It was April 2022, and Elaina was out with her friend Corinne for a girls’ night in Asbury. They were at Bond Street when, across the dance floor, Corinne thought she recognized someone. At the time, Corinne was getting her master’s degree at Rider and thought she saw a fellow student she had tutored—but wasn’t sure, since they had only ever met virtually. “Is he single? Do you want to say hi and introduce me?” Unfortunately, Corinne was pretty sure he was an underclassman, which Elaina knew made him much too young for her. “You go say hi, talk, and then I’ll come over so you can introduce me. Then we’re getting out of there before I embarrass myself!” They made their way over. Elaina started talking briefly to one of his friends (hi, Karington), and then Corinne introduced her to her classmate, Dan. Instantly charmed by him, Elaina left as quickly as possible. Dan and his buddies had gone out on a last-second decision and he was completely surprised to see his classmate—and to be introduced to her friend. He wanted to buy Elaina a drink, but just as quickly as they had appeared, they were gone. He texted Corinne asking for Elaina’s number, and that’s when they discovered he wasn’t 21 like they had thought, but actually 25! Wingwoman Corinne put them in contact with one another, and the rest is history.
Dan knew early on that Elaina was the one, but in the fall of 2024, he decided the time was right to propose. That spring, he had taken her to Holland Ridge Farms—what she still calls the most perfect date she’s ever been on. With tulips in the spring and sunflowers in the fall, he knew it would be the perfect setting for such a special moment. With plans in place and tickets purchased, everything was set. Then came the rain. The forecast began to look bleak just days before. “Maybe we should go another weekend instead?” “The tickets are nonrefundable—we can’t!” Elaina grew even more suspicious when Dan called her at work the day before, frantically asking if she had rain boots she could wear just in case. On the day of, they arrived in a steady drizzle—boots on, umbrellas up. An unexpected upside: because of the less-than-ideal weather, they had the farm almost entirely to themselves. They wandered through rows of towering flowers, picking as many as they could carry. As they started talking about dinner plans, Elaina began to think maybe she had been wrong—maybe today wasn’t the day after all. Then, as she turned to leave, Dan got down on one knee. Elaina squealed with joy as a photographer appeared from behind the sunflowers, capturing every moment. Afterward, Dan told her he had one more surprise—dinner reservations at a beautiful restaurant. But when they arrived, the hostess led them to a private room and opened the door to reveal both of their families waiting inside, ready to celebrate.
For months, Dan and Elaina had been sending each other Zillow listings, dreaming about where they would begin their life together. Even before the engagement, they toured a few homes, knowing their plan was simple: engagement, then house, then wedding. After getting engaged, the search became real. They scheduled six showings for the following Saturday. The second house changed everything. Elaina immediately fell in love—running from room to room, taking videos, and imagining exactly how they would make it their own. Dan could see it too, though he was a bit more cautious about taking on a fixer-upper. The rest of the homes they toured that day were nice, but each had something that didn’t quite feel right. Later that night, their realtor reached out: an offer had already been submitted on the house they loved. If they wanted it, they needed to move fast. They talked it through, took the leap, and submitted their offer. By Monday, it was accepted. Just one week after their engagement, they had found their home. They moved in the day after Christmas and have been slowly making it their own ever since. Along the way, they’ve taken on their fair share of homeowner challenges—pest control, flooded yards, even a broken furnace in the middle of winter. Through it all, they’ve done much of the work themselves, finding that even the toughest moments are rewarding when faced together.