Darren and Melanie formally met in the summer of 2016 on a group trip to the Bahamas during the 4th of July. Having both grown up in the Palm Beaches and attending The Benjamin School, they quickly had a lot in common. Sparks flew that weekend filled with fishing, diving, island hopping, and dancing. After the trip, Darren started to ask Melanie on dates, which quickly turned into a relationship.
Just 5 months into dating, Darren’s work led him to New York City. Enter long distance dating, with monthly visits back and forth from Florida to NYC. Just a short year and a half later, Darren convinced Melanie to follow her heart and move to the big city. Being reunited in the same city was how their love was cemented in the concrete jungle.
Darren proposed on 12/1/18 on the rooftop of our first apartment together in NoHo, Manhattan. My family was already planning to be in town for a festive Christmas-in-the-city weekend, and I was led up to the roof around 2pm to "take family Christmas card photos". Kate, my sister, took me up the elevator and when the doors opened, the hallway was lined with votives and rose petals leading out to the deck. Darren awaited encircled in a heart made of rose petals and proceeded to ask if I would spend the rest of my life with him. Later that evening he coordinated a surprise dinner at Casa Apicii in Greenwich Village, followed by a surprise party with all our friends and family in the city.
We share a mutual love for the mountains. As children, both our families would escape the summer heat to the mountains of North Carolina. Melanie attended the same girls' summer camp in the mountains as Darren's mother, and sisters. Some of our favorite activities include golfing, hiking, and watching the mountain sunsets.