The dating scenery is not for the weak, especially the dating app world. “It’s a waste of time.” “You’re better off meeting someone in the nightlife.” Although I still don’t suggest anyone use a dating app to find someone, I was one of the lucky few to meet my soon-to-be wife. Unexpected and right timing is a great way to sum up the beginning of our story. While I was over the dating app world, there was a beautiful young lady in this story who had newly re-downloaded Hinge, with the intent to move to the big city. Her sister influenced the idea while they were visiting Manhattan. “Why don’t you download the app again and set the location to NYC, so when you move out here, you might already have met someone.” I believe this is how the conversation between her and her sister went. She was a Florida native always looking to move to NYC and live the big city life. Unfortunately, I didn’t actually have much time to invest in a relationship. I needed someone who could understand me working (at the time) three jobs. Quality time would be short and far in between. Yet I believed that it had to be possible. For our first phone conversation, I remember the moment where I fell in love with hearing her voice. She sounded like she was smiling the whole time and I could feel her vibrant energy over the phone. She was so easy to talk to. As we got to know each other better, I finally asked her on a date. I thought she lived in NYC, since that’s where her location was set, but this was when she broke the news to me that she didn’t live in the city. She lived in Florida with aspirations to eventually move to NYC. In her head, she thought it would be the deal breaker. In my head, this was great because of the minimal time I had. It was the perfect situation for us. Our first date was in August after months of talking over the phone. She was traveling to NYC for an ABBA concert and we only had about an hour because I had a BBQ to attend the same day. Our brunch date would be in Hoboken at the Elysian Cafe, and it would also be the first time she stepped foot in New Jersey. I arrived earlier than expected, parked my car near the bus stop that I believed she would get off at. She texted me saying she had arrived. It was like a movie. Coming off the bus, she was the only one who stood out, beautiful curly hair in a yellow dress. We sat at the cafe, ate and talked. I lost track of time and before I knew it, it was time for me to leave. But I enjoyed her company and her smile too much, so instead we walked all of Hoboken’s mile square for the next two hours talking, getting coffee, and eating gelato. I drove her back into the city, and sealed the end of the date with….no first kiss (how confusing for her, she always reminds me). Needless to say, the next time I saw her a month later in Florida, she became my girlfriend. From there, our adventures and memories have led us to this point where now we can celebrate our love with our closest family and friends. We are so excited to see everyone for the big day! - Rider