Zack, the musician-turned-lawyer and Sarah, the artist-turned-doctor, first met on JDate in July of 2008…

Although Sarah was in Australia for the summer after her first year of medical school and Zack was in LA after his second year of law school, the internet knew no geographical bounds and they hit it off right from the start.   They wrote back and forth for several months before finally meeting in person at a John Mayer concert on December 6, 2008. Zack was the first “JDate” that Sarah had ever agreed to meet in person – she was nervous, to say the least.

After the concert, Zack suggested they grab drinks in Hollywood.  Sarah, despite being a painful lightweight, agreed to go because she wanted to spend more time getting to know Zack.  Once inside “The Woods,” a bar in Hollywood, Zack ordered Sarah an apple martini and straight up whiskey for himself.  After talking and laughing for several hours, Sarah went home and soon received a text from Zack, “Just wanted to make sure you made it home safely.  I had a great time with you tonight! Sweet dreams.”

Despite their hectic schedules, Zack and Sarah continued to email back and forth, text, and call each other frequently over the next few weeks.  A second date turned into a third, the third lead to the fourth and, a month later, they decided to date each other exclusively.  Zack came to Sarah’s “MedProm” and Sarah sat in the front row at Zack’s law school talent show.  In March 2009, Sarah surprised Zack for his birthday with a weekend trip to Santa Barbara to see Jerry Seinfeld perform.  On a subsequent trip to Santa Barbara, while waiting for dinner at Woodstock’s pizza parlor, and when Sarah least expected it, Zack leaned over and for the first time said, “I love you.”

Fast-forward 6 months. Standing in line at Whole Foods one afternoon, Zack told Sarah how one of his best friends had recently proposed to his fiancé outside of a beautiful castle in Europe.   In response, Sarah told Zack that she had always imagined being proposed to by being serenaded with the song Marry Me by Train.  Without hesitation, Zack jokingly replied, “Well, IF I propose, it will be at a McDonalds after we watch a screening of Blood Diamond…”  He smiled.  Sarah didn’t.

However, unbeknownst to Sarah, a few months later in September 2010, Zack had a surprise up his sleeve.  He and Sarah planned a week-long vacation to Hawaii and while in Maui, Zack secretly hired a guitarist and taught him to play “Marry Me”.  On Sarah’s birthday, they were sitting in the lobby of the Ritz Carlton in Maui when the guitarist started to play Marry Me.  Sarah looked over at Zack inquisitively, at which point, Zack shook his head like, “Why are you staring at me?”  Sigh…. Sarah figured it was just coincidence that Marry Me was playing.  Then, when the second verse started, she looked at Zack again, eliciting the same response.  Finally, at the line “You wear white and I’ll wear out the words I love you, and you’re beautiful,” Zack got down on one knee.  Thinking Zack was still messing with her, Sarah got down on one knee too.   That is when Zack took off his claddagh ring and handed it to her, asking, “Will you marry me?”   The answer was an emphatic YES!! 

Thanks to JDate, Sarah and Zack are getting married May 29, 2011 and look forward to a life of happiness and shalom bayis together.

Sarah and Zack
Los Angeles, California