Joe and Grace met on October 29, 2016, at The World Largest Cocktail Party, also known as the Florida Georgia game (or Georgia Florida game, depending on your alma mater). Joe had just moved to Jacksonville for his new job and Grace was in her final year at UF. The two were masterfully set up by the mother-of-the-bride and the sister-of-the-groom at a tailgate. The two threw the football together, chatted, and Joe complimented Grace's cowboy boots.

Soon after, she invited him to her sorority's date function and they danced the night away under twinkle lights while drinking whiskey and ended up spending the entire weekend together.

Grace graduated from UF and moved back to St. Petersburg to work for a marketing company. Joe and Grace spent countless weekends driving across the state to see one another, which finally ended in the summer of 2018 when Grace and her kitten, Lilly, finally moved to Jacksonville!

Joe and Grace moved into an apartment and eventually bought a house of their own. They got another kitten (Abe), spent a lot of time going to football games, spending time at the beach, visiting their families, and falling more in love each day.

Joe proposed to Grace on December 12, 2020. It was an overcast evening and quite drizzly as they drove to Ponte Vedra Inn & Club for a dinner reservation at Seahorse Grille.

They were early for their reservation (for once) so Joe suggested a stroll on the beach. As they were walking, Joe was sweetly reminiscing about their time together and stopped on the beach between the FL and GA houses. He got down on one knee and asked Grace to marry him. She said, "YES, YES, YES!!!!"