Two girls meet in the Odyssey of the Mind, a young Bella and an even younger Morgan. As weeks went by, Morgan’s older brother Logan would come to pick her up from practices and take notice of Bella. As we know, Bella is quite the drama queen and the attention of an older boy (an 8th grader!!!) was all she could think about.. especially one as handsome as Logan! Logan would say hi to her at practice and then in school in front of all the other 7th and 8th graders (a true scandal!). But the love story really begins on February 17th, 2013.

If there’s one thing about Bella’s mother (Queen Victoria if you will), it’s that she LOVES to sign her girls up for church retreats. So, Victoria signs up Bella for a church retreat right after having her cheer team pictures taken (so imagine some glitter eyeshadow and a bright red lip - it’s just as bad as you’re imagining, if not worse, I promise). As Bella gets onto the bus, she realizes that she’s the only 6th grader there and is immediately upset. She gets her stuff loaded up and goes to get on the bus and guess who’s sitting in the back with the 8th graders? Logan. Now our sweet, handsome gentleman made it his mission that weekend to spend all the time he could with Bella (who was absolutely smitten already). They became inseparable. Between the games, dinner (where he took all the Oreos off her plate and ate just the filling and gave them back), trying not to cough during Mass, and then of course, texting all night while being on opposite sides of the gym. Logan gave Bella little choice but to love him. Little did they know that retreat would be the start of the rest of their lives.

Now in April, Bella had tickets to go to the Space Coast fair for herself and a friend. When the friend canceled at the last minute, she asked her mom if Logan could come with her instead. Victoria said no, but still brought it up to Nana and Poppop later that afternoon. Now, Nana agreed that Bella was too young to go to the fair alone with a boy. BUT, Poppop told Victoria, “What’s the harm? She’s a good girl and you like him, so let her go.” He is still the smartest man I’ve ever met. Logan asked Bella to be his girlfriend officially on April 17, 2013, on the very top of the Ferris wheel. Victoria used to tell Bella often to enjoy puppy love because when high school came it would probably end, but that it was okay because it’s life (sorry Momma, you’re not always right). High school came for Logan and then came for Bella. It wasn’t easy being at different schools, but they made it work. Life wasn’t easy, there was a lot of pain and struggles in both families and ultimately after a year apart, they came back together with the ultimate thought: we either make this work for good or we let each other go forever.

College was harder than high school, with more driving freedom, but a farther distance and more heartbreak. The loss of both of their grandfathers in the same year and then the illnesses of their grandmothers took a toll, but still, they wanted to be together. COVID hit and they spent as much time together as they could, Logan working incredibly hard while finishing up his Bachelor's degree and Bella balancing school, friends, and sorority life. The conversation about getting engaged around 20/21, as they’d discussed at 14/15, came up frequently, but ultimately they knew they weren’t ready.

A blink of an eye and they’re celebrating Logan graduating from UCF and starting at Palmer College of Chiropractic. A year later, Bella is graduating from UCF and still figuring it out, while juggling family, friends, work, and now a new commute to Logan in Port Orange. Again the discussion of marriage came up, but this time, it didn’t seem as scary. Logan said when the time was right, it would happen. Bella, ever the nag, especially when she wants something, kept hinting and teasing.

And after another year of waiting and praying, on July 3rd, 2023 in the Cayman Islands, on the beautiful beach with a gorgeous sunset forming around them, Logan Joseph Monteleone asked ArraBella Elizabeth McDermott to be his wife. It was truly magical!! Now, no one can say for sure what he actually said or how she answered (sorry we both blacked out from the adrenaline), but it’s a fact that it was truly meant to be!! Also, a fun fact, the lovely engagement ring that Bella wears belonged to her great-grandmother Slyvia Lucchese, who was with her husband for 50+ years. They were so in love and what an amazing legacy to pass on!

There are so many people to thank for our love story along the way. It’s hard to imagine a different life, but we’re so blessed to be here together. We have always felt that we were meant for each other, an incredible balance of personality.

We’re so happy you’re getting to witness our love story begin its next chapter in the same week that we will be also celebrating our 10-year anniversary.

We love you all and can’t wait to spend time together celebrating our love!