It was Aug. 16, 2023 and I could hardly get a word out. The truth is that I’d spent all week fixating on this moment, contemplating what I might say and the questions I could ask when I finally slid into the back booth at Bar Arbolada. Yet, as the Scottish poet Robert Burns once suggested, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. For the first five minutes I spent with Morgan Curry, I was an awestruck, tongue-tied, nervous wreck. Can you blame me? Intelligent. Warm. Elegantly beautiful and funny — she was stunning. What I didn’t yet know then, but would very soon understand fundamentally, is the unique gift of Morgan’s presence, an unceasing gravitational pull that puts at ease anyone and everyone fortunate enough to hover into her orbit. Over a cocktail and the hum of Oklahoma’s finest burger bar, I felt it for the first time that night. We exchanged notes on the New York City subway system, shared stories of our travels through Europe and compared our distinct introductions to the institution of Oklahoma football. Morgan wanted to know about my home and my family. She told me everything about hers, too, and then about her passion for an equally tight-knit group of friends spread across the country and the energetic, black-and-white rescue named Mojito waiting at home. She even humored a brief, if detailed history of the New York Mets. Ya gotta believe, right? I left our first date utterly infatuated with Morgan. I always will be. Two years later, nearly to the date, we walked back into Bar Arbolada on another August night, this time to celebrate our engagement surrounded by close family and friends. In between, a nervous sports writer from New York and a marketing director from Oklahoma fell in love, explored the world side-by-side and built a life together beyond either of their wildest dreams. To celebrate our love and our merging of families in the company of the people we hold dearest is all we’ve ever envisioned as we embark on this next chapter in our story. We can't wait to have you there with us on the Cape at the Dennis Inn on Sept. 27, 2026. — Eli

I’ve been told to write Morgan’s Version. But I’m not sure how it’s fair to ask me to follow that?? *still wiping my tears* The first thing Eli’s friend Jesse said to me when we met was “Eli is one of the good ones. He’s the real deal.” Hence the poetic, true and lovely way he describes our first interactions. I thought Jesse was talking about journalism. But writing is just the tip of the iceberg with Eli. How Eli describes our first date is true. Conversation flowed naturally. We got lost in our own little world. I didn’t even notice my friend who I ran into outside beforehand who promised to go to the bathroom past our booth “just to check I didn’t need saving.” What I didn’t know at the time was that the days, months and now years that followed would exceed my expectations in every conceivable way. This boy I matched with on Hinge ended up being my best friend, my safe space, my copy editor, my confidant, my protector. He’s more than I could have ever anticipated from the man I’d marry. We have failed and forgiven, we have laughed and cried, we have traveled and ….traveled and traveled some more. We’ve rubbed off on one another in so many ways. Eli can now say he’s watched Scandal and Sex in The City, he knows how to pick an orange wine, he now eats raw sushi. I can now say I have two Tottenham jerseys and a Mets hat of my own in the closet, I’m a subscriber to ESPN and I celebrate Hanukkah now. Our time together has felt full of love and expanded us both to become better people, both for ourselves and for one other. He’s the kindest man I’ve ever met. He’s good to me in ways I don’t deserve. He’s patient with me always. He meets me where I’m at. He gives the things and people that are important to him 110%. And the thing is - Eli does this for everyone in his life. Eli is one of the good ones. He’s the real deal. He is the friend, son, brother, uncle, dog dad that I always hoped I would love someday. I have told more than one friend that he is like a male lead in an Emily Henry novel. He makes me kick my feet and giggle. He gives me butterflies. I can’t wait to marry him. We’re so fortunate to share the abundance of this love with all of our favorite people this September. We don’t take lightly the sacrifice of time, money, and PTO that we know we’re asking for from you, and we’re so thankful that you would consider celebrating with us. - Morgan