Clear Cut Couples: Joe and Kate
Joe and Kate found love in a hopeless place: the basement of a college fraternity party! They had lots of mutual friends, so they knew of each other, but hadn't officially met until that night. They hit it off right away, and spent most of the party talking in the corner. They ran into each other again the following week on campus, and had their first date later that same week. Their first date was quite unique. Joe had asked her where she wanted to go out to dinner, and he was set on impressing her with something romantic. But, being the easy-going woman that she is, she suggested that they get burgers from Five Guys. Joe said, “She has been so laid-back, and so incredibly thoughtful since the very beginning. We've talked about it all the time in the years since then, and she always laughs that she panicked when I asked her where she wanted to go, and didn't want to put too much pressure on me.” Since then, they've been together for almost exactly 5 years. Their first couple dates were leading up to the holidays, and they’d each had plans to head home to their families for Christmas break. The morning before he flew to see his parents in Atlanta, Joe knew he had to officially ask her to be his girlfriend. AWW!
They have had so many special memories over the years, and have shared many of their young adult milestones together. They were together for each other's 21st birthdays, and graduated from Northeastern University together in Boston before landing their first full-time jobs in the city. They moved in together amidst a pandemic in the beginning of 2020, and have enjoyed every second of being together. They have adopted a dog together, bought a car, and have made plans to continue their travels together once they’re able to do so.
Joe said, “How I proposed ties into one of our first special moments together 5 years ago. Our first time holding hands was walking along Commonwealth Avenue Park in Boston under the mile-long stretch of Christmas lights. We've always talked about it being one of our favorite memories together, and I've always known I wanted to incorporate that memory into the proposal. On the 5-year anniversary of that same date, we went for another walk in the same park. She is tough to surprise, and she absolutely had her suspicions going into the evening. But once we got to the end of the park, I was able to pull her into the middle of the path, drop to a knee, and ask her to marry me under the lights.”
Kate absolutely had her suspicions heading into the evening. She'd even wanted them to go shopping for a new coat for her the night before. But they managed to avoid fully addressing the subject long enough for him to actually propose the way he wanted to. While she saw the ask coming, the ring and ensuing dinner plans did manage to surprise her. She never even actually said "yes." LOL! She just started stammering "No way. No way. No way!!”
They are basking in what feels like an early honeymoon right now, and are excited to get started planning once they have a better idea of what to expect going forward. Kate's family is from Rhode Island, and his parents met in Newport, RI themselves, so they are thinking that will be the top-choice in terms of location.