We met the old fashioned way - on a dating app! After messaging for a few days, we decided to meet for a drink. Tanuj chose a local trendy cocktail bar that he thought would impress Liz. Less impressive was the fact that it was closed! So we ended up at a bar in our neighborhood that we both love - the Map Room. We chatted for hours about Chicago, travel, life...and the best treatment options for breast cancer. With Liz being a gynecologist and Tanuj working in the pharmaceutical industry, he's always trying to do free market research!

Sedona is a special place to us. We had both visited Sedona separately before our first trip there together in November 2019. The natural beauty, the abundance of outdoor activities that we both love, and the amazing southwestern food (hello Elote!) brought together many of our shared loves. So when we started to consider outdoor elopement locations due to the pandemic, Sedona was at the top of our short list from the start. While we didn't seek out the famous Sedona Vortexes, we definitely felt their energy on our wedding day!

On December 15, 2020, we started our special day by having a Zoom with our parents. It was very important for them to be with us in spirit, even though they could not be with us physically. After taking some "getting ready" pictures, we left for our wedding destination: Merry Go Round Rock. This required an hour long drive up an extremely rocky and unpaved mountain road, requiring us to rent an off-road Jeep. Tanuj loved every second of the drive! Once we got to the top, we parked the Jeep, gathered our things, and hiked ~20 minutes to our destination at the edge of a cliff. Liz was a champ to hike in a wedding dress with a full pack! We exchanged vows at sunset at the top of the mountain with amazing views of Sedona and the valley below. We popped the champagne, and enjoyed our first drink as husband and wife! Since our Jewish and Hindu religion and heritage is important to both of us, we incorporated aspects of both into our wedding day. First, Tanuj had a chance to break the glass as is common in Jewish weddings. Next, we donned some colorful and traditional Hindu wedding clothes and said a prayer with a ceremonial coconut. Finally, we explored the area and took more photos at the direction of our amazing photographer, Aimee Flynn. The colors of the sunset over the valley on the red rocks were absolutely spectacular! We ended the mountain portion with pizza by the Jeep! After returning home, we had our first dance by the campfire. We danced to "Love is Everywhere" by Wilco, a band that we love and have seen in concert in Chicago. Not wasting the campfire, we also cooked s'mores! For dinner, Tanuj hired a private chef to cook a delicious 5 course meal in our house. We had an amazing and special day, but we missed celebrating with all of you!