In the wee hours of Sunday, June 28, 2015, Heather was out with her friends at the classy Upper East Side establishment, The Stumble Inn. The faint smell of stale beer wafted through the air, and the 'clink' of beer pong balls being thrown echoed in the distance - a setting custom-made for romance. All of a sudden, a tall, dark and handsome Italian stallion entered the bar. Heather fixed her gaze on the gorgeous man, and said to her friend "Oh girl, I'm going to talk to him before the night ends." But after an hour of giving her best seductive looks from across the bar with no success, she enlisted the help of her friend, who eloquently shouted in Rene's direction "Hey you, over there - come talk to my friend." Rene took his cue and made his way over to Heather, his feet sticking to the Jaeger-soaked floor, as he sauntered over. The couple then spent the next several hours engaged in what we now know was the first of several deep conversations.

Not 18 hours later, Rene and Heather found themselves on their first date, playing ping-pong at a Midtown bar called "Spin." Heather was so impressed with Rene's Ping Pong skills (and that he let her win every now and then) that a second date was soon scheduled.

Fast forward three years, and the happy couple moved into their first home together in a tiny apartment in White Plains, NY. As the trial-run of living together proved to be successful, two years later they decided to take a bigger plunge and purchase their first home. In March of 2020, right as the pandemic hit, Rene and Heather signed the papers, fully clad in masks and gloves, to buy their townhouse in Tarrytown, NY.

Now that the couple had a nice backyard, they figured it was time to become a trio. Enter Cooper - the mini-cockapoo that stole their hearts. (Rene assures Heather at least once daily that she is still the love of his life, but Heather isn't entirely convinced that Cooper hasn't edged her out slightly.)

With house and dog in place, Rene thought it was finally time to pop the question. After a gorgeous day of hiking in the woods with Cooper, Rene and Heather went to one of their favorite restaurants, Benjamin's. Little did Heather know that while they dined on New York Strip and martinis, her future sister-in-law, Gina, and dear friends Rob and Marissa Terry, were breaking into their home to set the stage for Rene to make his move. When the couple returned home, they found that their outdoor patio had been transformed into a romantic setting complete with candles, rose petals, fairy lights, and most importantly, a giant marquee sign lit-up with the words MARRY ME! Rene immediately got on one knee, and Heather... hyperventilated. Through gasps of air she was able to formulate the words "Yes, of course." Cooper then joined the couple, decked out in his finest tuxedo, to congratulate his parents on the happy occasion.

Rene and Heather are so excited for you to join them as they celebrate the next chapter of their already blissful story. See you soon!