Manty moved to the United States in 2017 to pursue his academic and basketball goals by attending an international boarding school in Georgia. Meanwhile, Sandra was counting her last year of living and studying on her magical island in the Caribbean called Roatan. Manty and Sandra met on Instagram when Sandra and her family moved to Greenville to start living in the United States. They got introduced to each other virtually by their friend in common, Sandra's childhood and best friend Maddie who at that time was Manty's classmate from school in Georgia. They both had an instant connection. Sandra was very interested in Lithuania and European culture, while Manty was extremely curious about Sandra's lifestyle growing up on the island of Roatan. They both were very eager to meet each other in person. Luckily, Manty had a basketball game scheduled in Greenville, and their desire about seeing each other became reality on January 7th, 2019.

Manty was ready to propose to Sandra at some point between May and July 2022. He was waiting for the ideal moment to surprise her. Manty decided to listen to his heart and wait for a special moment. At that time, Sandra booked a ferry from Los Angeles to Santa Catalina Island. It was Manty's birthday present from Sandra. She had no idea that Manty's birthday surprise will turn into a marriage proposal on top of the hill in the botanical gardens on Santa Catalina Island.