How We Met

We met in Israel, at a conference for progressive Jews. Dani had just graduated college, and Graham was joining the board of the global organisation running the conference, to represent the UK. After a week spent romancing, they agreed to meet up again in London a few weeks later, and soon after started a long-distance relationship of three years. When no one was willing to move across the ocean, we broke up for a year at the beginning of the pandemic. But we realised we couldn't live without each other, so got legally married, and then Graham moved to New York in 2022. In November 2024, we completed our marriage with our Jewish wedding in the Catskills mountains surrounded by all our loved and dear ones.

The Ring

Like many Jews, our family roots go back to central Europe. Graham’s grandfather Carl was born in Vienna in 1933. As a very young child and with help from family and friends he was smuggled out before the Anschuss, the annexation of Austria. His parents also escaped, and the family was reunited in London where they had a family home and a successful business. Whenever they had some spare cash, his parents bought Jewellery: Graham’s great Grandma loved to wear her sparkles, but the Jewels were also there as an asset – ready currency should they ever again need to run away.

When Graham proposed to Dani, he gave her a family heirloom— his great Grandma’s ring with an emerald and 12 diamonds. Then, when Graham moved to NYC, he and Dani worked with Goldpoint to redesign the ring using gold from Dani’s mom’s engagement ring. We also combined 4 of these diamonds with 3 diamonds from Dani’s side of the family for Graham’s wedding band. The number 7 is important in Judaism as it represents completion and wholeness. Needless, to say these rings are steeped in sentimental value and family history and represent an important link to family members no longer with us.