Michael, a Staten Island-dream-of-a-man, and Jamie, a Long Island-girl-turned-Queens-powerhouse-of-a-woman found themselves swiping away on the dating app, Hinge. In November of 2022, they managed to find each other in the dreary New York City dating landscape by taking a chance on a swipe to the right. Mike traveled to Astoria for their first date at a bar called Judy & Punch, where they connected over their mutual field of work (that event life) and their youthful forays into to the world of musical theater.

After that first date, Jamie wasn't convinced (and Mike claims "she HATED me"). Jamie must have seen potential in this sweet, goofy man, because she agreed to a second date. They went to dinner at The Pomeroy in Astoria and hit it off, ending the date with their first kiss in the rain.

Jamie headed off to Florida the next day to visit her best friend, Betsy, while Mike headed off to San Diego to visit his friends, Jason and Lisa. They texted every day (and literally every day since) and Mike even waited an additional week to see Jamie while she recovered from an illness.

At last, they made it to their third date in mid-December, when Jamie very bravely agreed to cross the bridge into Staten Island. They went to Dave & Busters, which sounds silly, but was an homage to Jamie's Saturday outings with her dad when she was growing up. They shared yet another kiss by the most romantic section of D&B: the ski ball machines.

Jamie and Mike continued to have incredible dates at museums, movie theaters, and arcades, but had an especially memorable outing when they stumbled upon a tarot card reader next to the train tracks in New Dorp. This mystical, unnamed woman made some very bold claims (Jamie was going to come into money...), but the thing that stuck with the couple was that she saw "very good things" for them. She clearly has a gift.

While they both live in NYC, Queens and Staten Island are basically long distance, and Jamie was in awe of the effort that Mike put in to pick her lazy butt up and shuttle her back and forth. Because they lived far apart, they spent long stretches of time together, working from home, exploring their neighborhoods, and ultimately spending innumerable hours in the car together, listening to 2000's pop punk (Mike's favorite), 90's rock (Jamie's favorite), and full-length musicals. Duets were plentiful. Their love grew with an ease that neither of them had ever experienced.

Their first "trip" together was to the TWA Hotel. Their first flight on a plane together was to Florida where they went to their first music festival (and their first concert officially became 311...Amber IS the color of their energy). After over a year together and a slew of other adventures, they decided to move in together and create a home in Astoria.

Two and a half weeks later, Mike proposed.

Let's set the scene. On Saturday, March 9, Jamie was told she was going to an anniversary/birthday brunch on Staten Island with Mike's family. She was informed it would be "very fancy." She got dressed and in true Jamie fashion, started doing work before they left. On the way out, she commented that she didn't love how her coat looked. A little before 10am, they were off in the car. Mike started driving in the wrong direction, and Jamie promptly questioned his motives.

"Why are we going this way?" she asked. "You were right, I should have gotten a gift for my sister," he replied. Jamie assumed they would stop to grab a bottle of wine, although she questioned whether or not one would be open at that time. In her oblivious bliss, she kept silent. Mike luckily found a great parking spot, and started to pay for parking. Jamie said she would just wait in the car so he wouldn't have to pay, but Mike insisted he needed her to help to pick something out. Jamie grew suspicious, but shrugged it off.

Upon getting out of the car, Mike told Jamie to leave her jacket, and her Spidey sense officially started tingling. They ran across the street to The Pomeroy. Mike opened the door and said there'd been a change of plans. Swimming in disbelief, Jamie wondered if maybe they were just getting brunch here now. However, as Mike opened the door, she saw an aisle of flower petals lined with candles leading to the center of the restaurant.

As her confusion cleared, the shock set in. In the middle of the room was a table with a crystal ball on it. Our tarot card reader saw good things for us, and we knew we were destined for each other. Mike's friend, Johnny B, played one of our songs on guitar while one of Jamie's High Line colleagues took photos. Mike said some very beautiful words and Jamie completely blacked out and made him repeat them later on. She of course said a resounding yes, and only then realized that other people were in the room.

After a small photo shoot, a private brunch at home, hours of calling family and friends, and weirdly building a table together in the midst of everything, they prepared for what Jamie thought was a dinner with family back at The Pomeroy. It was raining buckets that evening, and as they ducked back into the restaurant, they were greeted by almost EVERYONE THEY KNEW. While Jamie thought Mike may have had something up his sleeve, she was honestly impressed that literally everyone she spoke to that day lied to her face. They love her a lot, and are apparently all great actors.

It took a long time for Jamie and Mike to find each other, and they still can't quite believe they were lucky enough to find their actual soulmates in one another. They can't wait to share their special day with the rest of the people they love.