At the beginning of 2022, Zoe and Dougal had their first date at the Palisades Hotel. Zoe's initial interest was piqued by Dougal's Hinge profile listing his home as New York – a welcome change from the "stale" dating pool in Sydney. A couple of drinks turned into three more bars and a 1 am finish. Zoe's roommates rightfully thought she had been kidnapped given her limited contact, but in reality it was two people who admittedly talk a little too much.

Zoe made it abundantly clear that she wanted to move to New York within the first hour of the date, and Dougal's interest was certainly piqued. Over the following three months we spent most weekends together, until Dougal had to head back to New York with no clear timeline on when they'd see each other again.

Later that year, Zoe was travelling to Europe with friends and thought a week in New York sounded like a great way to end the trip – and to see if the spark was still there with Dougal. In somewhat of a shock (just kidding), it was. Over that week, Zoe got a taste of New York and fell in love with its energy and intensity. The week turned into three months, and we both returned home for Christmas at the end of the year as a couple, with Zoe having already found a new role in New York.

When it came to the proposal, Central Park was the clear choice — an iconic place in a city filled with so many memories for us both. It was a moment we got to enjoy together, knowing we'd be celebrating with our families shortly after in Sydney.

From then to now, we've both landed new jobs, ridden the ups and downs of New York, moved into our Upper East Side apartment, and squeezed in a few trips between the many weddings we've been lucky to celebrate around the US and the world.