The Story

Presumably at this point, you already know us, but here’s a little bit of our story: how we came to be here as a couple and how we managed to get ourselves engaged.

The Meeting:

On June 28th of 2002, Paul was working as a summer law clerk for a New York music law firm, and Stacey was working for American Express. Both had been invited to a party by Edward (Ned) Freeman and his roommates, who were saying goodbye to both their shared apartment, and Ned, who was returning to the South to try his hand at entrepreneurship. Stacey and Ned knew each other from their shared childhood in Birmingham, Alabama, while Ned and Paul met each other and quickly became friends on the First-Year Outdoor Program in their first week at Harvard.

At some point that evening, Paul and Stacey found themselves talking to one another and enjoying the other’s company far more than anyone else in the room. By the end of the evening, Paul offered to walk Stacey back to her apartment, some three blocks away. This being a short walk in a safe neighborhood, Stacey almost didn’t accept, but decided to anyway.

At her door, Paul asked if he could call her sometime soon. Although his cell phone was dead and he had entirely forgotten that his bag was jammed with pens, Stacey allowed him to contact Ned for her information, which he did the very next day. Their first date was a quick meeting for drinks at the Evelyn Lounge on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where they immediately learned of a few additional commonalities, including their favored drink (gin and tonic) and their favored gin (Bombay Sapphire). They mark their official dating life from the following week, when they saw Dave Brubeck performing at Central Park’s Summerstage.

They have been together ever since.


The Proposal:

On April 9, 2005, Paul asked Stacey to marry him. After a rough winter as a first-year associate, he knew more than ever that Stacey was The One. Everyone knows that a proposal is supposed to be a surprise, and he did his best to keep it a secret.

After they had viewed several engagement rings in December, Paul knew what ring Stacey should have. He met with several jewelers to get the precise ring he wanted, somehow managing to elude Stacey’s keen sense of detection. At the same time, he designed a plate that would set forth his proposal, with the help of the kind people at Our Name is Mud.



Paul’s ruse to get Stacey to join him for dinner that night at the Four Seasons was to tell her that his father had been offered a bottle of champagne by the Four Seasons, in honor of his birthday and long-time affiliation with the restaurant. Also, a nice date together is always nice.

Although the thought crossed Stacey’s mind that this would be a nice place to get engaged, she was nevertheless shocked when dessert came and Paul dropped to one knee at the table as the cover was whipped from the dessert plate. He asked her if she would marry him.

She remembered to say “Yes”.