Julia and Ryan's story starts like so many others; playful conversation followed by a swab up the nose and a week of isolation. It was August of 2020 when they met online and decided they were interested enough to meet for dinner. In those days, the safe thing to do was get a covid test (the original ones with the super long q-tip), and isolate for a few days while you await your results. A lot of hoops to jump through for a first date, but Julia thought he just might be worth it. After 2 negative results, they met at The Ragtrader in Midtown Manhattan. Julia was 15 minutes late, but she had a very good excuse (crazy lady on the subway). Conversation flowed effortlessly over cocktails and pizza, and they decided to extend the night. Julia was still new to the city, so she let Ryan pick the place to grab a post-dinner drink. He chose Hofbräuhaus, a German Biergarden known for their boots of beer. Julia ordered a boot of Heineken, a decision which has stuck with Ryan ever since. Apparently he thought Julia was really cool for that. Little did he know, she just chose the lightest beer she could think of. That night, Julia took a picture of Ryan and their boots. Pretty ballsy to ask for on a first date, but she knew there would be many more to follow. ‍ After 4 inseperable and silly years together, Ryan proposed on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, the very place they had spent their sunday mornings drinking coffee their first year of living together just down the street. It was absolutely perfect, down to Julia accidentally saying "No". (SHE WAS SURPRISED, OKAY!?)