How does any great love affair begin these days? Online of course. And our story is no different. We connected on the dating app Hinge in April of 2022 and met up in person at Huntington Gardens, which one of Benny’s friends (shout out Noah) told him was a great date spot. We were both excited that the other person was just as attractive (maybe more so!) in person as in their online pictures. And we were even more thrilled to find common interests, goals, and senses of humor. Vanessa had started the date saying that she had something to get to later in the evening, but after a couple of hours of walking and talking, and to Benny's surprise, she did away with this obviously fake obligation and their walking date turned into dinner, which turned into many more dates after that. Above is our first picture together from one of our early hangs, at a Dodger's game, and below is a picture of another great date night at a Wu-Tang concert at the Hollywood Bowl.

As we continued to get to know each other, we took trips, introduced family and friend groups, and made the all-important step of forcing our pets - Jupiter and Hazel - to meet and eventually tolerate each other. This is still a work in progress but HUGE strides have been made. See below for evidence. Soon we decided to move in together to truly try and combine our lives. Benny brought all kinds of music into our home, Vanessa educated Benny about significant true crime documentaries, and together we've vastly expanded our culinary skills. We're both better people as a result.

No real story is without it's hardships, and 2023 and 2024 presented hard and sad moments for Vanessa and her family, and she felt lucky to have Benny by her side through it all. Then, in August of 2024, right after our move to Silver Lake, we found out they we were pregnant with a baby boy, and began to prepare for a whole new chapter in our lives!

On March 4, 2025, we got legally married at the Santa Barbara courthouse. Benny convinced Vanessa that they should have a photographer there, no matter how gross she felt in late pregnancy, and she has to admit that he was totally right. The day was gorgeous and the pictures capture how happy we both were.

Just a few weeks later, Sebastian Apollo Reiner was born on March 26th at 7 lbs, 1 oz to his overjoyed parents. The past few months have been a blur in all the best ways, but one of the deciding factors in having a more public wedding with family and friends is so we could celebrate our new family unit with all the people important to us.

We consider you all family - whether by blood or by choice. We're so grateful you've been on the journey with us up to now, and we can't wait for all that is yet to come. We look forward to seeing you in May in Palm Springs!