Benjamin Ryan Cohen can easily recall how he met Lexi Brooke Tobin because it was on his 31st birthday, June 18, 2021.
Ms. Tobin was in Montauk, N.Y., for the bachelorette party of her older sister, Perri Tobin Schwartz. Mr. Cohen, then living in Delray Beach, Fla., was sharing a house with friends in nearby East Hampton for the month. One of his housemates, Jeremy Franco, a childhood friend of Ms. Tobin, thought it would be fun to celebrate Mr. Cohen’s birthday by crashing the party.
As it turned out, “my sister had known Ben for years,” through Mr. Franco, Ms. Tobin said. “She introduced us during her bachelorette party. He made a quick impression on me — he offered his sweatshirt when I was cold, and I felt an instant connection.”
Mr. Cohen, now 33, has a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Florida and a law degree from N.Y.U. He worked as a real estate lawyer after college, then started Outdoor Adventure Retreats, which provides campgrounds, recreational vehicle resorts and marinas. Ms. Tobin, 26, is a proposal planner and wedding influencer based in New York City. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Mr. Cohen’s trip was coming to a close, so the day after the bachelorette party, he took Ms. Tobin to dinner. “We ate outside on the water and our conversation was just so easy and fun,” Ms. Tobin said.
They recalled a tense moment when it started to rain. “It could’ve been a stressful moment that ruined the night, but we made it fun and just moved tables,” Mr. Cohen said. “It felt like we became a couple on our first date because we connected so fast.”
