Home PeopleBridal This Jersey City Couple Met at Miso Ramen + the Rest is History

This Jersey City Couple Met at Miso Ramen + the Rest is History

by Samantha Impaglia
Attain Medspa
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It all started with a Bumble date that turned into a night at Miso Ramen in Jersey City. Danielle Libatique, born and raised in Jersey City, met Donald John “DJ” Hoffman, born in North Jersey in 2017, and are now planning a June 2022 wedding at Battello. The Hoboken Girl caught up with the couple to learn about their story, favorite neighborhood spots, and upcoming wedding.

jersey city couple engagement wedding battello

(Photo credit: @foxandharephoto)

Hello Hydration Sidebar

Hoboken Girl: What do you both do for a living?

Danielle Libatique: I work as a Senior Finance Manager for a private aviation company in the city.

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Donald John Hoffman: I work for an Insurance Company as an in-house Senior Paralegal and Compliance Specialist. 

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HG: When did you move to Hoboken + what is your favorite part about living here?

DL: I grew up in the area, went to high school at Saint Dominic Academy in Jersey City, and then went to college in Massachusetts. I moved around for a bit and then came back to this area for my current job in 2017.  I moved into Uptown Hoboken with DJ a few years later. I love how walkable Hoboken is and how close it is to my family.

DJH: I moved to Hoboken in January 2014 and lived with my brother on 14th and Bloomfield Street. I moved here to be closer to the city back when commuting into the office five days a week was standard. I love Hoboken for the overall abundance of great restaurants, bars, and people.

HG: When did you and your partner meet?

DJH: Danielle and I met on the popular dating app Bumble in 2017. Our first date was supposed to be at a Portuguese restaurant in Jersey City called Broa, only for it to be full.  We quickly found out we were both spontaneous and able to eat anything, so we went to  Miso Ramen down the street instead with our Portuguese wine. 

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Danielle dj wedding

(Photo credit: @foxandharephoto)

HG: How long have you been together?

DL/DJH: We have been together since 2017 and got engaged in September 2020. We’re getting married in June 2022.

HG: Was there an instant connection/chemistry between you two?

DL: There was instant chemistry between the both of us since we had shared interests such as hiking and traveling. I also met Eva, DJ’s dog turned our dog,  on our second date – I’d like to think she approved of me instantly!

DJH: I think that there was an instant connection between us despite having different personalities. We wanted to explore and learn things and share experiences together from the start.

Read More: 3rd Time’s the Charm for This Adorable Jersey City Couple

HG: What are the qualities you love most about each other?

DL: I love how considerate, empathetic, and compassionate DJ is. He cares about me and loves me for who I am. He also has an adventurous spirit which allows us to have fun getaways together. I can tell that he’ll be an amazing father through his loving interactions with his nieces and nephew. 

DJH: I love Danielle’s motivation to always want more in life along with her caring nature for those less fortunate through volunteering. We have very different personalities and upbringings but have shown each other our strengths and can help each other’s weaknesses. Danielle is a city-raised extrovert and I am an introvert raised on a farm. The things we have in common are our hobbies, which include traveling, hiking, and cooking. Danielle has more experience traveling than me, so she pushes me to new explore new places and expeditions. She has traveled to over 30 countries before turning 30 years old. My strengths are to teach her how to cook complex meals and improve her skiing.  

Danielle dj wedding

HG: When was the moment you knew you were meant to marry each other?

DL: I knew DJ was the one early in the relationship, but it was solidified after facing the biggest challenge of my life, the passing of my amazing father. DJ was extremely supportive and even though I was difficult at times, he showed me grace, patience, and love. I knew we could go through anything after that.

DJH: I knew that Danielle was the one early on in the relationship. Actually, the very first night I met her, I spoke to my mom about how amazing of a person she was and how much I wanted to see her again. 

HG: Tell us about your proposal.

DL/DJH: Living in Hoboken for the past couple of years, Pier A has made an impression on us with its open views of downtown Manhattan. It was easy to convince Danielle to walk down on a beautiful night. The only problem was that the restaurant isn’t along the water and I had to hope that her navigation skills couldn’t detect that. She noticed and wondered why we were walking in the opposite direction of the restaurant, but luckily she went along with it. We were at the corner of the park where I got on one knee and proposed.  The weather turned out to be amazing that night, and then having a nightcap at Monroe’s with my brother Sean and his wife Taylor made it a great experience.

Danielle dj wedding

HG: How surprised were you? Were you expecting it? 

DL: I was extremely surprised. I had no idea that DJ even knew what kind of ring I wanted, let alone had plans to propose. I don’t wear rings traditionally, so when DJ wanted to know my size without asking me outright, he was trying to find rings in my jewelry box. He didn’t find any and had to guess my size. Luckily enough, with the help of his brother Sean and sister-in-law Taylor, the ring was a perfect fit. I thought we were just going to go out for dinner but it turned out to be even better than that. 

Danielle dj wedding

(Photo credit: @foxandharephoto)

HG: How long have you been engaged and what has been the best part about it?

DL: The best part about being engaged is having the time to plan our wedding and deciding what is important to us. 

DJH: We’ve been engaged since September 9th, 2020. The best part for me has been the experience of planning out everything together and making tough decisions together. 

See More: This Couple Met at Birch + Had a Wedding Slice at Basile’s Pizza

HG: Where are you planning to get married and why there? 

DL: We are having a church ceremony at Saint John the Baptist in Jersey City. I had all of my Catholic sacraments done there (baptism, communion, confirmation) and my parents had their 10-year vow renewal there and I was the flower girl, so there’s a lot of family history in that church. Our reception is at Battello in Jersey City. I knew as soon as we walked in that it was where I wanted to have our celebration. We looked at multiple venues and fell in love with Battello based on its refined but rustic feeling in an area that is special to both of us.

Danielle dj wedding  

HG: What part of the wedding planning process was the most exciting? 

DL: I think the most exciting part has been hand-selecting all our vendors and taking the time to get to know them. I am looking forward to having all our family and friends gathered together at a party that we planned ourselves.

DJH: The most exciting part of the wedding planning process will be next week when Danielle and I have our tasting menu dinner at Battello.

HG: How many people do you plan to have at your wedding?

DL/DJH: We are having about 150 people at our wedding.  

Danielle dj wedding

(Photo credit: @foxandharephoto)

HG: Do you plan to use any local vendors? If so, which ones and why them? 

DL: We had our engagement brunch with our families at Halifax in Hoboken shortly after we got engaged. We’re getting married at Battello in Jersey City, which has incredible sweeping views of the city. My bridal shower will be at the Antique Loft in Hoboken – we’ve dined at Antique Bar countless times (hello bread pudding!). Our rehearsal dinner will be at Dozzino in Hoboken – we chose it to have a nice and relaxed pizza party vibe. We’re so excited to incorporate so many local places that are special to both of us.

HG: What are you looking forward to most as a married couple? 

DL: I’m looking forward to starting our life and our future adventures together – with a lot of love and travel. 

DJ: I am looking forward to a future life together with the person I love. I can’t wait for future trips, experiences, and life as a family.

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