Despite evidence that we attended the same parties and studied in the same library nooks during our time at Wesleyan, our paths never crossed until, depending on whom you ask, either June 27th or 28th, 2015. June 27th: A mutual Wesleyan friend (Talia!) was having a birthday party in Los Angeles at Cliff's Edge. Though Reiss was local, Dana lived in New York. She was in San Francisco for work and decided to fly to LA to join in on Talia's celebration. Dana didn’t pay the drunk guy (Reiss) any mind until later that night when Talia told her that he was a close friend and was going to join them for some late night snacks. On the car ride back to the apartment, Dana thought Reiss was funny, but it was tough to tell because he was, well, drunk. June 28th: Reiss woke up the with a hangover. The night before was a haze, and he was surprised to find himself in Talia’s apartment. Talia proposed they go to brunch with Dana (who was in another room finishing some work). Reiss didn’t know who Talia was talking about, but before he could ask, Dana poked her head into the living room. Their embarrassing first exchange: D: “Can we get food when that guy leaves – oh. You’re awake.” R: “I’m Reiss.” D: “I know. We met last night.” R: “Oh. Well… I’m still him then, I guess.” D: “Okay… [awkward pause]. You can come get food with us too if you want. I just need to get dressed and I'll be ready to go.” R: “I think you’re perfect.” [Longer, awkward-er pause, during which time Dana blushes] D: “Um… thanks?” R: “No, I just mean I think you look perfect. Er… I mean, like, you don’t need to change… your clothes or… anything really. Maybe I meant it. You are perfect.” [longest, awkward-est pause. Then…] D: “I’m going to change.” The third sentence Reiss remembers speaking to Dana was “I think you’re perfect.” He still does. The third sentence Dana remembers speaking to Reiss (night before) was “You want to stop to get food on the way back from a restaurant?” Some things never change.

Being a fan of thematic consistency, Reiss had always imagined asking Dana to marry him on the "edge of a cliff" to complete the journey from the bar where they met, Cliff's Edge. When he heard that Dana's family was meeting in Boulder, Colorado for a weekend getaway, he realized the opportunity was not to be missed. With the help of Google Maps and The Knot's ranking of "best wedding photographers in Colorado," Reiss set out to make his plan a reality. He lined up a trail that seemed doable and a photographer willing to hike up said trail with her equipment in tow, and told Dana that he'd be tagging along for her family trip to Boulder. (For those curious, going through airport security with a ring box is a special kind of stressful.) On August 12th, Reiss woke first and insisted they go for a 7:30am hike "before anyone else wakes up." Dana was skeptical of his zealous insistence, but decided to go along anyway because Reiss brought her coffee. Dana is easy to bribe with coffee. When they completed the hike (a strenuous 1.5 hour uphill climb, much longer than Reiss had promised or assumed), they ended at the top of the cliff where Dana sat down to catch her breath despite her discomfort with the strange photographer who seemed to be exclusively taking pictures of her and Reiss. When she sat, Reiss pulled an envelope from his pocket. Inside was the the note he had written to himself on the day he and Dana met, in which he insisted that someday he would work up the courage to tell her how he felt -- that from the first moment they met, he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. As her tears started to fall and render the letter illegible, Reiss dropped down on one knee and asked Dana if she would marry him. She blacked out promptly, but she's pretty sure she said yes. Reiss insists that she did. We may never know the truth. But here we are anyway! (Clearly, Dana remains easy to bribe with coffee.)