When it’s time to propose, the days of going it alone and private are a thing of the past. It used to be that all that was necessary to become engaged was a couple in love and a ring.
Family, friends, and photographers to capture the moment, are all part of today’s engagement event. Each event, however, always come with a twist. . .a special place, a surprise, a perfectly planned personal moment that the couple will, hopefully, treasure forever.
Four Tidewater-connected couples share their magical engagement stories with Jewish News for this section. While all are unique, each did involve a couple in love, a ring, and a photographer.
Not one, but two engagements took place in the Zelenka family over the past 12 months
As told to Terri Denison
From the time they were babies, Adam Zelenka and his brother, Sam Zelenka, were regular fixtures around the Sandler Family Campus– whether at the then-Hebrew Academy of Tidewater (now Strelitz International Academy) or JCC Summer Camp as campers then CITs and later counselors, or just visiting their mom, Amy Zelenka in her office upstairs at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
Both brothers (about five years apart with Adam being the older), went on to attend and graduate from Virginia Tech and start their adult lives. Both were also fortunate to meet their future life partners (now fiancées) a few years ago. And both will soon marry the loves of their lives.
Adam and Caroline
Adam, a software engineer in the aerospace industry, lives and works in Northern Virginia.
Caroline Coppersmith, his fiancée, is a Writing Center coordinator at American University. The couple chose to have their engagement photos taken at a park near their home where they walk their dog. They wanted to have a place that was a landmark to them that they could revisit and always celebrate the day of their engagement. The couple will marry this April in Chadds Ford, Pa.
Sam and Christa
A commercial property manager at SL Nusbaum Realty Co., Sam and his fiancée, Christa Van Geluwe, a speech language pathologist at Ivy Rehab, live in Virginia Beach.
Sam proposed to Christa at First Landing Park near the water. He also wanted a place they could always revisit. For the proposal, Sam secretly hired a photographer and said, “let’s go get our pictures taken.”
They left First Landing to go tell her parents, where a surprise party was waiting that included his parents and brother, along with friends.
Deni Budman and Jacob Gurvis have a perfect engagement day in LA
Jacob Gurvis
As I set out to plan my proposal to Deni, I knew pulling off a complete surprise was likely off the table. We had been dating for seven and a half years, and we had gone ring shopping together. Still, my goal was to put together a fun day with enough red herrings to keep her on her toes!
We began with brunch in downtown Los Angeles (our friends “shockingly” cancelled on us when we were already on the way, turning it into a romantic table for two), followed by a “spontaneous” trip to LA’s famous flower market, where we built a bouquet together. Next, we went to get manicures — admittedly not so subtle — before picking up lunch from one of our favorite local cafes. While we ate, we scrapbooked in our shared bullet journal that I had made Deni for our one-year anniversary.
We changed for dinner and set out for the Kenneth Hahn Recreation Area, a sprawling park where I had scoped out a spot with a gorgeous view of the L.A. skyline framed by mountains. A photographer hid behind a tree, waiting to capture the moment. When the light was just right, I got down on one knee. Luckily, she said yes!
After snapping a few more pictures and calling our families, Deni and I went to dinner, where we shared a bottle of champagne and I told her the full story of my proposal planning. The only thing I didn’t reveal was the final (planned) stop of the night. After dinner, we went to a bar where nearly a dozen of our closest friends waited to surprise Deni and celebrate with us.
Then, in the spur of the moment, we realized our favorite ice cream shop, which was only blocks away, was closing in 15 minutes. Celebratory balloons in hand, we all paraded down Abbot Kinney Boulevard to close down Salt & Straw — collecting cheers and “Mazel Tovs” from passersby. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.
The couple got married in October 2025 at the Chrysler Museum of Art.
Nikki Grossman and Tim Thornton: An engagement worth waiting for
As told to Terri Denison
This Virginia Beach couple’s romance began in high school when Tim Thornton, trying to earn money to purchase a car, held summer jobs at Coyote Café, a once popular Beach restaurant and at Ocean Ices, a cart selling flavored ices at the Oceanfront.
At the same time, Nikki Grossman was working as a summer manager for Ocean Ices. During one fateful shift, Nikki worked the cart with Tim, which happened to be located in front of the Elvis stage at the Oceanfront, presenting ample opportunities for sarcastic and silly comments and laughs. With a connection made, the young couple started to date.
Different colleges in different states, the long distance, and other boy and girlfriends resulted in Nikki and Tim remaining friends but not being romantically involved. Then, in 2007, Nikki returned to town and they began to date again, now as young adults.
Seven years later and still dating, in 2014, Nikki and Tim, along with their friend Wess Sandler and his date, travelled to Steve Sandler’s home in Anguilla for a weekend of celebration; and a surprise proposal. Sandler arranged to have a photographer on the beach when Tim proposed to Nikki on his 30th birthday, April 3. Tim muses that he chose that date so that he’ll never forget. He also recalls that Nikki’s scream of surprise and “Yes!” was so loud that 200 yards away in the house with closed windows, the chef heard her.
One year later, Nikki and Tim married at the Half Moon Cruise and Celebration Center in Norfolk with approximately 400 people attending to witness the nuptials and celebrate. Family friend, Joel Rubin, officiated.