Like all great modern love stories, ours began on Hinge—but only because Lauren’s friend Natalie finally wore her down one fateful weeknight while sitting in Eli's Late Shift and comiserating over the New York City dating scene one too many times. Nothing like wine and peer pressure to launch a dating profile by the time they were done with girl dinner.

Elias, meanwhile, had been in the trenches—months of swiping, strategic "boosting", and wondering if this was really how people found love now. (“Great success?” Not yet.)

We didn’t text much (Lauren is notorious for ignoring her phone and being a slow responder), but Elias didn’t waste time. He made a move, made a plan, and we met in person without dragging things out.

Our first date was July 11, 2023, at Excuse My French in NYC. It was easy, warm, and instantly different. We both showed up knowing what we wanted—something real—and we weren’t afraid to say it. In fact, we talked so much that we probably gave the server a workout, seeing him return repeatedly to the table to take our order while we continuously asked for "a few more minutes".

Date two was at Harriet’s Rooftop in Brooklyn. Sunset. Light rain. A glowing skyline. Elias has taken full credit for the ambiance, but it only earned him a kiss goodnight—and a third date.

In August, Elias proudly showed off his Google office under the guise of a lunch date -- including introducing Lauren to his personal trainer, and to Elias's detriment, the game room. Lauren is not a shy competitor, and after beating him in ping pong, Elias became acutely aware of what it means to challenge her in any game/sport/event... and has been regretting it ever since. From bowling to billards, volleyball to ax-throwing, nothing kicks a relationship into high gear like (mostly) friendly competition.

By October, we had road-tripped to Lake George—taking turns behind the wheel, DJ’ing for each other, and rapping (expertly, and loudly) to Eminem whenever the mood hit. It felt like we’d been doing this forever, and a few hours in a car passed like merely a few memorable minutes together.

Thanksgiving 2023, Lauren met Elias’s extended family. She bonded over wine with his aunt, who casually asked (in Arabic) when the babies were coming. Lauren didn’t need a translator for the universal sounds of Middle Eastern relatives. But the humor, happiness, and love was pervasive, and she instantly felt like part of the family.

That same weekend, after turkey and tabbouleh, we told each other “I love you” for the first time. Might as well make it official with family plans hanging in the balance.

In December, Elias met Lauren’s mom, Camille. She loved him. Honestly, too much. Lauren was hoping for an interrogation, cutting remarks, or some subtle threats at the very least. Instead, Elias got almost instant approval from Camille -- who could have gone to every dinner with him that weekend with or without Lauren present.

In the intervening months, we introduced each other to our friend groups (REALLY making it official), went skiing in Vermont (Elias conquered the bunny hill for Lauren), sun-soaking in Anguilla, and spent late nights in Paris for our one-year anniversary in July 2024.

After Elias met more of Lauren's family in Dallas, we traveled to Dubai for Christmas where Lauren met Elias’s parents, sister, and childhood friends. Every moment felt easy and natural. We explored, hung out, worked out, and spent days and nights all over the city. Lauren even got to cook with Elias’s mom—an Arab mother’s kitchen is sacred territory, so this was one of the highest honors imaginable.

The family made Lauren feel beyond welcome, and she found herself thinking over and over again how incredibly natural it all felt, as if she could turn a corner and see her own mother or siblings celebrating the holidays in those same moments, and in the same ways. For our families to be so similar, even though we are so different, is truly a blessing (not a curse, we swear).

We’ve traveled the world, cooked countless meals together, tackled workouts with the buddy system, watched movies and countless episodes of Jeopardy, tried new things, and built a life full of laughter, love, and GIFs—because if you haven't heard, Elias really likes turtles.

On July 1, 2025, with an upside down ring box in hand and down on one knee, Elias proposed in Lebanon—Lauren’s heart home. And she said yes.

Now we’re planning a wedding in Dubai, a ceremony to bless our future together, and a party to top all others. We can't wait to celebrate with you.