-second walk to the Gingerbread Village (her favorite spot on the island). They rode the ferry on a beautiful sunny day. After dropping off their bags, they took in the sights and returned to get changed for dinner. As they were getting dressed, they decided to take one of their vacation sunset pictures before dinner in case it rained the following day. Alex thought “this is it” and snuck the ring into his pocket while Tessa was getting ready. They then walked around the harbor to find the perfect spot. Once the perfect spot had been found, they wrapped Alex’s phone in Tessa’s jacket and began recording a video (to screenshot for photos later). After striking a few poses, Alex dropped down on one knee, pulled out the perfect ring, and said the words she had been longing to hear “Will you marry me?”. She then said the words he had been longing to hear, “Yes”.