Q. How did you guys first meet and fall in love?

We first met on Bumble right in the middle of the COVID pandemic. While the world was keeping distance, we were just starting to get close. Once we opened up our small COVID pods, we discovered not only each other but also the amazing family and friends around us. Since vaccines weren’t available yet and winter made it hard to be outside, we had to get creative. Some of our first dates included ice skating at Bryant Park, walking a friend’s dog in Dumbo (and even celebrating the dog’s birthday!), and outdoor bar hopping.

Q. How did you know you wanted to marry each other and who wanted to tie the knot first?

We knew we wanted to marry each other because we loved not just the big moments, but the quiet, everyday ones—walking through the city, cooking dinner, or laughing over silly things. Jessica was the first to bring up marriage, joking that if we were going to buy property together, we might as well make it official—and in that moment, we both realized it was exactly what we wanted.

Q. Tell us about the details of the proposal & the wedding. How did you feel? How did it go?

I knew Jessica had a feeling the proposal was coming, so I wanted to make it special and close to home during one of our everyday strolls. I chose a weekend right after Manhattanhenge, when the sun sets perfectly between the streets of Manhattan and reflects golden, orange, and red light off the glass buildings.

We went to the 42nd Street overpass bridge near the United Nations, all the way at the east end of Manhattan. While we were taking selfies, I kept holding onto the ring case, trying to work up the courage to get down on one knee. Those two or three minutes felt like forever. Finally, I took a deep breath, dropped down on one knee, and asked her to marry me.

Jessica was so surprised that she didn’t answer right away. For a moment I panicked—after all, she had helped pick out the ring and even bought a wedding dress before the proposal. Why was she so quiet? Then came her reactions: “What?!”, “Are you serious?!”, “What is happening?!” After that, she finally said “Okay”… and then, with a big smile, a very clear “YES!” It was her first time seeing the ring in person, which made the moment even more meaningful.

We celebrated with a little photoshoot by her friend (@gong) and capped the night off with an amazing dinner with her graduate school friends at The Modern in the MoMA Museum.

“We discovered not just each other, but the amazing family and friends surrounding us.”

Q.   Tell us about your favorite memory together!

Some of our favorite memories come from our travel adventures: bathing in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, singing Sweet Caroline in Munich’s Oktoberfest tents, diving with turtles in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, embarking on a Game of Thrones quest in Dubrovnik, Croatia, earning our diving certifications together in Cozumel, Mexico, and exploring all the free and discounted treasures around our NYC home, including Broadway shows. 

“Life can be hard, but sharing even the mundane moments together makes it all worth living.”

Q. Any advice to couples or newlyweds? Anything else you’d like to share with the world?

Have fun, be silly, communicate openly, and travel together. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you spend quality time with each other—that is what truly matters. It’s also important to stay independent and maintain your own lives to create balance. Life can be hard, but sharing the everyday moments, even the mundane ones, with each other makes it all worth living.