Fall 2022, we matched, and somehow found ourselves talking about soups before we'd even met in person. We figured that was a good sign, and it was.
We had our first date in a little wine bar in Brooklyn, and it was pretty much game over from there.
Those early months were full of staying up way too late, talking about everything — our families, our friends, our lives.
A year or so in, we made it official in a different kind of way: we moved in together in a little 2-bedrooom apartment in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Our little apartment became both home base and a launching pad. We've since explored corners of the world and the U.S. together, with many more on the list.
Our mutual obsessions with food has always been central to our relationship. Rock climbing quickly became a shared hobby, enough to a point that we've been on the wall 2-3 times a week for years now, trusting each other as belay partners in the most literal sense.
And then there's Gertrude, Natasha's dog, who gave Daniel her official seal of approval after he presented her with prosciutto. She now sleeps exclusively on his side of the bed. Natasha is still processing this.
In 2025, we traveled to South Africa — where Daniel grew up — and something shifted. Natasha saw Cape Town through Daniel's eyes: the beaches, the food, the braai, the family.
And then came Kruger National Park. A self-drive safari with Natasha's whole family, surrounded by wild animals, open savannah, and absolutely no Wi-Fi. It was a trip that quietly rearranged Natasha’s perspective of the world.
We loved it so much, we went back in March 2026 — this time for Daniel's brother's wedding. Near the end of that trip, Daniel guided Natasha (with suspicious casualness) to a viewpoint overlooking the wild bushveld, where you can step out of your car and just... be in it. That's where he got down on one knee.
She said yes. (Gertrude was consulted and approved).
Now, we’re getting married in Cape Town - a city that already holds so much of our story - and we cannot wait to celebrate with the people we love most!