Derek was about to move to Pittsburgh and hoping to find a nice Jewish girl. Before the big move he was going to Africa on safari and a friend suggested changing his dating app location to Pittsburgh because "there won't be much to find on Jswipe in Rwanda." While in Africa, he saw her profile on Hinge and was instantly smitten. He messaged her right away and they went on their first date the day after he moved into his apartment. They went on a few dates in quick succession including a party at the Pittsburgh Zoo where Derek was working, a Shabbat dinner with Chabad Young Professionals, and a Mets-Pirates game (where they were rooting for opposing results). Soon after that they officially became boyfriend and girlfriend, meeting each other's friends and families, and watching football together every Sunday throughout the fall and early winter. Derek knew she was really a keeper because her mom would gamble with him, Jess knew he was a keeper because...well he worked at a zoo. Then came the pandemic. Jess' parents invited Derek over for dinner almost nightly, they spent extended periods of time with Derek's family in New York and Florida, and everyone started pressuring him to pop a certain question. He told everyone that he would not propose until after his brother's wedding in April of 2022, while secretly working with his mom to find the perfect ring for the love of his life. In August of 2021, his family took their annual trip to Woodloch Pines in the Poconos and invited Jess' parents to come along. He told everyone to act like it was picture night (which actually is a thing there) and hired a photographer to capture everything. He had everything planned out, a beautiful sunset overlooking the lake; instead it was pouring rain all afternoon and he had to scramble to create a backup plan. After a few family photos under a somewhat covered dock, Derek's dad suggested couples pictures and that Derek and Jess go first. Before she knew it he was down on a knee. A typical girl would respond with something along the lines of "Oh my gosh yes!" Of course we all know Jess is no ordinary girl. She responded "What the f-ck Derek? Oh my god no. I mean yes!" Everyone on the dock laughed and cried, hugged and kissed. The photographer called it "the best proposal response I've ever seen." They spent the rest of the week celebrating in the Poconos and sharing the news with loved ones. They began planning a date and location for the wedding, all while getting ready to pack up and move to Westchester, New York. Derek was about to begin a job in fundraising for Wildlife Conservation Society, and Jess found a position teaching theatre at Success Academy in the Bronx. So that's our story! Thanks so much for being a part of our lives and we can't wait to celebrate with everyone on May 28th, 2023.