Emily Sundberg, the writer behind the gossipy daily business and culture Substack Feed Me, matched with Jake Cohen, the head of finance at a tech company, on Hinge in 2022. At the time, she was in the middle of finishing up a documentary she was directing called The End, about an island in the Hamptons. âJake capitalized on that and was making a lot of clever movie references in our conversation,â Emily remembers. âOur first date was the next night, and our second one was the next night. Weâd lived in the same neighborhood and never crossed paths, so it was a lot of fun spending the early months of our relationship in Brooklyn together.â
The couple got engaged the day before Thanksgiving in 2024, while on a walk in their neighborhood of Park Slope. âWe have a weekly routine of picking up Jakeâs dry cleaning and getting pastries at Southside together,â Emily explains. âBut Jake changed up the routine on this day and proposed right on our block.â
He sourced the stone with a friend whose family has a diamond business in New York, and the ring was made by a jewelry designer in London named Delaval Knight, who specializes in Art Deco designs. âMy ring is the most meaningful object I own,â Emily shares. Thanksgiving was the next day, and the newly engaged couple spent it celebrating with both of their families. âIt was so specialâand by dessert, everyone started asking us about wedding plans,â Emily jokes. âWeâd been engaged for 24 hours!â
The wedding planning process was a whirlwind. âWe started planning in January, and our wedding was in April,â Emily says. âMy family lives on Long Island, and Jakeâs family lives in Connecticut, so we wanted to do it somewhere close to the city, if not in the city.â
When it came time to select a venue, images of greenery or gardens were top of mind for both the bride and groom. âIf not in a garden, somewhere outside,â Emily specifies. They explored several courtyards, secret gardens, beaches, and farms close to the city, but through a series of unexpected circumstances, the roof of Nine Orchard, a hotel housed in a historic Lower East Side landmark building, revealed itself.