August 2015: move-in day at the University of Richmond. The Nadel family is moving a wide-eyed Jess in, when they hear a knock on the door. It’s a dashing Orientation Advisor named Collin looking for… Jess’s roommate. The story is not going to be that easy! Fall of 2016: Carytown Burgers and Fries, Jess and Collin are participating in Shabbat on the Town, a twice a semester event run by UR Hillel, a club they have both participated in over the last year. Feelings between the two have grown from friendly to…something more? and the two have used this opportunity to sit next to each other, throw some flirtations around, and play footsie under the table. Jess, soon to become Collin’s favorite klutz, dropped her milkshake. Staring down the horror of embarrassing herself in front of her crush, she made the most of the situation and began drinking the milkshake out of the gaping hole in the side of the cup. Little did she know that this was the most adorable thing Collin had ever seen. February 2017: Collin asks Jess out to dinner on Valentine’s Day, after the two have spent the rest of the Fall 2016 Semester spending a lot more time together. Collin finding the way to Jess’ heart by stacking delivery codes on top of one another to secure a $5 Chinese take out feast. Jess finding the way to Collin’s heart by eating that Chinese food while wearing a Packers jersey and consoling him after another inevitable early playoff exit. After an almost fateful run in at Yad Vashem in December of 2017 during the “What are we?” phase of the relationship, Collin assuaged all concerns by surprising Jess with a necklace from Israel early in the Spring 2017 semester. The two had now officially become boyfriend and girlfriend, and spent the rest of the Semester exploring the art and food scene in Richmond, attending basketball games, studying in the library, and taking late-night walks around campus. The two survived many stints of long distance, including Jess’ study abroad in the Fall of 2017, Collin’s year of post-graduate life, and then much of 2020 and 2021, after the Pandemic stripped the couple of young Manhattan life! However, it was during this period of extended time with both the Nadel and the Zucker families, when both Jess and Collin knew that they really could not live without each other, and started to think about what forever could be like together. Jess and Collin have now been to four continents together, Jess’ love for travel intoxicating Collin all the way to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Portugal, Spain, Bolivia, and Colombia. They have explored every corner of the East Village neighborhood together, cooked countless meals together in their tiny NYC kitchen, and have shared in life’s simple pleasures together, like awe walks around Manhattan, reading in the park, and taking in the morning sunlight through their east-facing window. They are beyond excited to celebrate their love with their closest family and friends in December 2025. While they don’t know exactly what the next chapter of their lives will bring, they know that it will include the community they love, delicious food, and lots of laughter and joy.