It was a busy October day in 2022, and after back-to-back client sessions, I was finally wrapping up work day. As I caught up on my notifications, my Hinge app buzzed with a notification: "Someone sent you a rose!". I opened it to find Richard’s profile staring back at me. My first thought was "Huh, nice smile!" I even laughed at one of his prompts where he quipped, “I’m colour-blind, so if there are any red flags, I can’t see them." But when I noticed he worked in finance, my excitement fizzled just a little bit - nothing against finance bros, but let’s be real, they don’t always have the best rep in NYC when it comes to dating! Still, I figured why not give it a shot?

I was nervous walking into our first date, but once I saw Richard, and felt how warm and kind of a person he is, my nerves quelled. Our first date went so well that it led to a second, and then a third. Before I knew it, Richard was inviting me to his Friendsgiving. He looked a little sheepish when he asked if he could introduce me as his girlfriend, and I said 'yes'!

Fast forward to two years later, Richard got down on one knee, and it was the easiest 'yes' of my life - I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together!

I don't usually do this, but I was encouraged to send a "rose" (akin to a 'superlike') to Mandy by a close friend of mine while on Hinge. I couldn't resist her smile or her warmth and figured she'd be well worth the trip to Jersey.

Being the gentleman that I am, we had our first date in Jersey City closer to Mandy's apartment (ignoring the fact that I was already in NJ for a football game) where I was charmed by her warm and engaging personality. I could tell right away that she was special, and spent the few weeks regaling my friends about this amazing girl I had met. Boldened, I invited her to meet most of them (a big step in NYC!) and introduced her as my girlfriend.

I'm so excited now to be calling her my fiancé, and can't wait to call her my wife!