The pair met in February 2023 at the major transportation port
It was like something out of a movie!
A couple got engaged at the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), where their unique love story began.
The airport shared a video on social media about how the major transportation port brought Matthew Brenner and Lesley Venella together. The pair met in February 2023, according to PHL, when Brenner saw Venella taking a photo in front of a “Welcome to Philadelphia” sign after his flight from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The gentleman offered to take her photo and the rest was history. The two exchanged phone numbers and began a long-distance relationship.
Brenner then “packed a single checked bag, sold his karate school and moved over 1,000 miles to build a life with Lesley.
“Now, over two years later, the husband-to-be popped the big question to Venella at the same airport where they met. In fact, he brought them back to the exact area where they exchanged their first words and even covered the welcome sign to read “Will you marry me?”
The couple were joined by their parents at the airport and “over 100 strangers” who had stuck around to witness the sweet proposal.
“Congratulations, Matthew and Lesley. You met as strangers in our terminal and now you’re building a life together. We are truly honored that PHL was the starting point for your love story,” the airport wrote in the video.
The couple spoke with WPHL about their dreamy meet-cute and proposal.
Looking back on their fateful first encounter, Venella said, “We were waiting for our respective rides to come and get us from the airport, so we were kind of up against the clock. We exchanged numbers, and then I was only scheduled to be in for the weekend. But I told him that I would cancel my flight to return to Florida on Monday if he would take me out the following day.”
Brenner admitted that he thought the relationship would be “a fun, like, little fling, or something,” at first due to their distance, given that she was based in Florida while he lived in Philadelphia.
“But then as things grew, I was like, ‘Oh, wait, this person’s actually amazing.’ And I was like, there’s no better feeling in the world to find someone that’s incredible and, and that you’re willing to literally pack up your bags and move for them, like, really uproot your whole life,” he added.
As for the proposal, Brenner did not expect to get such a passionate response from passersby. He recalled the large crowd at baggage claim being “sat there with their phones out.”
“And there was like this, like thunderous roar, and I didn’t expect that. These people actually got a better view than our families,” the man said.