Some wise man once said, "love waits in unexpected places," and this certainly rings true for Eliza and Caleb. One fateful day in January 2022, Eliza and Caleb discovered one another in the most unexpected of places, a dating app. After a few weeks of enthusiastic messaging, Eliza and Caleb decided that it might be worth meeting up in person for a bite to eat and a bit of a chat. Then one cold, very cold, evening in January, they both found themselves sitting across from one another at a small table in an Ethiopian restaurant in West Philadelphia. By the grace of God, that first date went quite well considering Caleb was late and Eliza's cat had passed away earlier that day. So well in fact, that they decided to go for another. One date became two, two dates became six. A year and a few dates later, Caleb got down on one knee, and Eliza said, "Yes!"

Caleb proposed to Eliza at 6:20 AM on May 27th, 2023. Eliza had convinced herself that this could not be the weekend that he would finally propose; after all, who proposes this early in the morning. So, she brewed up some coffee, poured it into a flask, and walked out the door, ready to take in the morning at Bartram’s Garden. Caleb had been planning this out for weeks: sunrise at Bartram’s Garden under their favorite tree. He had managed to just about keep it together for the past few weeks, but boy were the nerves kicking in now. Eliza did not know if they were walking briskly or lightly jogging as they approached the garden, but they were certainly moving way faster than usual. Time felt like it had stopped, but there they were none the less, under the old Maidenhair Tree. Caleb fumbled around in his backpack, pulled out a blanket and a small box. Eliza can’t quite remember saying ‘yes’ and was so happy she had to be reminded to put on the ring. After a walk around the garden to help settle the remaining nerves and to let a bit of the shock wear off, Caleb and Eliza returned to her home to find a house full of family and a few very dear friends to shower them in confetti and hugs.