Dearest Family and Friends, As you will remember, we were unable to have the ceremony and reception for our wedding back in 2020 due to COVID. It has remained our desire to celebrate with you all - and now we finally can! On our five year wedding anniversary, we will have a simple ceremony and celebration in our new home town of Seattle, Washington. Devorah + Bradford

They say that love finds you when – and often where – you least expect it. The day that Devorah and Bradford both “swiped right”, the last thing they were thinking was that they would end up here. They matched on the dating app Bumble, and the conversation was immediately light and fun. Bradford’s profile included “two truths and a lie”, which allowed Devorah to start the conversation off with her best guess. The choices were: 1) He had lived in the Ramones loft and stayed in Joey's old room 2) He was nationally ranked in origami by the age of 8 3) His 5th great grandfather gave Paul Revere his horse for the midnight run Devorah guessed the lie was number two, and to her surprise, she got it right! While not nationally ranked, Bradford DID know how to make origami, which led him to offer her a personalized piece for their first date. Did she want an animal by land, by sea or by air? She chose air and left him to choose the idea. She responded in kind with her own "two truths and a lie". Bradford guessed the lie was her ever attending the Tony Awards. Delighted with his choice, Devorah was able to respond with photo proof of her all dressed up with her friend Terri, as they were getting ready to attend that very evening!

They agreed to meet for their first date later that week and from the moment they met, they could not stop talking and smiling with each other. Bradford brought the origami creation as promised (and even an extra one for good measure). He made her two intertwining swans made out of a single piece of paper and an equally impressive eagle. The evening ended with the second date being set for that coming weekend. They met up on Sunday and walked through Central Park. Along the walk, Devorah showed Bradford one of her favorite places in the park: Shakespeare's Garden. Another nod to her love of the arts; the garden featured plants and flowers referenced in plays and poems by Shakespeare. They ended the evening with wine at a romantic underground bar and made plans for later that week for a bit of swing dancing at Lincoln Center! The rest, as they say, is history. ‘They are in the very wrath of love, and they will go together. Clubs cannot part them’ (As You Like It – Act 5, Scene 2)

Bradford knew that he wanted to marry Devorah long before he actually proposed to Devorah. Bradford chose a late summer day, and asked Devorah if she wanted to meet him in Central Park after work, to walk home together. Having just commented that morning on how gorgeous the weather was going to be all day, Devorah responded with “of course” and Bradford sent her a location to meet up. Devorah arrived early (as she is apt to do) and sent him a message to clarify where exactly they should meet: “The entrance to the garden or at the top near the listening bench?” she asked. Bradford said the bench would be fine and arrived a few minutes later slightly breathless from his walk to meet her. After greeting her with a kiss, Bradford asked Devorah to show him how exactly the listening bench worked. She explained that one person can whisper into one corner and the other person will be able to hear them on the opposite end. This being insider knowledge, the family of tourists that were just getting up from the bench, overheard the description and asked if they could they too could see how it worked. So, Bradford went to one end and Devorah to the other to demonstrate.

“Hello. Can you hear me?” “Yes, I can!! Testing, testing, 1,2,3. Bradford, can you hear me?” Devorah put her ear to the corner to listen. No response. “Hello, Bradford, can you hear me?” As Devorah turned her head to the corner again, she saw Bradford in front of her, kneeling down with an unmistakable box in his hand. Without further hesitation Bradford asked Devorah to marry him, to which she enthusiastically responded “YES!” before he could even finish the question. He opened the box and placed the most beautiful antique ring on her finger. They embraced one another and cried tears of joy. All the while, in true New York fashion, the seemingly private moment was captured by the tourists who were watching how the listening bench worked. In the end, the pictures turned out great and we were so grateful to have had the moment captured. The newly engaged couple walked home, hand in hand, through the park, in the city, where they fell in love.