Emily and Omar’s journey began roughly 3 years ago in the super romantic world of event catering. Emily had established herself as a respected leader, while Omar had just returned from a long hiatus during which he managed a pet store. Emily was committed to devoting her life to God and strived to live out her life as a Catholic nun (shout out to The Little Sisters of Life in Manhattan!), but Omar had other plans once he was thunderstruck by her. Even as she spurned his advances and date invitations, it only upped his resolve to get to know her better. Omar invited her to his pet store for a completely innocent and innocuous hour of stress relief where they bonded over their love of puppies (while playing with a bunch of puppies in hand), Hozier’s most recent album, opossums, and impromptu karaoke. Seeing an opportunity to seal the deal, Omar took Emily out to a pizza restaurant in the city with the same name as hers before joining her at a Hozier concert at Hammerstein Ballroom. He also surprised Emily’s family with the gift of a tiny chocolate toy poodle puppy named Lexi, who to this day rules over the Acosta household with an iron fist (paw?) While they enjoyed spending time with each other, Emily was still unconvinced that marriage was in the cards for her and sought a sign from above: for God to send her a rose. She said this prayer in the silence of her heart during a walk with her three poodles right before a massive midnight thunderstorm, and immediately she received her sign: two roses intricately placed on her driveway fence waiting for her as she arrived home. Powerless to deny the Lord’s Will, Emily and Omar grew closer together. With their fresh relationship in bloom, not even the literal end of the world could break their stride. They overcame challenges never previously faced by any couple, such as the pains of Zoom calls, outdoor dining, masks, and needing to order cocktails to-go. With Emily’s support, Omar undertook yet another career change, taking advantage of the global shutdown to complete a software engineering program. In turn, Omar supported Emily’s successful trek through nursing school. Vowing never to take live music for granted again after it was absent for much of the pandemic, Emily and Omar embarked on a mission to see as many shows together as possible. Finally, on a drizzly Sunday, October night, Omar invited Emily out to the site of their first date, ‘Emily’, for a chill pizza night. Little did she know that, with the help of Emily’s friends, Omar had planned more than a simple date. With both of their family and friends hiding nearby and a guitarist playing her favorite love song, Starlight by Muse, Omar got on one knee and presented Emily with a beautiful rose gold diamond engagement ring, pledging himself to her for eternity. And she said yes! Emily and Omar are honored to have you partake in the celebration of their love and their commitment to growing a strong, bountiful Catholic family together. They’re hyped to see you there!