I Do!: Catherine Leftwich and Louis Christensen of Sayville

When Catherine Leftwich downloaded the Hinge dating app in April 2019, the last thing on her mind was finding her lifelong partner. That is, until she matched with Louis Christensen.

From the start, Leftwich said she knew Christensen was “the one.”

“I was tired of dating around, and we were both settled in our careers,” said the senior construction project manager, 34.

But Christensen, a head school custodian who had never been in a serious relationship, needed some convincing. Even though he said the pair were a “perfect fit,” it wasn’t until Leftwich met his mother and sister, and the three hit it off, that he knew he was ready for a long-term commitment.

Three years after they started dating, Leftwich said she knew he was planning to pop the question. But she was still taken by surprise when he proposed on Labor Day in 2022.

With her parents looking on, Christensen got down on one knee and proposed on Leftwich’s front lawn.

“I told her how much I cared about her and how happy she made me,” he recalled. “Then I asked her if she would marry me.”

“I told him, ‘I love you. You are my lion heart. Of course, I’ll marry you,’ ” she said. As he slipped an engagement ring on her finger, her parents wiped away tears.

Christensen, 30, is a volunteer firefighter with the West Sayville Fire Department. The couple knew they wanted to have their wedding and reception at Land’s End Waterfront Catering in Sayville, where a number of firehouse functions had been held. When their preferred November 2024 date was not available, they booked Feb. 3.

The highlight of the reception, Leftwich said, was when a couple of their 220 guests lifted her atop the speakers as the DJ pumped “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” by Cole Swindell through the sound system. “I was dancing on top of the speakers to our favorite song as everyone else was on the dance floor.”

Reflecting on the reception, she said, “Not a thing went wrong. I loved that all of the most important people showed up and were fully present throughout the day.”

Catherine Leftwich is a senior construction project manager. Her job title was incorrect in an earlier version of this article.