26 September 2017 - We First Met 12 November 2017 - We Started Dating 4 August 2020 - She said YES! 28 August 2021 - We say I DO!

Deanna had just moved to New Jersey to get her MBS at Rutgers. Pharmaceutical Materials Engineering was one of the elective classes that she chose to take. Little did she know that Joe would be in that class. It wasn't until a few weeks into classes, that one fateful Tuesday, Deanna's laptop charger died. Being early to class, Deanna decided to sit next to the outlets along the wall in the classroom, right next to where Joe usually sat. Unfortunately, the outlets did not work, but Deanna left her laptop charger in the outlet and carried on as if it were charging. Eventually, Joe came to claim his usual seat and went to plug his laptop into the charger, only to realize that the outlets didn't work. After tapping on Deanna's shoulder to ask if her laptop was charging, Deanna sheepishly said no, and the conversation flowed from there. The rest is history.

Every summer, the Smith family takes a vacation to Newport Beach in Orange County, California This year, Deanna didn't know if she would be able to attend in light of coronavirus, but was determined to make it to the family vacation. Fortunately, Deanna and Joe were able to get their trip finalized a few days before leaving for California on Saturday. Every night on vacation, the family walks from the beach house down to the lifeguard stand and along the shore at sunset. On Tuesday, Deanna was informed that family photos would be taken on the sunset walk which was nothing surprising as the family has historically always taken family photos on the beach during vacation. Great! Joe was here and could help take photos of the entire family. Instead, it was Aunt Eileen who took photos of each individual family. When it was the Smith family's turn, it was comically discombobulated as everybody posed for different cameras. Joe was called in to be in the Smith family photos, and some decent photos were finally captured. After the photos were finished, Joe asked Eileen if she would take photos with just Joe and Deanna. After the first photo or two, Joe looked over at Deanna, stepped back, and got on one knee and pulled a ring box out of his pocket, completely surprising Deanna. Of course, Deanna said "yes" immediately! The family was prepared and shared a lovely champagne toast on the beach. Deanna and Joe then made it back to the house to call Joe's family on the East Coast and share the great news! Joe hadn't told them beforehand that he was going to propose on the trip! Newport Beach is one of Deanna's favorite places in the world, something she looks forward to every year. This year was made even more special, sharing this memory with Joe and her family in her favorite place, in the most memorable way possible. We cannot wait to celebrate our love with you!