Nearly 45% of American couples today meet via online dating and we were no exception. Our story began in January 2024. Nick returned Jess's swipe right with a contrarian response to a prompt about her liking dogs more than cats (that still makes Jess roll her eyes). We still debate who made the first move; we'll let you be the judge. After a month of endless texts, phone calls and several rainchecks, we met in downtown Manhattan, where many New York love stories begin. We defied the stereotype about "cross-borough" romances and made countless trips between Brooklyn to Hoboken (mostly Nick). That summer he joined her on the other side of the Hudson and moved to Jersey City. Soon after ringing in the new year, we celebrated our first anniversary on February 24, 2025. Our story's setting returned to NYC for the next chapter on May 24th. Knowing that the box would be too easy to spot, Nick woke up early (a challenging thing to do) and hid the ring in his sunglasses case, making sure it couldn't fall out. He spent three anxious hours fidgeting with the ring while we toured the Met Cloisters. The big moment came later that afternoon. Unbeknownst to her, Jess carried the ring in her purse while we walked through Fort Tryon Park as Nick coordinated for our clandestine birdwatcher-turned-engagement-photographer moved into position. Thankfully she said yes! Since our engagement, we traveled the farthest we've been from home and visited many cities across Japan. Right after returning we moved in together and now both call Hoboken home with our cat Sugar. We are so grateful for all the love and support from our family and friends, and we can't wait to celebrate with everyone!