FEBRUARY 2 0 2 2 I BOROMAG.COM 29
Photo courtesy of Brittany Borrelli
Photos by Cassondre Mae Photography
Photos courtesy of Vinny D. Photography Photos courtesy of Catherine McSorley
Brittany and
Jenna Borrelli
Sunnyside couple Brittany and
Jenna Borrelli fell for each other
in a Queens grocery store in the
cereal aisle.
“We technically met on OkCupid
back in 2013, but I jazz it up
and tell people we met in a cereal
aisle. She grabbed the Cap’n
Crunch and I told her it ruins the
top of her mouth and she fell in
love with me,” Brittany said.
The couple had their first
date at Rest-Au-Rant (RAR) in
Astoria and returned there for
Valentine’s Day and anniversary
dinners. Brittany, who had lived
in Astoria, and Jenna, who had
lived on Long Island, moved
to Sunnyside together in May
2015. Jenna proposed to Brittany
at RAR in October 2018.
Brittany, in turn, proposed to
Jenna in December 2018. Even
though the partners didn’t technically
meet at Fresh ’N Save,
the Cap’n Crunch moment was
so special to them that Brittany
decorated their local grocery’s
cereal aisle with love notes on
lunch bags for the proposal.
The couple held an intimate
wedding with immediate family
in October 2020 and hosted
a large party a year later in the
Poconos.
AJ Riccio and
Joaquim Rabinovitch
It’s not often you go to a wedding
and an art show simultaneously.
But that’s exactly
what Astoria artists
AJ Riccio and Joaquim
Rabinovitch wanted for
their off-beat wedding
in September 2017 at T
Studio near Ditmars.
“Since we both come
from artist families, we used
this venue to turn our wedding
into an art show. We showcased
pieces from each artist in our family to
symbolically unify our families together,”
Riccio said. The location was also significant
to Riccio since it’s where she had
first showed her Astoriathemed
art, which inspired
her to create her Astoria Calendar.
The Astorians took their wedding photos
at Welling Court Mural Project and
used local vendors including Singlecut
and Finback. They stayed at the Paper
Factory Hotel on their wedding night.
Riccio and Rabinovitch were
introduced by mutual friends
in 2011 and started dating in
2012. Their first “unofficial”
date was at Rizzo’s Fine Pizza
on Steinway.
Rabinovitch grew up in Astoria
and introduced Riccio
to the area. “He showed me
all of his favorite spots in the
neighborhood and I grew to
love it,” Riccio said.
Rabinovitch proposed to Riccio in
front of the “Long Island” sign in Gantry
Plaza State Park in 2016.
FAVORITE DATE SPOTS:
KAL ASTORIA
MOSAIC
MALALA
FAVORITE DATE SPOTS:
MAGGIE MAE’S
IDA’S NEARABOUT
BROOKSIDE MARKET
Brandon Marotta and Molly McGuirk
Astorians Brandon Marotta
and Molly McGuirk
met playing on the same
Astoria Soccer League
team in January 2020.
“The second soccer
game I remember Brandon
formally introducing
himself to me with a
handshake and a smile.
That’s when I thought,
‘Hm, there might be
something here,’” Mc-
Guirk said.
Marotta asked her out
two weeks later, and
they had their first date
at Sweet Afton.
“I knew that I loved
her from the first moment
I met her. She has
shown me what it’s like
to truly be myself. How
to be open and honest,
to show compassion and
love. She’s filled me with
smiles and laughter,”
Marotta said.
Marotta and McGuirk
have each lived in the
neighborhood for more
than a decade. Some of
their favorite moments
together include doing
the LIC brewery crawl
and going to Astoria Park
with their dogs, Ruby and
Levi. The couple got engaged
at the Bethesda
Terrace in Central Park
on Dec.18, 2021, exactly
59 years after Marotta’s
grandparents got married.
FAVORITE DATE SPOTS:
SWEET AFTON
VITE VINOSTERIA
MILKFLOWER
Photos by ohkarina.com
Photos by Joseph Spiteri
/BOROMAG.COM
/ohkarina.com
