Amanda and Andrew set a date for the next week at a local wine bar new to the both of them. They chatted constantly while counting down the days until they’d finally meet in person. Giddy with anticipation, both rushed home after work and scrambled to get ready. Luckily they only had a few hundred feet between them, so getting together was fast. Andrew walked the block and a half to Amanda’s and texted “I’m here”. Their eyes met the moment Amanda walked out her door, both immediately feeling they hit the jackpot as they saw just how attractive the person they’d been chatting with all week was. After a few short blocks they ordered some wine and appetizers and before they knew it 4 hours had passed and the restaurant was closing. The conversation had been so flowing, natural and fun that they completely lost themselves. Needless to say, there was going to be a second date.

Their second date was at the Guggenheim, Andrew's pick! They had an amazing time wondering around and Amanda got really impressed with Andrew's inspiring thoughts about the Arts and how much he loved Kandinsky's work. She thought "Wow, not only handsome, he's also a nerd (in a good way)". Then they walked around the Great Lawn and took this first picture together! Thankfully they figured out what to do with their hands in future pictures

It was Amanda’s turn to plan a date and she knew she needed to impress. She wanted fun, levity and mystique. A pop-up concert ticked all the boxes. Andrew and Amanda cleared their schedule for Thursday night, knowing the concert would be vaguely on the LES, but the exact location wasn’t disclosed. A classic romantic Italian dinner kicked things off, carbonara and cabernet by candlelight. Then, armed with a second bottle of wine, they meandered through Manhattan streets to the loft hosting the concert. Sipping and head bobbing, they vibed the night away, feeling the music and feeling each other.

It is said that the person who catches the bouquet will be the next to get married, in some cases, it's simply considered good luck. Well, on this day it meant both! Amanda catches the bouquet at Maria & David's wedding (not on purpose she says, but we'll never know), and like every wedding everyone looked at Andrew with that side-eye "You're next"! He blushed and with his beautiful smile didn't hesitate to take the classic picture with the newlyweds. Later that night, back at Amanda's apartment the love celebration was in the air and she felt the need to have an official talk about their dating status. In Brazil, you get asked to be boyfriend & girlfriend with a silver ring and a corny proposal, but here in the US is a bit too confusing to know when you're an official couple. So she went back to her roots and said: Andrew, do you want to be my boyfriend? Andrew replied: Do you want to be my girlfriend? They both smiled and sealed with a kiss.

The weeks passed and seasons changed, bringing with it new opportunities for celebrating and making new memories with friends and families. Andrew met Amanda’s mom for the first time in person and got the seal of approval, as did Amanda from Andrew’s family. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, not even the tree falling on Amanda could tamper the joy and love growing between them two. Meeting the parents can be intimidating, but both fit in so seamlessly with the others family that it felt like discovering some long lost relatives. They knew they had something special to treasure and grow.

As the winter days grew cold and dark, Amanda and Andrew knew they had to escape and explore the wider world together. So off they went to sunny Florida, snorkeling, sipping drinks and partying the night away. This was the first of many trips together, with memories from each like seeing dolphins flirting in the keys, hiking deep into the Grand Canyon, sampling every key lime pie they came across, Amanda getting incredibly sick in rural Utah (her soul left her body after hiking the Hoodoos, good thing Andrew ended up renting a cabin and comforting her with a Navajo pizza) and what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas! One trip they’ll never forget was finding themselves in California in March of 2020, driving down the coast as the world closed down around them. Through everything, even those scary, uncertain times, there was always laughter and happiness to be found in each other and comfort knowing as long as they were together everything would be alright.

As if a major trip at the start of a global pandemic wasn’t enough, Amanda and Andrew also had plans to move in together. Apartment hunting in NYC is always a stressful experience, but this took it to a whole different level. Thankfully after a couple of excursions out and a little luck, they found their perfect place and started to build a home together. They immediately loved their new life together, exploring the neighborhood, finding the hidden gems and favorite haunts to call their own and learning more about each other's little quirks and habits. It was through this they really started to see what a whole life together could look like and the vision was wonderful!

“Saudade” is one of the most beautiful words in the entire world and it has no English equivalent. It's a Portuguese term that refers to a deep melancholic longing or yearning. That's what Amanda felt for six years away from her family, but the saudades were about to end when the immigration finally gave her a win. They packed lots of gifts and excitement and headed to Brazil together. Andrew was looking forward to this day, to see where Amanda grew up, meet her family and friends, eat all the delicious food she'd been talking about and of course put into practice all his hard work studying Portuguese. Amanda was beyond excited to surprise her family and share more of the Brazilian culture with Andrew. When they arrived, it was an amazing surprise. Her Mom almost passed out and her Dad couldn't believe Amanda was back, her "little" brother is now 6'3" with the cutest little son. All of her family already loved Andrew through WhatsApp calls, but meeting him in person was the reassurance of this feeling. They were all impressed by his Portuguese. Actually, not only her family but the whole town since Andrew got famous in one of Amanda's Instagram videos and the newspaper published about this "gringo" in town, but that is a story for another day!

After spending a couple of weeks in Amanda's hometown, they did a 15-day road trip through the Northeast of Brazil. The plan was to explore the beaches,  eat delicious food, and get as many caipirinhas and piña coladas as possible, the perfect Taurus vacation! Andrew had something special to do during this trip though and he couldn't wait anymore. Amanda made the whole itinerary since it's her homeland, and Portuguese wouldn't be a problem for her, so for this day, they went on a boat trip to Santo Aleixo Island to spend the day snorkeling, hiking around the island and enjoying the beach. Heading back to the resort they would grab dinner and stay by the pool listening to the live band. What Amanda didn't have on her itinerary was that Andrew organized a beautiful romantic dinner by the beach. So she went to get ready for dinner, noticing Andrew was acting a bit weird, but did not notice the huge square box he had in his pocket. She arrived at the dinner and was speechless that he put that together, it was so sweet. Andrew said " I wanted to celebrate our first trip to Brazil, the first of many more to come" and gave Amanda a box with a gold bracelet with sapphire and emerald stones representing Brazil colors. For a second Amanda thought that would be a ring, but as soon she saw the rectangle box, she realized it was not. Obviously, she still loved the thoughtful gift and wears this bracelet every day! Well, we all know this gift was Andrew trying to trick her and still surprise her with a proposal. So after a glass of wine, Andrew starts to declare his love to Amanda, emotions and love flowing. Then he asked the waiter to take a picture of this moment, followed with a "Pode gravar, por favor."  "Can you record, please?" Amanda looked at him so confused because he never records anything. Suddenly, Andrew was on his knees: "Amanda, will you marry me? Speechless, she looked at him and said  "Of course YES!!!" 

If you made it through this story telling is because you're invited to our wedding on March 9, 2024 and we love you very much. So pack your awesome energy, tissues for the happy tears, dancing shoes, and let's celebrate this Love Story together in Brazil!