In 2017, Andrew was a guest at Briana (Matron of Honor)'s wedding. Marissa was a bridesmaid in that wedding. Little did he know when he saw her in the bridal party that he would be marrying her a few years later! They met through a dating app in 2019 but then found out how many mutual friends they had in Raleigh/from NC State and were surprised they hadn't met before. They talked for 3 hours at Trophy Brewing on their first date and basically have been inseparable ever since (except for those long 10 months of deployment in 2022). Andrew proposed to Marissa in December 2023 in the Blue Ridge Mountains on a trail called "Lover's Leap" and both are so excited to take the leap together into their shared future as Mr. and Mrs. Speciale.