Akari & Seth in Brooklyn, NY

It was a casual gathering of friends, a potluck celebration at a beloved Brooklyn sushi restaurant, when suddenly, inexplicably, Seth Werlinsky was on one knee, offering Akari Shimizu a piece of chocolate cake. I know it's not a ring, he said, but will you marry me? Akari, confused, blurted, No, sit down, Seth. What are you doing? In the stunned silence, someone said, Akari, he's serious. Fortunately, Seth worked up the courage to propose again, and this time Akari accepted. THE BRIDE Akari Shimizu THE GROOM Seth Werlinsky THE DATE June 16 The two met when Akari arrived in New York from Tokyo, and both wound up in the classroom where Seth (now working in public relations) was teaching English to Japanese adults. The proposal came after a four-and-a-half-year courtship.