It was the first weekend of Sophomore year at UNH. Christina’s roommate had left for the night, so she decided to stay in and veg-out. She got a text from friends down the hall with plans for the night. She responded and told them that she was tired and was getting ready for bed. A few minutes later, there was a knock on her door. They weren’t taking no for an answer! One of their guy friends (Thomas) from high school was having a party across campus and invited them to come. When they arrived, Thomas greeted them at the door and was introduced to Christina by their mutual friends. They hit it off rather quickly, and chose each other as beer pong partners once the party got started….romantic, I know. After the night was over, they exchanged phone numbers and the rest is history!

Fast forward to 7 years later...Thomas, Christina, and her parents were vacationing in Europe. They were visiting her sister Caroline who was studying abroad in Florence, Italy, which is the same place Christina lived abroad in 2013. After a nice family lunch in the heart of Florence, they all decided to take a walk up to Christina's favorite spot in the city...Piazzale Michelangelo. It's located up on a hill past the Ponte Vecchio bridge and offers a stunning panoramic view of the city. When they approached the lookout, Thomas pointed to a spot on the balcony where they should take pictures. At this point, Christina's parents and sister snuck away to the upper balcony where they would catch a good view of what was to come. After a few glasses of wine from lunch, Christina was oblivious to Tom's plan. It was such a calm, peaceful moment. They were standing together admiring the beauty of the city she loved. Seconds later, he took her hands and faced her and in that moment she knew. It was a whirlwind. All of a sudden he was down on one knee. After the proposal, she immediately spotted her family on the upper balcony crying and cheering at the same time! They brought down bottles of champagne and they celebrated on the terrace while calling family and friends back home. They ended the night with a celebratory dinner in one of Christina's favorite restaurants. The day was truly magical.