Isabel: On a random Wednesday in 2022, I was at The Woods with friends, minding my own business. Then I saw Natalia across the room and we immediately locked eyes. Later, fueled by dance-floor confidence (and some tequila), I made a split-second decision to grab her hand as we passed. I immediately retreated to the bar, hoping my move wasn't too weird. Thankfully, she appeared a few minutes later and offered to buy me a drink. We exchanged numbers after a quick chat, and the rest was history :) Natalia: That night was supposed to be a completely normal Wednesday. I was out with friends when I made eye contact with Isabel. Then, a little later, this same person just… grabbed my hand on the dance floor. It was unexpected and bold, and I immediately knew I had to go talk to her. I found her at the bar and did my best to play it cool, offering to buy her a drink, which she insisted on buying instead. We only talked for a few minutes, but it was enough to know I wanted to see her again. I left that night thinking, "Okay, that was definitely not a normal Wednesday."

Natalia’s Proposal to Isabel November 7, 2024 My master plan was to combine a bunch of our relationship's "greatest hits" into one night. Phase one involved distracting Isabel with tickets to Wicked, one of her absolute favorite shows. She was thrilled and thought that was the big surprise for the night. After the curtain call, I mentioned a dinner reservation and then proceeded to lead her on a very scenic, "we're-just-killing-time" detour through the West Village. Eventually, we "stumbled upon" Jackson Square Park—the site of our first kiss—which just so happened to be filled with candles and flowers. Right there, in the spot where it all started, I got down on one knee. Isabel’s Proposal to Natalia December 7, 2024 Natalia had set the bar pretty high, so I knew I had to plan something that was just as thoughtful, but completely her. I played it cool with a casual dinner in Brooklyn, giving zero hints about what was really going on. Afterward, I suggested we grab a nightcap at a nearby bar. This bar, of course, was not random. It had a photo booth—our Kryptonite. We are physically incapable of walking past one without taking a strip of ridiculous photos. We crammed inside, and as the first flash went off, I whipped out a speech I'd written in Portuguese. I popped the question somewhere between flash one and flash two. The resulting photos are, as you can imagine, chaotic and perfect. After she said yes, I told her there was one more stop. We pulled up to The Woods—the scene of the crime where we first met—and walked into a surprise party with all our friends and family. A pretty great full-circle moment.