Derek was stuck in traffic in Secaucus heading back to Brooklyn from (ironically) a wedding and had his Tinder radius set wider than usual. Margaux was working at Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ after graduating from Ithaca College and happened to be close enough to that radius to match. A swipe from both sides sealed the deal. From the first conversation (started by Derek sending a GIF of CatDog in response to Margaux's Tinder bio "I love cats and dogs, but dogs more."), Derek and Margaux have spent every day talking to each other for over five years.

Derek surprised Margaux at her office on an overcasty, relatively-warm-by-December-standards afternoon with a change of clothes for Margaux and a box hidden in his coat pocket, to which her first reaction was "It's a Wednesday!" From her office they took an Uber to their first date spot, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and Derek got down on one knee on the pier, where they had their first in person conversation. "Four years ago today, we both said I love you to each other for the first time. Today will be the last time I say I love you as your boyfriend and the first time I say it as your fiancé." A tearful yes turned into a rupture of applause from a crowd of 40 or so tourists, park goers, and ferry travelers who we had no idea were even around us because we were tunnel visioned the whole time.