Rachel and Ben met the summer of 2013. Rachel had recently graduated from the University of Alabama and moved to NYC for an internship at a PR firm. Ben was home in Long Island for the summer, interning for DeBlasio's NYC Mayoral campaign before heading back to Bates College for his senior year. Rachel and Ben like to joke that they “found love in a hopeless place,” a bar named Turtle Bay (which has since closed) on Dollar Beer Wednesday. The bar was a few blocks away from Rachel’s internship and around the corner from where Ben’s friend Kyle (a groomsman!) was living. Due to the dollar beers, Rachel and Ben aren’t entirely sure how their conversation began, but remember talking, dancing, and laughing the night away. In addition to Ben's friend Kyle, Rachel’s cousin (the maid of honor!) Hannah and best friend Kelsey (a bridesmaid!) were there that night and can corroborate their story! Ben asked Rachel for her number before she left the bar and texted her the next day. They went on their first date the following week. For the remainder of the summer Rachel and Ben went on countless dates and connected on shared interests, their love of Marthas Vineyard, and the coincidence of Ben living just a town over from Rachel until moving to New York when he was five. Towards the end of the summer, Ben invited Rachel to go to Lido Beach with him. While nervous about traveling from NYC to Long Island for someone she had only met a few weeks prior, Rachel couldn’t turn down a beach date. But what she didn’t know was that Ben would be introducing her to his parents! Rachel was shocked to say the least, but in the end it was this date that sealed the deal for her. A week later, Ben asked Rachel to be his girlfriend and Rachel needed a night to think about it - they had only been dating a little over a month and Ben would be going back to Bates in a few days. Rachel ultimately couldn't deny their connection and said yes the next morning!

Ben chose to propose to Rachel on her birthday weekend – knowing her parents always visit on her birthday and that he could plan a birthday party that would double as a surprise engagement party. For the location of the proposal, Ben choose Pier 17, a new rooftop in lower Manhattan that had been transformed into a winter wonderland equipped with an ice skating rink, warming huts serving craft cocktails, and most importantly, incredible views of the Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn waterfront. It didn’t take long for Rachel to start speculating that Ben may propose on her birthday weekend. For starters, when Rachel began talking about what to do for her birthday, Ben had way too many opinions – almost as if he already had something planned. Then there was the gift card to a fancy nail salon Rachel received from her family for Hanukkah. Not wanting to ruin anything for Ben, Rachel kept her speculation to herself. Also, she didn’t want to get her hopes up too much! But when Ben told her he would be taking her out the Friday before her birthday to celebrate just the two of them, Rachel made sure to get her nails done just in case! That night Rachel and Ben ice-skated under the stars, surrounded by breathtaking views from the Empire State Building to the Brooklyn Bridge. As they warmed up with hot mulled wine from the cocktail hut, Ben brought Rachel to a corner of the rooftop overlooking the Brooklyn waterfront with a view of Jane’s Carousel (Rachel loves carousels!). It was there that Ben got down on one knee and asked Rachel to marry him. Overcome with joy, Rachel burst into laughter, a reaction not anticipated by either of them, but especially not by Ben, who had to confirm that Rachel had actually said yes! They ended the night with a candlelit dinner where they relished in proposal bliss and spent the next day celebrating with family and friends.