We're getting married!

Back in January of 2013 Elyssa went on a trip of a lifetime: Birthright. Birthright is a free ten-day heritage trip to Israel for young adults of Jewish heritage. This specific trip was for people in the Chicago area aged 22-27 years old. This trip was also where Elyssa made 50 new best friends, including some mutual friends of David. On the trip these mutual friends talked up David quite a bit, especially Zach Schulman who was roommates with David at the time. As he explained why he thought that they’d be a good match, “You’re a chill engineer, he’s a chill engineer, you’re both chill engineers!” All this talk piqued Elyssa’s interest in this renowned David. On May 10th 2013, four months after the trip, Elyssa and some Birthright friends were invited to Zach and David’s apartment for a Shabbat dinner. As the group of friends was hanging out prior to dinner, David made a brief appearance to say goodbye before heading out, as he couldn't make dinner. After he left, Zach told Elyssa that was the David he talked to her on the trip about. Elyssa finally got to see who this David guy was, but only for a split second before he left. Later that night, after a great Shabbat dinner and lots of wine, Elyssa and the group of friends decided to go to a house party (as one does after a nice Shabbat dinner). As luck would have it, David decided to meet up with his friends at the house party too. Elyssa saw David and had to see what all the talk was about. She skillfully planned her move, gathered up her courage, walked over to David and started a conversation. They spent the rest of the party together and eventually exchanged numbers. That week David asked Elyssa on their first date, and the rest is history.

On Saturday August 1st, 2020, Elyssa and David went out to dinner at Nori Sushi, which holds a special place in their hearts as their first date restaurant. Toward the end of dinner, David mentioned that he wanted to pick up some art from the gallery next door that he'd previously dropped off for framing. Elyssa was ready to head home, and didn't understand why David wanted to urgently pick up artwork at 8PM on a Saturday, but he was insistent enough to win her over. So they headed next door to the (conspicuously empty) Jackson Junge Gallery. Entering the gallery, true to form, Elyssa spent a short eternity perusing the jewelry displays at the front, while David milled about in anticipation. As Elyssa moved deeper into the gallery, she found a piece of art that looked strangely like herself climbing a mountain in Yosemite. She quickly waved David over and pointed to the picture, saying "This is me!" David, as nonchalantly as he possibly could, said "Hm, that's weird. Yea, looks a bit like you, I guess. Let's look around some more." As the two continued to walk around, Elyssa saw a second picture of the two of them in the Rio On Pools in Belize. Now, there was no denying it - that was definitely them! As the moment started to dawn on Elyssa, they moved into the main gallery area, where David had set up a display with rose petals, hand-made cards from past birthdays/holidays, photos of their time together, and "Will you marry me?" placecards. Although both of them started to tear up, David got down on one knee and managed to ask Elyssa to marry him. After the proposal, both Elyssa and David's immediate families came out from the back of the gallery to start the party! There was a champagne toast and pictures all around to document the lovely occasion. Thanks to our families for being a part of this special moment, as well as the Jackson Junge Gallery for accommodating us despite the pandemic. Head over to the "Photos" page to see some pictures of the engagement!