On a Wednesday in 2020, Emily’s phone vibrated and the familiar “YOU’VE GOT A MATCH” notification badge popped onto her phone screen.

Jared E. had sent her the most generic opening line of all time, “Hey, how’s it going?” Jared’s profile picture, of him proudly holding a big fish on a boat, did not immediately stand out from the crowd, but Emily figured she would give him a shot anyway.

That Friday night, Emily ventured into NYC to meet Jared for dinner and when they saw each other in person for the first time, they both knew this was going to be more than just another dating app meetup.

By the time their entrees arrived, Jared and Emily were both completely mesmerized by eachother. At some point, Jared stopped processing what Emily was saying altogether and just stared at her face, amazed at how beautiful she was. When Emily upended the full bottle of red wine they had ordered onto Jared’s lap, neither of them even noticed.

As their night was winding down, they agreed to meet for a second date…the following night. They met for 4 different dates over those first 2 weeks.

Then, news came down about NYC’s impending COVID lockdown and Jared reluctantly left for his dad’s house in Florida to escape the city. What was supposed to be a 2 week trip turned into 6 months. But Jared and Emily kept in contact over that time, despite having only spent a total of 4 days together.
Both Emily and Jared’s friends and family thought they were crazy for keeping up the effort with someone they BARELY knew.

It turned out to be worth the wait, though. When Jared finally flew back from Florida (half a year later) he took an Uber straight from Newark Airport to Emily’s apartment in Hoboken, luggage and all.

Since then, they have lived together in 2 apartments, traveled to Portugal, became goldendoodle parents, and have eaten way too much sushi. They have been inseparable since the day Jared flew home from Florida in 2020 and they are both incredibly excited for their future together!