It was a pre-COVID February evening in Philadelphia, where Max and Rachael were living as Wharton MBA students. Max had a college friend in town who suggested crashing a Wharton Wine Club event, which Rachael was hosting at her apartment. Max liked the idea of free wine, so they decided to go. When he arrived, he saw a girl across the room – Rachael – who he knew he had to meet. After a few glasses of wine, he built up enough courage to start a conversation. To Max, the conversation was memorable; however, Rachael admits she has no recollection of it. Max mentioned the conversation to a mutual friend, Ian, who claimed he would “help work this out”. After returning from spring break in full COVID lockdown, Max heard back from Ian. He had spoken with Rachael, and she had signed off on giving Max her number because she was “locked down and had nothing to do” (Max likes to think it was because of their great initial conversation). After deliberating for hours on the best plan of attack, Max finally devised a text message that was sure to get the ball rolling on their relationship. The text was well-received by Rachael and the two started chatting. They scheduled their first date as any COVID couple would…virtually. The FaceTimes were followed by other typical COVID dates (e.g., going on hikes, baking banana bread, watching “the Jordan documentary” which Rachael originally thought was about Jordan the country, etc.). Max was set to graduate and move to Miami, and Rachael was set to start her summer internship just 2 months later. In the final days of the school year, Max took a leap of faith and invited Rachael to drive 18 hours with him down to Miami to spend some time together before each started their next chapters. After an enjoyable trip, both knew that what they had would last. Max officially asked Rachael to be his girlfriend on June 24, 2020 (they’d get married exactly 3 years later!). The two navigated long distance with nightly FaceTimes for the next year and a half while Max was living in Miami and Rachael was finishing school in Philly. When Rachael chose to move to Miami after school over an opportunity in London, anyone who knows her travel bug knew they were meant for each other. Max had his proposal planned for shortly after Rachael moved, on February 18, 2022 in Coconut Grove. His careful planning ensured it would be a very special weekend full of activities, including a surprise trip back to Philly/NJ to celebrate with Rachael’s family and friends. The best is ahead!