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Our Story
2019
*one of our first dates at Painting with a Twist
Maura and Robert met at Villanova during their junior year in 2016, but their real connection didn’t form until a few months after graduation. When Robert posted an Instagram story about a new Kacey Musgraves song, Maura slid into his DMs to rave about the singer and casually suggested they grab a drink. When Robert replied that he’d drive two hours to Philly just to see her, Maura knew she had it in the bag.
2020
Rob was living in New Jersey while attending grad school at Montclair State, so he and Maura were doing long distance during their first year of dating. Then the pandemic hit. Even with the existing distance and added "social distancing," they made the most of it with lots of FaceTime hangs where'd they queue up movies to watch together at the same exact time. Once it was safe to be together in person again, their first reunion date was at Sonic (Robby's first time!).
2021
In 2021, Robby and Maura started to build some of their favorite traditions together including spending the Fourth of July at Long Beach Island, going to concerts and festivals, and coming up with fun couples Halloween costumes.
2022
Robert graduated with his Master’s in 2022, but since there’s no photo evidence of that major milestone (LOL), let's take a moment to highlight someone they do have plenty of photos of: Maggie, the Tonelli family dog! Maura’s camera roll is at least 50% Maggie, and can you blame her? She’s perfect. No version of Maura and Robby's love story is complete without the mention of this sweet girl!
2023
Robby made the big move to Philly and got his very first solo apartment! In true Philly fashion, the couple celebrated his first week as a Philadelphian with an Eagles tailgate (go birds!). Rob's move felt like such a meaningful step forward in the relationship, and made Philly feel even more like home for the couple.
2024
Maura and Rob’s first year living in the same city was nothing short of special. From dozens of concerts to sporting events, they soaked up every moment together. While Philly became their home base, they also ventured out for their first non-local trip to St. Petersburg, Florida.
2025
On March 22, 2025, Robby pulled off the biggest surprise. What was supposed to be a simple matinee movie date, turned into something unforgettable. When they arrived at an empty theater, the screen didn’t play the movie they planned to see. Instead, it played a video Rob had created, chronicling their journey together. It was one of the most meaningful gestures Maura had ever received and if you know her, you know she was a total puddle! Now, they’re in absolute bliss planning their wedding and counting down the days until May 2, 2026!
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