Emily was rushing down Shattuck Ave in Berkeley to catch a train to the airport. Charlie walked by in the opposite direction with a friend, who dared him to talk to her. Through a brief, awkward conversation, Charlie managed to be just charming enough to convince Emily to foolishly give her number to a stranger. Four days later, we went on our first date, and the rest is history!

Our summer trip to Greece was an unintended misdirection. Emily thought, "If Charlie didn't propose at all of these romantic vistas, he'll probably wait until next summer's trip." However, he did get her jewelry in Greece with the "tree of life" symbol, and a few months later while planning an impromptu trip to New Orleans, Charlie discovered that there was in fact a real Tree of Life in Audubon Park. He decided that this would be the perfect spot for a surprise proposal! With the help of Emily's sister and brother-in-law, Charlie planned a morning stroll through the park during which they would serendipitously happen upon this Tree of Life. After taking some pictures together, Charlie got down on one knee to give his proposal speech, which Emily excitedly interrupted twice with premature yeses! Now almost a year later, the wait is almost over, and we look forward to celebrating our wedding with you all!