Elizabeth & Matthew in Beverly, MA

When Elizabeth discovered that her boyfriend, Matthew, wouldn’t be in town for her birthday or their dating anniversary (which are just a day apart), she decided she could either sit home alone or go out and celebrate. The Bride Elizabeth Eastman, 29, graphic designer The Groom Matthew Winheld, 33, artist and illustrator The Date October 7 The couple was living in Manhattan at the time, so she met up with friends and family at a restaurant in the West Village. Just as Elizabeth was lamenting his absence, Matthew walked through the door and totally surprised her. She was even more shocked when he dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him. “I just started laughing and crying and said, ‘Say it again,’ because I didn’t want the moment to end,” she says.