FROM THE GROOM // It all started with a swipe…

Dating has become a wonderful thing in the 21st century. As a single you have the ability to connect with a diverse set of people who have similar interests and values as yourself, and who live in your general vicinity, all with the flick of a thumb. That’s how this story starts… kind of.

On a rainy day in July almost 3 years ago, in their search for love and companionship, Tim and Esther both swiped right… little did they know that they were almost polar opposites; they came from different backgrounds, had different interests and approached life with very opposing mentalities. After 3 weeks of trying to arrange a first date, they realized two things that would define the greater part of the next couple years; (1) they genuinely enjoyed each other’s company and felt at ease chatting about the important stuff and (2) that they lived 100 miles apart, Tim up by New York, and Esther in Philadelphia. Most would have called it quits, and in fact Tim tried but Esther was resolute in her decision to meet and they surprisingly gave it a shot anyway… (Shout out to Coffee Meets Bagel for a massively failed geo-location component within their app LOL)

On August 2, 2014 Esther ventured for 3 hours up I-95 (in traffic) to visit Tim in Hoboken, forcing him to break his cardinal rules of first dates… I want to say it was all rainbows and unicorns when they first met, but that would be a blatant misrepresentation. Esther was… HANGRY at best and Tim was defeated.

Despite the odds being stacked against them, their time was filled with everything you’d want from a perfect first date; some Texas BBQ, live music, speakeasy crafted cocktails, some quality ‘getting to know you’ talk and most importantly a little karaoke and lot of laughs, all of which lead to the ENGAGEMENT.

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The Engagement //  For months Tim told Esther time and time again that there was absolutely no point in getting married until they were ready to have kids… tax benefits or not, she still lived in Philadelphia and it just didn’t make sense. Behind the scenes, however, he was hard at work rallying their family and friends for the ultimate surprise. 

On a stormy evening, October 22nd, 2016, Tim had promised Esther a much needed date night. He called her at work to make sure she’d be dressed for the fancy restaurant uptown that he knew she’d love, and like most of their story… things didn’t go that easy. 

After a long day at work, with a storm brewing outside, Esther was in no mood to play dress up or listen to Tim explain why she needed to park the car and come up to the apartment before dinner. Eventually she folded and begrudgingly walked back home, fumbling with the house keys in frustration. Upon opening the door, the stage was set and four jack’o lanterns (as well as her then boyfriend) starred back at her, exclaiming “Will You Marry Me?”

Her answer: “Huh?… What?… No?!?… What?! Ummmm… is this for real? This better be real… if this is a joke that is not ok!”
And finally… after a couple more minutes of complete disbelief… she responded with a resounding “YES!”