Our Story

The day we met will forever live in infamy. On a warm summer evening in the West Village, Elise caught Al’s eye at a trendy outdoor bar, and Al was compelled to go say hi. Just kidding. We have no idea when we met. Our best guess is at our friend Julia Douglas’ ugly sweater party in 2017, but the truth is it will forever remain a mystery.

What’s not a mystery is that a wonderful friendship proceeded to blossom, and a secret, mutual crush developed over time.

It all came to a head in March 2020 as COVID was first spreading through New York City. Al, Elise and their friends Jesse, Mikayla and Shelbi decided to get out of the city for “two weeks to slow the spread” at a cute house in Hampton Bays. And what a rollercoaster those two weeks were…

The fear of the virus, the job anxiety, the concern for friends and family, and the constant wondering “how long will this last?” created a pressure filled environment that could only be eased by one thing… booze. Every day we’d go to the liquor store to buy enough wine for the week, and every night we’d drink our weekly supply of wine. 

And on one of the last night’s at the house, Al finally worked up enough liquid courage to make the moves on Elise. Just kidding. Elise made the moves on Al.

Prior to these moves, Al had agreed to drive Elise to Buffalo in order to save her parents from the 16 hour round trip drive to Hampton Bays. Al’s plan was to spend a few nights in Buffalo and decide where to spend the upcoming weeks / months since COVID was spreading through his apartment building like wildfire. A few nights turned into six weeks, and Al was effectively adopted by the Cirillo family. 

In early May, Elise and Al finally decided to head back to Manhattan. Despite living in different apartment buildings, they never left each other's side. 

And on August 26, 2022, Al popped the question to Elise at the same beach they hung out at during the COVID rollercoaster in Hampton Bays. He was so nervous, he could barely speak. She (shockingly) said yes, and it’s only fitting to get married one year later in the same magical place where it all began.