Madeleine and Tony met in the Winter of 2014 at the Kroger grocery store on Plymouth Road in Ann Arbor. Tony was a 21-year-old college kid, studying engineering, and Madeleine was a 16-year-old Junior in high school who loved to sing. Madeleine had a crush on Tony and, while unreciprocated at the time, Tony had an appreciation for the “sunshine” Madeleine brought to a sometimes dreary retail job.

Though short-lived having worked in the same place, the two became friends on social media as Tony was leaving and remained friends over the next 7 years, liking each other’s posts and exchanging happy birthdays most years.

In 2021, Tony and Madeleine reconnected briefly over a story Madeleine had posted on FaceBook, asking for recommendations for getting custom t-shirts created for the executive board of the club she was President of at Eastern Michigan University. Tony messaged Madeleine to help her out and they ended up catching up. Alas, because Madeleine was dating someone at the time, she thought it would be best not to engage in conversation with her old unrequited crush for too long, so they fell out of touch again.

Finally, in 2022, Madeleine, while helping her best friend (now Maid-of-Honor), Josie, set up a FaceBook page for her singing that had begun to take off post-college, invited all of her friends to like the page they created together. Tony, having received the invitation, reached out to Madeleine to strike up a conversation that never really ended.

They went on their first date at Revel & Roll Bowling Alley in Ann Arbor, where the two had a blast. Madeleine will never forget how bug-eyed and enthusiastic the polite and reserved Tony became when she asked if she could kiss him goodnight before they parted ways.

On their third date, the two went to a carnival in Detroit, where they won a goldfish together (their “lucky fish”), who remains in a 20-gallon tank in their living room to this day. After 13 hours of getting lost in Detroit, they maintain that it was after that date they had both secretly realized they were falling in love with each other.

From Madeleine buying her (now their) first home in the first months of them dating and Tony helping her move out of her old apartment to Tony and Madeleine both changing jobs to adopting and raising kitties together, the happy couple took all of life’s challenges in stride, realizing that the sky was the limit when they were together. Within 3 months, they were already discussing what a future might look like together and picturing being married one day.

On June 24th, 2023, Tony planned a date to take Madeleine fishing at his favorite spot, as she had many times expressed that she wanted to learn. Unbeknownst to Madeleine, Tony was hiding an engagement ring in his tackle box. While the fishing spot was completely closed off due to construction, the happy couple decided to have a little picnic in a nearby park. Tony’s mom and sisters “happened” to be in the area, also having a picnic, so they were able to catch the proposal, take pictures, and celebrate afterwards.

Madeleine, of course, said yes. And the rest is history.