Lovebirds Celebrate Delayed Engagement

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — It took a lot for Michael Maratta to get down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend Amanda Ferrandino at Liberty State Park on Feb. 5. In fact, it took three tries before he was finally able to present his sweetheart with a custom-made engagement ring.

Maratta, a Port Authority police officer, originally planned to propose to Ferrandino, marketing coordinator for DeSales Media Group (the parent company of The Tablet), last August. But he suffered an injury making an arrest and was sidelined for three months.

[Related: Love Is in the Air: Churches See Sharp Rise In Weddings]

So he held onto the ring and made plans to propose in December. But that was thwarted when he and Ferrandino both contracted COVID.

“His parents had a cake ready. The house was decorated,” Ferrandino said. “But he tested positive for COVID. He gave me COVID and gave it to my entire family. I laugh about it now because everybody turned out OK. But at the time, it was rough.”

When the new, new date was set,  Maratta, 31, took his 25-year-old girlfriend to a restaurant in Liberty State Park and popped the question. She said yes.

The couple, who both live on Staten Island, began dating in February 2020, just as pandemic lockdowns were beginning.

“It cut down on the amount of time we could spend together. But it brought us closer emotionally,” Ferrandino said.

Now, she gushed, “I’m so happy! I remember when I came home from my first date with him. I told my mom, ‘If I don’t marry this guy, I give up.’ I had this gut feeling.” 

He feels the same. “God has not only given me the gift of falling in love with my soulmate but has given me the opportunity to marry my best friend,” he said. “That’s something that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”