I Do: Allie Caldicott & Roberto Ortiz, of Bellport

Some love stories start with dramatic sparks, others grow quietly from everyday moments of care and commitment. For Allie Caldicott and Roberto Ortiz, it began in the halls of Bellhaven Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing Care in Brookhaven, where both worked as caregivers. In April 2017, Caldicott, then a 20-year-old recreation assistant completing hours for her bachelor’s program, met Ortiz, a certified nursing assistant who had already spent years caring for residents on the dementia floor.

“We became friends first,” said Caldicott, 29. “He always encouraged me in my career.” Ortiz, 35, of East Patchogue, remembers being struck by her dedication. “She’s the hardest working person I’ve ever met,” he said. “She goes above and beyond for everyone, and I thought that kind of heart is rare.”

The friendship deepened when the pandemic hit in 2020. Staffing was short, the days were long and the two relied on each other more than ever. “We were working side by side every day,” Caldicott recalled. Ortiz, a single father at the time, found comfort and steadiness in her presence. Caldicott saw firsthand how devoted he was to his then 5-year-old son. “I knew he was a good father. That means a lot,” she said.

They moved in together in 2022 and welcomed their daughter, Camila, in 2024. “I had to learn to be a mom and a stepmom at the same time,” Caldicott said.

On Nov. 15, 2024, during what she thought was a Christmas card photoshoot, Ortiz surprised her with help from his photographer friend. “It was the very first picture, and he got down on one knee,” she recalled with a smile. “I was so happy, because I had been waiting for it.”

Their wedding was April 27 at the Bellport Country Club, with a spring-bloom theme in soft shades of purple, yellow and pink. The couple honored their heritage by including meaningful traditions, such as the lasso, or lazo — a custom symbolizing unity — and the exchange of coins during the church ceremony.

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!