Lindsay and Shem matched on a dating app in November 2015, only a month after Shem moved to LA. While neither of them quite remember how the early conversation went, Lindsay recalls being impressed by how Shem was quick to make a plan and even took the initiative to recommend a location (thanks for the guidance, Gilli and Aunt Chana!). While Shem lost some points for arriving a few minutes late (she wasn't yet familiar with "Shem Time"), he made up for it when he insisted that the restaurant clean off a specific table for them near the window and made a comment about how slow the service was...the exchange felt distinctly "East Coast" and she felt instantly comfortable. After a couple of hours of easy conversation, Lindsay drove Shem home to his new (mostly-empty) apartment and forever cemented her place as his designated Uber driver.

A few days after their first date, Shem called Lindsay to invite her to check out how nicely his newly-furnished place was coming together. She was a little hesitant at first but, in his own words, he was "really jazzed about it" so she decided to trust him and went. She arrived at his spacious 300-square foot studio for a grand tour, and four hours later they were still talking nonstop on his new, used lime-green couch. Two dates turned into many, and they realized that spending time together was easy and fun. Their first couple of years of dating were full of bike rides, hikes, weekend adventures to Palm Springs and Orange County, and flights. So. Many. Flights. Between work travel and trips to meet each other's family and friends, Lindsay and Shem became the ultimate travel buddies...when Shem actually booked them on the same flight, that is. Eventually, it became clear that Shem's little studio was not built for two, and Lindsay's roommate was not looking for a third (hey, Haley!). They found a great apartment and moved in together in August 2017. Lindsay knew Shem was in shock at the beginning by the way he exclaimed "I can't believe we live together!" multiple times a day for the first month-or-so, but, once that wore off, he realized that the whole living together thing was quite nice.

After an awesome Memorial Day Weekend spent celebrating a friend's wedding in NYC, Lindsay thought they were going to Central Park to meet Shem's mom, uncle, and cousin for brunch at the Central Park boathouse. They arrived on "Lindsay Time" (early), so Shem *casually* suggested they check out the model sailboats at the Conservatory Water, his favorite place in the city. As they neared the pond, Lindsay only asked Shem why he was looking at her funny once and didn't even question why he was suddenly so eager to get rid of the plastic water bottles that they were carrying. A few minutes later, standing by the water, Shem got down on one knee and Lindsay said yes! The proposal was followed by a surprise photo shoot in the park, courtesy of Shana Sureck Photography (thanks, Shana & Tali!), and a celebration on the Upper West Side.

We are so grateful for our wonderful families and for the friends that we've met through each stage of our lives. We cannot wait to celebrate the start of our next chapter with so many of you all together in one place! <3