Sheila and Mike met at a pre-orientation retreat called "Connections" at Villanova the summer before their freshman year! They were in the same small group, and spent most of the weekend together getting to know campus and their future classmates-many of whom will be at the wedding! Over the next two years, their paths only crossed occasionally. But junior year Sheila and one of her bridesmaids, Sarah, led a service trip to South Carolina over Spring Break and Mike was picked to be in their group. From then on the two were great friends, spending time together at Qdoba happy hour with other group members and friends, and pre-gaming for nights at Kelly's. After many mornings spent in the Connelly Center sitting "at a table by Freshens" and walking to class together in Tolentine, the two started dating during their senior year.

Upon graduating from Villanova, Mike stayed in Philly and Sheila moved to Hoboken. They spent many weekends traveling back and forth to see each other, and after countless date nights, weekend road trips, and quests to find great beer, Mike proposed in October of 2019. Sheila and Mike were in Philly spending the weekend at her parents house to tailgate the Eagles vs. Jets game. Saturday morning, Mike drove the pair to Villanova under the guise of needing something from the bookstore before heading to brunch with friends. Coincidentally, the bookstore didn't have what Mike was looking for so he was quickly ready to leave the store; but, avid shopper that she is, Sheila wanted to look around and spent several minutes roaming the store. Eventually Mike managed to get her to leave without buying anything (quite an accomplishment), and they made their way back to Mike's Jeep by way of the brick path behind Alumni Hall--the same path they walked together many times during their Senior year on their way to class. When the two reached the iconic fountain, Mike stopped and said "We're here..." at which point Sheila blacked out and doesn't remember anything else except seeing Mike on one knee and herself saying "Yes!" Mike had even hired a photographer to capture the entire surprise! More photos from the proposal can be found on the "Photo" tab!