we're getting married!

We first met on the Salkantay Trail in Peru. We were both part of a 75-person Stanford MBA trip.

During the fall of their 2nd year at Stanford Graduate School of Buiness, we bonded over a shared love of music. We grew closer that year, attending Treasure Island Music Festival, Bridge School Benefit, and Coachella together.

We went on our first date after we both moved back to New York after Stanford GSB graduation. Maria was impressed because Michael remembered how much she loved German food, and took her to an Austrian restaurant. German food isn't usually a good call for a first date, but in this case it was zehr Gut.

As our relationship grew, we developed more and more shared interests. In addition to attending tons of music shows, we discovered a shared love for rock climbing and formed a connection with the great outdoors. In particular our 5 trips to Burning Man confirmed to us that we could handle all sorts of crazy situations as a team.

We got engaged just after sunrise on top of a boulder pile in Joshua Tree National Park. We spent the rest of the day rock climbing in the Wonderland of Rocks with no cell service - it was perfect!