The Next Step

From Petals to Proposal

Less than two years of dating and they were ready for marriage, but timing was going to be the key factor. Matt was focused on his career and while his future with Daniela was important, it was on hold until he survived his apprenticeship.

"I kept telling her that there was no way we were getting engaged until after my apprenticeship was over," says Matt, who carefully picked out the perfect ring. "I knew the only way to surprise her would be to do it before I was actually done."

So on an afternoon when Matt was studying for his final exam, Daniela took a day trip to the beach with her good friend Shana. "He kept calling to see when I'd be home because he wanted to make dinner plans," says Daniela. "He said, 'make sure you call on the way home.'"

"I made it pretty clear I needed her to call," adds Matt, "mainly to calm my nerves, but really to set up the surprise."

As a practical woman, Daniela dismissed the "need" to give Matt a call because, "I have to come home and shower myself so he'll still have to wait for me anyway."

While he nervously waited for the phone to ring, Matt happened to get up for a glass of water, when he's shocked to see Daniela walking towards the front door. "Thank God I didn't wait until the last minute and had everything all set up!," he says.

Daniela, oblivious to what was about to unfold, was casually unpacking the cooler in the kitchen when Matt, as calmly as he could, called her name.

"With my Italian attitude, I yelled 'WHAT!?!?,'" she says, as then Matt asked her to come to the bedroom. When Daniela opened the door, she was blown away as he had carefully arranged a bed full of rose petals surrounding the engagement ring.

A man of few words, Matt was clear he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Daniela and the proposal was the perfect bookend to their first date when he arrived holding a dozen red roses.

"We both started to cry," says Daniela, who was clearly caught off guard that this was happening sooner than expected. She obviously said, "yes," but there was just one problem.

"He tried to put the ring on my finger, but I stopped him," says Daniela. " I said, 'I'm sandy from the beach I need to shower first!'" she says laughing. "True story."

Less Sand, More Sentimental

Suffice it to say the ring is securely on Daniela's finger and the wedding plans were underway.

"The rest as they say, is history," says Matt who, by the way, got through the final exam and apprenticeship with less trouble than executing the perfect surprise.

Happily Engaged

In The Beginning......

Before We Met

....it was a surprise birthday party that brought Daniela and Matt together and is when the unexpected started to unfold.

"We actually met a few days, maybe a week, before we actually talked," says Matt. "She thought I was too young and I thought she was dating the guy she was with when we first met."

Daniela didn't know many people at the party, but after mingling, found herself talking to Matt, the cute guy she barely met a week before. By the end of that Saturday night the two exchanged numbers and went their separate ways.

"I didn't think anything of it, but he texted me the next day and we made plans for a casual date on Monday," Daniela says.

Casual was taken up a few notches and was Daniela's first glimpse of the man she would soon be dating, as he arrived with a dozen red roses. "My mouth dropped," she says, "I couldn't believe it."

"I wanted to impress her," says Matt, "this was an attractive woman, who deserved something special."

The first date was off to a great start as the two shared stories, laughed and got to know each other over burgers and beer. It was obvious the two were smitten and were falling in love as just two months later Matt moved in.

"We've been together ever since," says Daniela, while beaming a huge smile.

"Everything happened so fast," adds Matt, who's just as thrilled. "Here we are getting married. It really does seem like it was yesterday."

Young Love