We can't wait to say "I Do" in front of you!

I was getting pretty sick of dating apps, when on the very same day, my sister and my best friend reached out to tell me about a new one called “The League” that had been featured in The New York Times. It sounded a little snooty, but I decided to give it a try. I created a profile, but then it informed me I had been placed on a waiting list. This was unacceptable since “instant gratification” is basically my middle name. So I closed the app and forgot about it. A week or so later, when I was informed I’d been accepted, I figured, “What the heck.” So I got down to the arduous task of swiping left and right. As anyone who’s online dated will tell you, the process of doing this day after day isn’t easy. When I came to Daniel's profile, I was confused. He was very handsome, I loved his hair, and I found his profile to be well-written. However, all of his pictures were selfies from his apartment. Red flag! (Only later did I learn his shyness and impulse not to post anyone else’s picture without their permission were the chief reasons he was alone in his photos.) My finger hovered…and at the last minute I decided to swipe right. He’s lucky he’s handsome. In typical Daniel fashion, we chatted for a month on the app before he asked me out. (Fun fact: our first date was actually on my mom's birthday. Fortunately, she had scheduled her bday dinner for the following night. However, I know if it came down to it, she would have given up celebrating with her daughter if it meant finding a guy…typical Jewish mother.) Turns out, Daniel was worth the wait! Sweet and only awkward enough to be endearing, just as handsome as in his pics, with a kind smile, and intelligent, he took me to “Dear Irving,” a bar voted the most romantic in New York, and asked me endless questions about myself. Brilliantly, I might add, since I love talking about myself. He was caring and funny, and made me laugh with his dad jokes. He still does! The rest is history :)

Whereas Liz only had to wait a couple weeks to be accepted into “The League,” I’m quite sure I had to wait months. Clearly they didn’t know what they were missing! Of course I found Liz beautiful and charming via text, but she was even better in person…meeting me as I nervously waited outside “Dear Irving” near Union Square. Liz is right - I did ask her lots of questions on our first date. As anyone familiar with me knows, I do that by default. But it worked doubly-well with Liz because she’s just so self-centered (that’s a joke, Liz!). Fortunately, my tactic worked and we had a fabulous time talking, walking and imbibing. I knew I’d met someone special. (I’d like to quickly digress here to talk about my SECOND date with Liz, in which she arrived at my apartment after work, ate my Chinese food, and fell asleep on my bed. That’s pretty much it. To this day, she marvels at how I didn’t dump her on the spot, but to me it was endearing - and I liked taking care of her. That’s something I’ll always cherish.) From there, it’s been a nonstop joy: a lot more talking, a LOT more laughing, traveling and exploring new places, and getting to know the quirks of the best lid any pot could ever ask for.

Liz and Daniel were in the process of packing up their apartments and moving in together. The weekend before the move, Daniel showed up at her door with flowers and asked her to dinner. Was this finally the proposal?? They went out…but nothing happened. They continued packing, and the move the following Friday went smoothly. Step one, complete (at least, from Daniel’s perspective). On Saturday, July 24th, 2021, amid the disaster zone that was their new apartment, Daniel told Liz he was running out to get breakfast. He knew that, notoriously deep sleeper that she was, Liz wouldn’t realize whether he was gone for twenty minutes or an hour and a half. That was key, because Daniel had big plans. Instead of getting breakfast, he drove to her parents’ house to ask her dad, Rudy, for her hand in marriage. Step two, complete. Daniel made sure to actually pick up some bagels on the way back, and woke Liz up when he returned. (As expected, she was still sleeping.) The two enjoyed breakfast, but Daniel told Liz not to eat anything else as he’d made brunch reservations at a nice place. She might want to wear a dress. “OMG this is it,” Liz thought. They went out…but nothing happened. Now Liz was out of sorts. On their way home, they passed a sign for Planting Fields, a Long Island arboretum they’d visited a year earlier after Liz had undergone knee surgery and was learning to walk with a crutch. It was a spot that Daniel knew Liz’s family had been visiting for years. Liz pointed out the sign, not realizing Daniel had been heading there all along. It was a hot day, and Daniel took quite awhile getting the parking pass. Liz got suspicious. What was he doing? (In reality, he was speaking to the photographer hidden away inside the park.) Continued below...

Casually strolling along the paths, they made their way to a bench where they’d sat a year earlier. But when a small boy beat them to the spot, Daniel shooed him away - very out of character! Liz got a little more suspicious. So they sat on the bench and talked…but nothing else happened. It was only when they walked over to a beautiful tree with diamond shapes in the trunk, and Liz turned around, that Daniel began speaking in Russian: “Now I have something really important to tell you,” he said. He got down on one knee and proposed! It turns out that knowing it was important to Liz, Daniel had been studying Russian for a year! The hidden photographer popped out and captured the moment. After more photos and some joyous calls to the families, they headed to Liz's parents' house, where her family was gathered for her Aunt Roza's 83rd birthday. A double celebration. That night, Daniel had one more surprise for Liz. He brought her back to “Dear Irving,” the bar from their first date. Only this was a new, second “Dear Irving,” high above Times Square, with a COVID-safe ventilated table overlooking the west side of Manhattan and the Hudson River. The city at their feet, it was a perfect end to a perfect day. :) :) P.S. All those fake-outs were to throw Liz off - and they worked!