Central Park Summer Engagement: Congratulations Elyssa and Mike!

July 31, 2016

Elyssa loves the outdoors and Mike loves the city, so naturally, we met in Central Park for their engagement session!

Elyssa shares, “Both recently out of long term relationships, Mike and I both decided to try (pre-Tinder) online dating in 2012. After exchanging a few messages, we became each other’s first in person date. We hit it off right away, and on our first date, Mike walked me home 35 blocks. Over the course of the next few weeks we continued to see each other. Even though we are quite different, we have very complimentary personalities. We liked each other so much that Mike, not one for sports, pretended to care about Olympic soccer (which I love), and I read the first few Game of Thrones books (one of Mike’s favorites). Unfortunately, the timing wasn’t right and Mike ended things with me after about 3 months (I don’t think I will ever let him live this down).

We both started dating other people, but always wondered about what the other was up to. Then, in early 2014, while I was on my way out to Queens to visit my niece, Mike and I ran into each other on the L train. Well, technically, I saw him on the platform and tried to avoid him; who would want to chat on the train with someone who had previously dumped them?! But Mike chased me down, and we chatted on the train for a bit until he had to get off the L in Brooklyn. Just before he stood to exit the train he checked his phone to make sure he still had my number–he did (I, on the other hand, had deleted his number). After a couple of weeks of back and forth (scheduling can be tricky with our work schedules), we grabbed a drink. While it was a bit awkward at first, pretty soon it was like no time had passed and we had a wonderful first “re-date” and have been together ever since.

Mike proposed to me on an empty beach in Cape Cod last September. We spent the rest of the week alone on Cape Cod celebrating the start of our lives together–it was the perfect proposal. Very shortly after that, we began planning our wedding (I am something of a “planner”). We cannot wait to get married on September 25th at the Pearl River Hilton surrounded by our close family and friends.”