I DO!: AnnMarie Lupo and Matthew Tanzi, of Port Jefferson

AnnMarie Lupo, an emergency room nurse, and Matthew Tanzi, an attending physician, were close friends for more than two years while working together at Stony Brook University Hospital. They connected in part through food and would bring each other home-cooked meals and snacks to share at work. Tanzi once charmed her with a dose of sweetness. “Matt came in once with an oatmeal cookie bigger than my whole hand ... and it made my entire week,” Lupo said.

But Lupo, 34, from Nesconset, admits Tanzi “was deep in the friend-zone at the time,” and said the relationship took some time to kindle.

“I started my emergency medicine residency at Stony Brook in July 2018, and met Ann within the month,” said Tanzi, 33, a Greenlawn native. “She was in another relationship, but I knew that if the chance presented itself, she was the perfect match.”

A few years later, Lupo accidentally sent an Instagram post to Tanzi instead of to one of her girlfriends — a meme about why you should marry your best friend. “It wasn’t long after that we had our first date at the Riverhead Cider House and never looked back,” Tanzi said.

The couple got engaged at their home on Dec. 21, 2022, during the Christmas season, which Lupo says is her favorite time of year.

“Matt waited until I got home from work, and he was in a goofier mood than usual,” said Lupo. “He said he wanted to open our stockings early and I said no. But he won, and we did. At the bottom of mine was a ring box with a ring pop in it. And then there was another box with torn letters that spelled out “Chick Pea, Will You Marry Me.”

They celebrated May 31 with 200 guests at The Royalton on the Greens following a Mass at St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in East Northport.

Beforehand, there was a surprise wedding gift for Tanzi. On the eve of the wedding, Lupo left a secret box for him at his parents’ house to find in the morning. Inside was a dog collar and a picture of two Bernese mountain dogs — parents of the puppy that was soon to be theirs. Their pup, Turbo is now 9 months old and weighs over 90 pounds.

Nominate a couple who has gotten married in the past 12 months. Email your love story, in 250 words or less to lilife@newsday.com, subject line I Do!