4:00pm-4:40pm - Ceremony 4:45pm-6:00pm - Cocktails & Grazing 6:00pm-9:15pm - Dinner & Dancing

Pastels, florals, sundresses, linen suits, blazers, khakis, chinos

Vintage rustic garden party

It’s March 28th, 2025, and you’re heading to Dallas for a leadership conference called the ARCH Summit, put on by the Young Messianic Jewish Alliance. Your heart is full of excitement to see both new and familiar faces, and you’re definitely not expecting to meet your future husband. Friday night Shabbat arrives, and you kick off the weekend with a welcome dinner and worship. Across the room, you notice a tall guy you don’t recognize. After years of attending these conferences, most faces are familiar, which makes this one stand out even more. You think to yourself, “Who is that in the bucket hat?” On Saturday, a small group of you—mostly Eitz Chaim friends you met several months back—decide to go to Korean BBQ for an early dinner before the evening session. Reid has just started attending Eitz Chaim and joins the group. While waiting to be seated, you shake hands, exchange names, and make small talk. That’s when you really notice his height. You probably even ask how tall he is, while also getting a closer look at that bucket hat. “Are those shrimp on your hat?” you ask, confused. “You know a lot of these people are kosher—that’s… offensive,” you add, a little sassy. You and Reid sit on either side of your friend Jenna, who, like you, is from Atlanta. The distance keeps you and this strange shrimp bucket hat man from talking during dinner, but as the meal draws to a close, he leans towards you and his eyes find yours. “So, what’s your story?” He asks. You give him the basics: dental hygienist, outdoorsy, dog mom. You’re not really into the small talk, but Jenna pipes up, telling him your parents do Jewish ministry full time in Atlanta. His excitement is obvious, and you dive into a little more conversation about it. Saturday night is when he really grabs your attention. You’re all hanging out in the hotel’s presidential suite (shout out to Sabra!), and you’re laughing so hard your cheeks hurt. You’ve never met anyone who makes you laugh like this, or anyone who makes people feel so seen, heard and important. Reid has many gifts but one of them is bringing people together effortlessly, and his sense of humor is truly unmatched. The next morning, you exchange Instagram handles. You go home without thinking much of it, and soon you start messaging every few days. Then, on April 11th, he sends a message that changes everything: “Hey, I’m on my friend’s flight benefits, so I can fly pretty cheap. If I came out to Atlanta for a few days, would you show me around?” Whaaat?! He wants to visit you? Shock, intrigue, and giddiness hit all at once. You immediately call your friend Rachel in Dallas, asking what she knows about him and whether it’s a good idea. Everything she says is positive. He buys a plane ticket on May 1st, flies in on May 14th, and stays for five nights with some friends. From the moment he arrives, he begins to sweep you off your feet. God has a way of making good things unmistakably clear. After this trip, it’s evident you want to spend the rest of your life with him. You can’t imagine your life without him. Just like that. Every prayer answered. The old saying rings true: “When you know, you know!”

It's New Year's Eve, it's snowing, and you can't catch a cab. Seven months earlier, the love of your life suggested that you sign up for a group trip to Hungary. The conference is called Muchan (which means "Ready" in Hebrew, a beautiful gathering put on by Chosen People Ministries) and, oh, by the way, there's a history of couples getting engaged on this trip. It's New Year's Eve, it's snowing, and you can't catch a cab. Five months earlier you knew you would marry the love of your life, when, at a Fourth of July backyard barbecue, you saw how happy and beautiful she looked communing with your family. It's New Year's Eve, it's snowing, and you can't catch a cab. Four days earlier, you were casually asking the customs official rifling through your suitcase what kind of things people often "forget" to declare on the way into Hungary. He nonchalantly replies "tobacco, alcohol, and jewelry" as you grip the engagement ring concealed in your pocket. It's New Year's Eve, it's snowing, and you can't catch a cab. The love of your life doesn't care. She's just happy to be with you. As you trudge together through the streets of a frozen baroque European capital, plagued by twisting roads and an impenetrable language, a peaceful natural beauty surrounds you. The snow crunches underfoot. Her hand grips yours tightly. It's New Year's Eve, it's snowing, and you can't catch a cab. "I can't believe WhatsApp blocked me from sending new messages," you think to yourself. But it paid off. You have a professional photographer waiting at the most picturesque castle vista in the city. You're late. You're nervous. You're cold. And you look at her. And she smiles at you. And she's never looked so beautiful. And you've never been more sure that you're the luckiest man in the whole world. And you get down on one knee. And you flub the words. But it doesn't matter. Because she says "yes!"