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Jill and Marcus shared their first date in a romantic, rustic bar in the East Village. I met them at The Wren to take their engagement photos.

Like many single people in New York, Jill and Marcus met online. Marcus shares, “One day, before leaving for work in the morning, I checked to see who had viewed my profile. Who is this “jaygee” and why hadn’t she said hello? I viewed her profile. She was witty, sharp and beautiful. I carefully wrote a note, introducing myself, made an attempt at humor, hit send and hoped for a second look.”

Jill remembers, “I got Marcus’s email while I was watching a Rangers game on TV, chatting with a friend on the phone. Marcus’s alias “asithappened” appeared in my inbox with a short, funny email that made reference to one of the statements in my profile. Impressed with Marcus’s confidence and entertaining email, I responded.”

Jill recalls their first date, “We made a plan to meet at The Wren. It was busy and I was running late. I had this giant bag, and I made a joke that it was a mailbag. I think for a second he really thought I delivered mail.”

Marcus continues, “I got there early and had to use the bathroom so when I came out I was craning my neck and saw her. ‘Jill?’ Then I was being my awkward self, trying to get us drinks and after that we settled into conversation and hit it off immediately. We both work in advertising and knew some of the same people. We had lots in common right off the bat, which made things even more familiar. I think we were both surprised at how easily we vibed together. It was nice.”

Marcus continues, “During this initial courting period, the NY Rangers were in the playoffs and Jill’s a big Rangers fan. (Her dad took her to her first game when she was thirteen.) So we got to know each other while watching games. I had been a fan of hockey in Hartford starting when my family moved from Florida to Connecticut when I started high school.

Our first summer together we spent lots of time at music shows, walks around the city and museums. We introduced each other to new things – I introduced Jill to my favorite Brooklyn coffee spots, Jill introduced me to the Lemon Ice King of Corona, a Queens staple to keep cool during the hot summer.

During our second summer together, we decided to check out Rhinebeck, NY, for a weekend getaway. It was that weekend that I asked Jill to marry me after hiding “the ring” in her denim jacket before we ventured out for the day.

We’ll be getting married this spring in Tribeca. The NY Rangers will be playing that night so that’s one game we won’t be able to catch. (But hopefully they’ll win!)”

Happy Engagement Jill and Marcus!