Their story began back in 2018 at Carrabba's Italian Grill on the Strip. Jonelle had just started as a 21-year-old server, while Matt, who was 19 at the time, worked as a host and in the ToGo area. What started as simple conversations between shifts quickly turned into a friendship. After a few months of working together, they became close friends and often spent time hanging out outside of work with their coworkers, who also became lifelong friends along the way. For nearly four years, Matt and Jonelle were just friends! the kind of friendship that felt easy, natural, and full of laughter. Everything changed when they attended their mutual friends’ wedding together as dates… still technically “just friends.” But somewhere between celebrating love, dancing, and spending the day together, something shifted. Before long, those years of friendship blossomed into something deeper, and the rest, as they say, is history. Within the year, their relationship grew quickly and meaningfully. They experienced both joy and loss together, moved into their first apartment, and welcomed their beautiful daughter, Juniper, into the world. Through every challenge and every celebration, their love only grew stronger. Just four months into dating, Matt already knew Jonelle was the one. He bought her engagement ring and began planning for the perfect moment. On their third anniversary, he proposed at the beautiful Cleveland Botanical Garden, with Jonelle’s friend Jalyn there to secretly capture the special moment. Of course, Jonelle said yes! After everything they’ve been through together, Matt and Jonelle know their love is something truly special. They feel incredibly grateful to share this life with one another and can’t wait to celebrate their next chapter surrounded by family and friends. And as it turns out, their fifth anniversary will arrive just a couple of weeks before the big day! The perfect way to begin forever together.