Love, fulfilled at Amazon

“Our first date was perfect!” Alyssa's face lights up as she recalls the surprise date her boyfriend Denny secretly planned to woo her, after forming a friendship on the floor of the Amazon fulfilment centre at Moorebank in Sydney’s west.

“I love animals and Denny surprised me and took me to Sydney Zoo in Western Sydney, and it was such a wonderful, fun day,” she said, adding that before that magical first date, she had wondered if Denny was “into me or not” and feared they may be stuck in the "friend zone."

“We hung out with each other a lot as friends before I realised he was everything I was looking for in a guy—he’s funny, caring, and he looks out for me. We also have a lot in common… and I thought he was really cute!”

Alyssa, 25, who lives in southwest Sydney and works as an outbound pick process assistant at Amazon, and Denny, 26, an Amazon learning trainer from Elizabeth Hills, started dating in August after meeting through a mutual friend at work and falling in love.

Denny jokes that if it wasn’t for his young niece teasing him in front on Alyssa at a family dinner, he may never have summoned up the nerve to ask her out. “I pretty much asked her out when I drove her home,” he said sheepishly.

“She’s so sweet, kind, and honest and she’s really fun to tease—and she’s a good kisser!” he grinned.

This Valentine’s Day is the first they will spend together, and even though both Denny and Alyssa are working at Amazon on the day, this couple isn’t fazed. “I love working with Denny because just seeing him makes me feel better if I’m having a stressful day,” Alyssa said.

Mark McSwiney and Sandra Palaitis both insist they aren’t romantics, yet this couple celebrated their 26-year-relationship in the most romantic way possible, flying to Hawaii to tie the knot in front of their two thrilled sons four years ago.

Amazon safety coordinator Mark, 60, said he’s only ever had eyes for critical role trainer Sandra, 53, since they were set up on a blind date by one of Sandra’s schoolmates, despite some minor bumps along the way.

“The first time I bought her flowers she got hay fever,” laughs Mark, who says it was fantastic to finally wed in front of their two boys, Ryan, 22, and Adam, 20, in what was a celebration of Sandra’s 50^th birthday and their long love affair.

“I had to marry him to get some new bling,” joked Sandra, who said Mark may not be the world’s biggest romantic, but he does make an effort, including making her sandwiches complete with the crusts cut off and cooking BBQs to share the load in the kitchen.