The way to a woman’s heart is through a quirky message about her dog, Piper, which has brought us all the way here. Bela and Zach first connected over Hinge in April 2020, during the midst of the pandemic. Everything was on lockdown; all restaurants were closed and Bela was struggling with undiagnosed pneumonia. The only option was to have a secluded dinner at Bela’s apartment. Yes… Bela let a random man she met from the Internet enter her home to make dinner together. Needless to say, her dad was not thrilled! Yet, she knew something about this gentle stranger was different. Through texting all day, FaceTime calls, and COVID dates, they grew such a strong, personal connection with each other and became inseparable. Fast forward through pneumonia, career changes, hip surgeries, moving, and everything else life threw at them, they both knew they couldn’t have gotten through anything without the other by their side. They are so excited to continue life together and are blessed to have had the support and love of their family along the way.

As some of you may know, their first date was a home-cooked dinner at Bela’s apartment in Downers Grove. After texting and calling 24/7 for a few weeks, Bela clearly knew Zach well enough to invite him to her home for dinner. The compromise to inviting a stranger over was having the date supervised by Bela’s younger sister, and roommate, Adriana. Zach showed up in his Birkenstocks and with a bag full of ingredients. He got settled and made the best shrimp etoufee Bela had ever had in her life. He even removed the shrimp heads and tails, already knowing that Bela can get squeamish. They laughed, cooked, learned together and enjoyed their dinner date (with Adriana). Anyone that cooks knows that NOLA food is a labor of love, and this dinner was just the beginning of the love that Bela and Zach would grow and share.

Zach and Bela’s shared passion for Christmas was the inspiration behind Zach’s proposal. Zach gifted Bela the ultimate Christmas weekend for her birthday in late November, complete with a detailed itinerary. Given that previous Christmas’s were affected by COVID, Bela assumed this was just an extra special weekend to make up for lost time. Zach scheduled a stay at the Palmer House, took Bela to her first ballet performance, planned beautiful dinners, and even took her on a shopping spree. Of course, Bela had her suspicions but after they weren’t able to get tickets to ice skate, she let her guard down and was truly grateful for such a beautiful weekend. Unbeknownst to Bela, Zach was freaking out. The whole day he couldn’t seem to relax! Finally, as they made their way down to the lobby to leave for dinner, Zach gently pulled Bela to the side to mention something about the hotel’s Christmas tree. Bela, always ready to receive a random fact from Zach, didn’t think anything of it until he took a step behind her on bended knee. Tears immediately started flowing and Zach was able to pull off the ultimate surprise. Their closest family watched the entire moment from the balcony, and cheered for them. Funny enough, Zach forgot to take out the ring at first! With a resounding yes, Zach got back down on his knee and placed the ring on Bela’s finger.