Thank you for making our big day unforgettable.

Our story began in Brooklyn. I was supposed to be out of town that weekend, but at the last minute, I decided to go to a house party with my friend Gill. After several drinking games and whiskey-gingers, I saw a guy walk in around midnight, late to the party. He revealed a forty of Olde English from his jacket pocket and chugged it as people cheered him on. The bodega-beer connoisseur impressed me. “There are some cute guys here,” I said to Gill. “So? Talk to him,” she said nonchalantly. Starting conversation is a strength of Gill’s and a weakness of mine. She then did me the favor of yanking my arm and pushing me in this guy's direction. I broke the ice by making fun of him — specifically his socks. Their pattern matched the Olde English bottle he was drinking from. I informed him that he looked ridiculous. Bodega beer and ball busting turned into a night-long conversation. We realized that both of us are native New Yorkers, share a love of travel, politics, and rap, and go by peculiar-sounding nicknames in spite of having simple first names. What we didn't know was that, together, we'd become at-home cooks, try our hand at mixology, build a record collection, and explore seven countries across four continents. Five years later, we were engaged. The proposal happened in our first home together. Only a few blocks away from the very spot where Ogie asked for my number on the night we met.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a man of few words. So, naturally, I proposed to Gaer through drawings. They were supposed to be just for her, but she won't stop showing them off to everyone. Take a look for yourself by going to the Photos page.