Joe and Alisha matched in the Fall of 2020 on the app meant to be deleted -- Hinge. Joe had just enrolled in law school at the University of New Hampshire and Alisha had recently been promoted to engineering manager. Regardless of how busy the two were, they made time for a dinner date at Karma in Westford; despite Alisha showing up 20 minutes late, Joe stuck around.

Alisha’s spiraling nerves settled as Joe said hello: he goes, “there she is, best smile at Palmer, 2012,” a high school superlative Alisha mentioned to Joe a couple weeks back. Following that, the rest of the night went off without a hitch. They spoke of common interests like visiting breweries and working out. They also seamlessly tackled the fact that Joe followed New York sports while Alisha – predictably – was a Beantown enthusiast.

This love story started slow. Joe, focused on his coursework, would carve out only one day each week to see Alisha. When Alisha asked after his first semester if she could have two days, he said “I think I can do that.” Despite the endless days apart, they found a way to make it work. They texted all morning, fell asleep over facetime at night. They would plan out trips to take over Joe’s winter and summer breaks. They became inseparable.

Fast forward three years later, much had changed: Joe graduated from law school and passed the bar and Alisha took a jump in her career by pursuing a new engineering position. On a seemingly nondescript night on September 14, 2023, Joe told Alisha that they were going out to celebrate her accepting her new position. Where to? Labelle Winery; where Joe and Alisha first fell in love with the vino together. The waitress approached Alisha with the second bottle to test– as she usually does – when she noticed something was askew. In engraved lettering, this bottle asked, “will you marry me?” Joe got down on one knee, recited the same first line that he said to Alisha three years earlier, and, eventually, she said yes.

Alisha and Joe have already been through many milestones together and now are beyond excited to share their next one with all of you! They are so blessed to have all their favorite people together for a night of dancing and fun. See you on the dance floor!