We met on Tinder in June of 2016 when both of us were living in Bangalore, India. On our first date, Jack planned a scavenger hunt that involved hiding bottles of wine around our neighborhood. We still argue about who actually won the scavenger hunt (it was Tara). We ended up spending hours chatting in a park, sharing dosas, and somehow the night ended with Jack meeting Tara’s extended family. By some magical coincidence of the universe, we realized that we were both about to move to the East Coast for grad school. Things became official when Tara nervously asked Jack in the back of a rickshaw after an Eid celebration if he wanted to keep dating after they moved back to the US. Jack said “Yeah, sure, but you’re about to move to a city where everyone is really good looking. Do you want to revisit this in the morning?” We revisited in the morning, and the rest is history.

We love spending time outdoors, building community, and really any activity that centers our dog, Chutney. Some favorite memories include: exploring Kolkata together, summiting Mt. Kenya at sunrise, teaching Chutney to swim in the river at Harper’s Ferry, learning to ice climb in New Hampshire with our friends (Jack was very good, Tara quit after about 15 feet), eating only almonds, cheese and tortillas for a week in Iceland because restaurants were so expensive, cooking elaborate dinner club meals together (Jack emotionally supports Tara while she cooks), and getting engaged in Barcelona. What Jack says about Tara: Jack doesn’t know exactly why he loves Tara, but the reasons likely include the fire and warmth she brings to his life and their home, the way she makes everyday things seem worth celebrating, the incredible communities she creates around them, and the fact that being with her makes him more excited about the future and forgetful of past mistakes. What Tara says about Jack: Jack brings such an ease to everything - whether it's helping me understand something complicated at work, bringing a cup of coffee in bed every morning while I muster the courage to face the day, or volunteering to carry my pack to the top of Mount Kenya when I'm struggling. At crossroads, I am often confident that things will be just fine, even when I don't know the next steps, because Jack is such a caring and thoughtful partner and decision-maker. In the mundane and everyday, Jack brings joy and light to everything - word games when we're stuck on the side of the road, gesturing what needs to get done when there's a language barrier, and banter to a quiet room. Life without Jack seems pretty boring and honestly awful - I guess it's a good thing I won't have to do that.

Jack was in-between jobs and decided to visit Spain for a couple of weeks. Tara couldn’t stomach the idea of being left out and decided to join. Jack took Tara on a picnic to a park in the north of Barcelona. He proposed with a dime store ring in the center of a hedge maze in front of a statue of Eros - just as the park was closing and right before security guards started yelling at everyone to leave. Tara very quickly agreed to marriage and Jack’s response was “think about it for a minute, this is a serious question!” Two days later, in Valencia, Tara dropped her ring in the toilet of a McDonald’s. They eventually got a not-dime-store ring, and Tara hasn’t lost it yet. After seven plus years together, we’re thrilled to be getting married and can’t wait to celebrate with you.