It all started when Joe saw a photo Nikki posted on VSCO. He was immediately head over heels for her. Granted, it took some time for him to muster up the courage to reach out to her, but eventually he did. They exchanged messages about photography, and that was it for the time. This was just a natural encounter… or so they thought. Behind the scenes were two of their friends who were setting them up.

Throughout their early college years, Joe and Nikki stayed in touch, occasionally reaching out to each other during school. When Joe returned home from college because of COVID, they would find time to hang out, take photos, and eat Ben & Jerry's. This is when their relationship started to blossom, and Joe asked Nikki to be his girlfriend.

The next couple of years consisted of numerous FaceTime calls, texts, and letters, as well as making the most of holiday breaks, until Joe graduated and the two were reunited for good.

After college and settling into “adult life,” Joe and Nikki continued to grow and make plans for the future. It was most important to both of them to center their lives on Christ and seek the vocation God had for them. So naturally, the topic of marriage was brought up. After a lot of prayer, conversations, and dreaming, they knew that getting married was the next step.

After some ring fittings and careful planning by Joe, he proposed to Nikki after a Saturday Mass at St. Augustine’s Church, where the two would be married the following year.