It was August 2021, Rachel had just arrived in New York for a psychology Master’s program at NYU. A California girl, Rachel was excited and a tad nervous about living in the big city, having dreamed of living there her whole life. She was also single and the world had just reopened – her new life was full of possibility and adventure, with plenty of opportunities to meet and date a variety of dashing and charming male suitors, but nothing too serious too quickly. And then she met her future husband within six weeks. Oops. Her friends Emily and Zach persuaded Rachel to meet up with their friend Andrew. Emily and Zach thought that Rachel and Andrew would be fond of one another’s kindness, curiosity, and zest for life (turns out they were correct…thanks guys!). Emily and Zach organized a picnic that was “totally not a double-date” in Central Park on September 19, ordering sandwiches from Milano Market (highly recommended). Andrew was mildly late as per usual, while Rachel was an hour late, having taken the subway to Brooklyn by mistake. As he waited, Andrew sat and nervously ate his sandwich, wondering with each bite of cutlet and morsel of mozzarella whether his date would show. The wait, of course, would be worth it. Before long, Rachel materialized and Andrew couldn’t hide his smile when he saw this beautiful girl approaching. Rachel still vividly remembers Andrew’s big grin and the butterflies she felt when seeing him for the first time. The picnic was a big success. Rachel firmly cemented Andrew’s interest by saying the magic words, “I’m thinking about going to see Springsteen on Broadway.” Jackpot! Two weeks later, on October 1, Andrew and Rachel met for their first date, where they began an easy, flowing conversation that has continued to this day. They kicked off the night at a cocktail bar in the East Village, where they discovered a mutual love of skiing (each was silently skeptical of the other’s skills). They then migrated to Cafe Mogador, where Rachel boldly suggested that they share entrees and Andrew happily obliged (he summoned all of his willpower to not eat more than his share). The night was going well, so Andrew brought Rachel to see a band at Rockwood Music Hall, where they danced, sang, and shared their first kiss. It turned out that Andrew had unwittingly planned Rachel’s ideal date: variety, variety, variety in classic New York settings.

After a few months of dating, Andrew and Rachel found themselves skiing upstate at Gore Mountain on New Year’s Eve. Nervous and eager to show off their abilities, they were thrilled to discover that their mutual skepticism was unfounded – they each skied at the same level. But midway through their first run down the mountain, Rachel took a fateful spill. She did not think much of it at the time and continued to ski for two more days, but she later learned that she had torn her ACL. As she prepared for surgery a few months later, a challenge quickly became apparent. Rachel lived in a fifth-floor walkup apartment and slept in a loft bed (translation: a top bunk bed for adults), a dicey situation after knee surgery. Fortunately, Andrew lived on the first floor of his building, so the solution was simple – Rachel would stay with Andrew (and his roommate Assad…what a mensch) until she had sufficiently recovered. Rachel had recovered from her surgery after about 6 weeks, but she never fully moved back to her apartment. She and Andrew had fallen in love completely and from that moment onward would fully share their lives together.

Over the next 3 years, Rachel and Andrew were fortunate to make countless incredible memories together: ski trips upstate and out west, a flat tire in Colombia, becoming an aunt and uncle to their beautiful niece and nephew, Christmas adventures in New York, visits with Rachel’s family and friends in California, Idaho and North Carolina, late nights with friends in the city, dancing at an endless string of weddings, three Bruce Springsteen concerts, dozens of summer evenings on Brant Lake, and a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower that Rachel could finally check off her bucket list. Beyond those wonderful adventures, Rachel and Andrew found that they also took joy in sharing the little moments of everyday life. Whether it be grocery shopping, taking a stroll through Central Park, eating yet another egg and oatmeal breakfast, or making their 3rd trip of the week to Home Goods, they eternally found themselves holding hands and wrapt in an endless conversation. And so, after three and a half years of dating, Andrew decided that it was finally time to pop the question during their long-planned ski trip to Mammoth, CA. On April 14, 2025, after a morning spent in sheer terror of losing the ring while skiing, Andrew brought Rachel to the top of her favorite run and asked her to marry him (she said yes!). With all of the love in our hearts, we simply cannot wait to celebrate with you!