Someone once said, "Sometimes your best-friends know you better than you may know yourself." It turns out, in their case, that was absolutely true. Aurora and John had both lived in New York City for a few years without ever meeting and having no clue that Aurora's friend (Jessica SanFilippo) and John's friend (Sarah Thompson, wife of best-man Rob Thompson) were friends growing up from their days at Summer camp together. Sarah had taken a trip to New York City one summer night in August 2017 and met Jess out for a glass of wine. Over drinks and catching up, Jess and Sarah decided to try their hand at playing matchmaker. Running through the list of mutual love of live music and photography, they decided that Aurora and John would be the perfect fit. Aurora and John set up time to meet on their first "blind date" and it was an instant connection. Their first date was at The Seamstress, a small cocktail bar in New York City's Upper East Side on August 22, 2017 - filled with lots of laughs, sharing stories of their favorite concerts, fun-facts by John, and hailing a rainy cab with a first kiss. You could say their friends may know them too well - the rest is history!

One of Aurora and John's favorite things about living in New York City is being able to call Central Park their backyard. When they moved in together on the Upper East Side, it quickly became one of their favorite spots. Everything from morning runs, Spring bike rides, to walks with their pup and daylong picnics with friends - it has held many memories throughout their time in New York City. On a beautiful 70 degree Saturday, with the most amazing fall foliage, Aurora and John set out on another morning walk to Central Park to enjoy the day. Little did Aurora know that it would be one of the most special walks they have taken so far. After taking their puppy Willoughby to Cedar Hill in Central Park for some off-leash playtime with her four-legged friends, John convinced Aurora that they should walk towards Bethesda Fountain and the Bow Bridge. Once they crossed the bridge, they rounded the corner and stopped at a vantage point looking out on the lake. John tried, somewhat successfully, to get the words out and popped "The Question" to Aurora. After sharing such a special moment together they turned to find their great friend Jason secretly snapping photos and capturing the moment perfectly. They returned home to an amazing breakfast and champagne spread thanks to Aurora's sister, Deirdre. After enjoying the morning and calling family and friends, they headed to Westlight at the Brooklyn William Vale rooftop for cocktails to mark the occasion where they were surprised by a small group of family and friends who joined them to celebrate!