After swiping right and enjoying some cheeky back and forth banter on Tinder, we met for our first date on a Monday night in 2014.
We were immediately drawn to each other, and the conversation flowed easily. From travel, to work, to relating to multiple cultures, we covered a lot of ground, and after a while, with neither of us wanting the night to end, we moved onto Mari Vanna - a lively New York restaurant - where we shared our first kiss over a glass of champagne.
The rest is history. Many dates followed - including concerts, shows, plays, dinners, brunches, picnics, dance offs, and countless adventures. We even starred in a reality tv travel show while in Puerto Rico.
We grew even closer together and enjoyed shared passions, including sports. Gosia signed us up for races (including the New York City Marathon) and Barry’s Boot Camp classes, while Aydın introduced rugby, football, and of course (Duke) basketball.
Among the experiences that we cherish the most is traveling. The two of us have been lucky enough to have visited nearly 30 countries together through the years, often surprising each other with memorable trips abroad.
While it’s hard to pick favorites, Gosia loved glamping in the Moroccan desert, and Aydın was enamored by viewing the northern lights from an igloo in Finnish Lapland.
Of course, we have loved discovering each other’s home countries of Turkey and Poland more than anything else.
Fast forward, many years later, we made the decision to move to sunny Southern California.
Leaving NYC after 8 and 14 years, respectively, was bittersweet, but we found our new home, on the water a quick walk from the beach, to serve as a more than suitable setting for our next step together.
Little did Gosia know that amidst the chaos of moving and settling in, Aydın spent months preparing for our biggest milestone yet.
On March 26, 2021, after leaving for what was supposedly a casual Friday night dinner, Aydın asked Gosia to marry him during a perfect sunset in Malibu, California, completely surprising her. Gosia said ‘yes’ and here we are!