On July 9, 2021, Rachel Lehman, a new friend in Cleveland, messaged Adam on Facebook about meeting up with a nice, single, Jewish woman. Rachel Lehman had also just met our Rachel, mostly thanks to our Rachel’s father being willing to approach strangers in the street (a story for another time).

Rachel Lehman didn’t have much information for Adam. Our Rachel was a genetic counselor, had a small dog, and was nice to talk to. That was enough for Adam.

Adam and Rachel met up about a week later for drinks at a local cocktail bar. The bar was loud, which made conversation difficult. Adam had already eaten, as he thought drinks meant drinks, so they awkwardly shared some small plates. They talked about a new brewery that opened near Rachel’s apartment that seemed like a cool spot to check out. Adam walked Rachel to her car like the gentleman he is, and they went their separate ways.

The next day, Adam texted Rachel that he had a great time and would be interested in checking out that brewery they discussed. Rachel politely declined, citing a lack of chemistry felt at their first date. They went their separate ways.

Rachel Lehman and her husband Joe Conway were undeterred. At every available opportunity for the next year and a half, the two of them set up dinners, hang-outs, and even a trip to a film festival to get Adam and Rachel back into the same spaces. Over this time, Adam and Rachel developed a friendship, showing that clearly the lack of chemistry Rachel used as an excuse to avoid the future was a mirage.

It wasn’t until one of their typical dinners in January of 2023, when Adam mentioned he went on a great date a few days prior, that Rachel realized this was her last chance to cash in on the greatest opportunity of her life.

Within a week, Rachel Lehman discreetly mentioned to Adam that Rachel might be interested in re-evaluating the status of their connection. Rachel denies saying anything to Rachel Lehman about this. Who’s to say?

Nonetheless, Adam was on board and would talk to Rachel about it the next time he saw her. They attended a local young Jewish professional event and right when Adam was ready to talk to Rachel about grabbing dinner (to avoid confusion about eating), a cantor sat directly between them. Nobody else got a word in that evening. Oy gevalt!

Fast forward two weeks to the annual neurology residency bar crawl. Rachel tagged along with Joe and Rachel Lehman. Adam would not miss this chance.

A second first date occurred, and there were clear plans for additional. Over the next year and a half, Adam and Rachel made countless trips between the East and West sides of Cleveland as their bond grew. A successful introduction of Rachel’s dog Roxy and Adam’s cat Mishka led to an idea to move Rachel into Adam’s condo in Shaker. As their love for each other continued to blossom, one thing was abundantly clear: this would be for forever.

Starting in May 2024, Adam began to secretly plan a proposal. He chose a stone and designed a ring (he could recite Rachel’s size and preferences by heart). Adam nonchalantly planned a trip to Detroit to visit his family, specifically noting that his mom requested a visit to see James, Nina, and Percy. The Rabenns played along and planted the idea of a decoy trip to Cleveland weeks later. Everything was going according to plan for Adam to provide Rachel her dream surprise proposal, Roxy included.

On September 7, 2024, in Uncle Alan and Aunt Becky’s beautiful garden, Adam got down on one knee, in the presence of both sets of parents, to ask Rachel to marry him. Everything mostly went to plan, with the exception of certain people not knowing how to properly turn off FindMyFriends. Rachel said yes, and that’s the most important part.

Since then, Adam and Rachel have been hard at work planning their dream wedding and are so incredibly excited for all of you to be able to celebrate with them and share in the joy of this special occasion.

Q + A coming soon!