Isabella and Blake

Like any good love story, Blake and Bella met in the supply room of a hospital. 

Bella recalls, “Blake walked into the supply room and made a comment about a patient calling him ‘McDreamy’. Another nurse validated the compliment. Blake loved that, then proudly left the room.

No, Bella did not think of Blake as ‘McDreamy’… at least not at the time.

But, it didn't take long for Blake to capture Bella's attention. “I’d see him at work and would just love his energy; he was funny and positive and outgoing, and he was himself." 

The chemistry was evident. Over the weeks, they built on that chemistry as friends. That is, until one day, Bella received a ping on her phone.

“I was sitting at my desk, then out of nowhere, I got a notification that Blake liked me on Hinge. I freaked out, put the phone down, then immediately picked it back up to stalk his relationship status on Facebook.” Single. “I didn’t want to like him back right away, so I gave it a few hours. Then, I liked him back.” Then, came the next dilemma—who was going to be the first one to send a message…

Bella remembers when it all changed. “The flood on Unit 34 happened at the perfect time because it gave us something communal to talk about. We were all displaced as nurses, so I opened up with something like that. And then we started talking, and Blake was like, “We’re too good for this app, here is my number.”

Blake wasn’t a stranger to dating apps at this point. What he was a stranger to was matching with someone who he could connect with. Blake knew right away that Bella was different. Blake remembers, “We were genuine friends. Our chemistry was palpable, and that was only solidified when we matched on Hinge. I felt safe with her. I always felt like I could be my complete self… and she helps scale me back a bit, which is nice.”

It’s no secret that Jews and Italians have three big things in common: they love to eat, they love talking loudly, and they believe family is always number one.

Bella experienced this first-hand when Blake and his family invited her over for Shabbat dinner. She had no idea what to expect, and the reality was that she was more focused on meeting Blake’s family for the first time.

Bella wanted to make a good first impression. She was also curious to see where Blake came from… proof that he is not from a "Mic-Dream-y".

Blake picked Bella up from her apartment that summer evening. It was the first time he fully trusted himself, and the girl he started falling for. But he knew this one was different. He couldn’t wait for his family to finally meet her.

Blake's only sibling is his big sister, Ashley. Ryleigh, Ashley and David’s dog, was the first to greet Bella. Their dog instantly gave her a sense of comfort. Bella remembers, "They were all so welcoming and sweet, and I felt like I could open up easily."  Before the night had ended, the Caplan family had already fully embraced Bella as one of their own.

The meal started with a bowl of soup, and as Blake recalls, “It was the one time we didn’t have matzo ball soup on Shabbat.” After the soup, the next course was something Bella never had before-- gefilte fish.

David, Blake’s brother-in-law, made sure to let Bella know that she is not obligated to like it. David himself hates gefilte fish. As Blake’s mom put the dish in front of Bella, she thought, “Is this dog food?” Bella told herself that she would at least try it, and she did. “I forced myself to eat half of it. I nudged Blake and gave him a look.” Without any words, Blake knew. Then he happily forked the rest of Bella’s gefilte fish, put it on a piece of challah bread, and with a drizzle of honey, of course, he chowed it down.

Blake had never dated someone who wasn’t Jewish. “And then, enter Bella. Everything changed,” Blake recalls. “I didn’t realize how much I liked her until I did, when everything just felt right. She was there for me when I didn’t even know I needed someone. I never expected to walk into the love we found. It became everything that I never thought it would be. She checked every box.”

Even though they weren’t quite dating yet, Bella knew how Blake made her feel, and she knew that her family would see the same. Bella invited Blake to meet her family in Fenwick on the 4th of July weekend in ’20.

“I remember walking in there,” said Blake. “Of course, Bella's mom was cooking up a storm in the kitchen. It smelled amazing. Bella immediately handed me an orange crush to catch up with the rest of the family.” Asked if he paced himself, Blake said, “I definitely held back a little bit and didn’t drink too much, I had to assess my surroundings.”

They ‘settled in’ for not even five minutes before more of Bella’s family showed up out of the blue, literally. “Her older cousins showed up on jet-skis, and that is when I started drinking.”

Bella has the same memory. “My aunt, uncle, and cousins, all impromptu, show up. And I’m like, “Oh my god, this is so awkward… he’s meeting my family for the first time, then my whole Italian family shows up! He’s gonna think I planned this! But it was fun. So fun.”

It wasn’t long before Bella’s family saw what Bella saw in Blake. They bonded over orange crushes and countless Connect-4 games. Bella and Blake could not have asked for a better first introduction.

Later that day, Bella and Blake decided to take their first of many leaps. They nestled up together and watched as Lou and his friends waterskied. “We had our own little moment on the back of that boat. The sun was setting, and it was just us,” Blake remembers.

And then, it happened. Bella’s gut was right. “He asked me to be his girlfriend  and I was like, finally!”

It may have taken a while, but Bella’s patience paid off. “I played the long game, and I won.”

Conflicting schedules. A ransomware attack. A flood. Covid. There was never a dull moment on Unit 34 for Bella and Blake.

Unit 34 was where the duo found their voices as individuals, and as a couple. The harder work became as a nurse, the closer they grew as a couple. “No one could empathize with the life of a nurse better than another nurse,” Bella says.

Blake was determined to make that last day special. On her last shift, he surprised Bella with flowers and a card.

“All great chapters must come to an end. This marks the end of an era, but also the beginning of our next chapter. Working with you has been the most surreal and incredible experience! I love you, Bella! With my whole heart for my whole life, Blake”

As Blake stated, all good things must come to an end. Bella took on her new role in the ICU and Blake started his new job as a nurse manager at Gilchrist.

Together, Bella & Blake have become even stronger. "It was scary starting something new, and I'd miss seeing his face when I walked in. But now, I get to race home to him after work, while listening to our favorite songs from our playlists on the ride."

In every relationship, there are defining moments. For Blake, one of those moments happened when he joined Bella’s family’s trip to Sedona, AZ.

Leading up to the trip, Blake was nervous. He was ready to take the next step – the big step.

Overthinking is no stranger to Blake. When is the right time to propose? How do I ask her family for permission? These questions whirled around Blake’s brain in the months leading up to the trip.

The first day came and went. Then the second day. Finding the ‘right time’ was starting to elude Blake. He wanted to find the perfect moment. Then, the perfect opportunity fell into his lap. Bella’s mom invited Bella and Blake on a morning hike. Bella promptly declined. To Bella’s surprise, Blake agreed to join them… Bella’s dad, mom, and twin sister, Checca.

What Blake didn’t consider was that the hike that Bella’s family had planned was a long trek, on a trail called Devil's Ridge. They were avid hikers, but Blake most definitely was not.

By the time they finally got to the lookout, Blake was exhausted – a six-mile hike will do that to you. He stood there in his sweat-stained shirt out of breath and his head pounding. This was the moment he was waiting for. As he caught his breath, Blake finally did it. He asked Bella’s family for their permission to marry their daughter.

Bella met Blake at work at the end of the day, on December 14th, 2023. Blake had invited Bella to join him for a work event, a Christmas Toy Drive, at Longwood Gardens.

Blake recalls, “We were walking around the garden illuminated with Christmas lights. I looked online ahead of time to try to scope out where the best spot would be to propose. And then, once we got there, my mind was so twisted that I forgot where everything was.”

“I remember being so nervous. I am not someone who gets nervous about exciting things like that. I was freaking nervous. I was shaking, honestly. I couldn’t even talk.”

Bella remembers, “I was anxious for him because I could see how anxious he was.”

Blake found a spot that felt right. A little gazebo, illuminated with holiday lights on top of a hill, overlooking the brightly lit gardens.

Blake and Bella were going to a ‘toy drive,’ so Blake had a gift bag with a giant, stuffed penguin. Flowers and the ring were hidden underneath. A woman, a man, and their son were close by. The little boy came up to Blake’s gift bag and pointed at the stuffed penguin. It was the perfect opportunity for Blake to ask the woman to ‘take a picture’ of Bella and himself. Then, it finally happened.

Blake “remembers her saying yes. I loved our little moment when it was just us. I was kneeling, looking up at her, with the ring, she looked at me back right in my eyes, and I knew we were making our promises to one another, right there.”

Afterwards, Blake gave the penguin to the little boy. “It made me so happy to see that,” Bella remembers. “In my mind, I was telepathically telling Blake, ‘give the boy the penguin, give the boy the penguin. And then Blake just did it – without me having to say anything.” It was one of the first times Bella remembers thinking, “Blake is going to be such a good dad.”

Bella remembers “I thought Blake would be so relieved after the proposal, but I could tell he was still anxious on the ride home.” When they got home, Blake’s anxiety made sense…Bella was in store for another surprise. Blake’s and Bella’s parents were there when they got home for a champagne toast. “It was perfect.”

Life is not just about the journey, it is about who you journey with. 

Blake and Bella are now the authors of their next chapters, and I think everyone is excited to watch their journey. 

Blake and Bella's Story written by the best man of the groom.