Our Story
In the summer of 2016, Ari and Monty met on a trip abroad through their Jewish summer camps. They thought they were in for five weeks of fun with friends, but little did they know, they were about to begin a seven-year long-distance journey together. They thought they would never see each other again, but what followed was years of visits in each other’s cities, going to prom together, and spending holidays and summers with each other’s families.
Their long-distance relationship continued through college, but they made the most of it. They visited each other in Montreal and Chapel Hill, celebrated their three-year anniversary in New York, spent holidays with each other’s families, and traveled through Europe together while Ari was studying abroad in Denmark. In 2020, the pandemic kept them apart for more than eight months before they finally reunited in Vancouver for some much-needed hiking. With her classes still remote, Monty spent a long visit in Chapel Hill for Ari’s final semester at UNC. Go heels.
After Monty’s graduation, they unfortunately had to keep their relationship long distance, with Monty working in Durham (let’s go duke) and Ari in New York. They squeezed in visits with each other and their families, a road trip through the Southwest, and made lots of life long memories with their friends in both cities. In 2023, Monty accepted a position at Boston University which finally brought them to the same city, and closed the book on seven years living apart. Since then, they’ve moved in together, made great friends, traveled, and adopted their two kitty daughters, Maple and Dave.
In May 2026, Ari and Monty went backpacking with their best friends Dan and Kayla at Linville Gorge, one of their favorite hiking spots in North Carolina. Monty thought it was a normal trip, but Ari had planned a proposal. After Monty said yes, she was surprised with both of their families who had traveled there to celebrate with them.
