{"id":241547,"date":"2026-01-16T16:36:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T16:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/241547\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T16:36:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T16:36:08","slug":"the-bride-wore-her-great-grandmothers-diamond-necklace-for-her-winter-wedding-at-the-musee-rodin-in-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/241547\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bride Wore Her Great-Grandmother\u2019s Diamond Necklace for Her Winter Wedding at the Mus\u00e9e Rodin in Paris"},"content":{"rendered":"

Years before Lily Rivkin<\/a> and Jack Friend<\/a> fell in love\u2014and even before they were born\u2014their lives were intertwined.<\/p>\n

The list of coincidences is fairly long. For one: When Lily was in high school, she once stumbled into a breakfast hosted by her father, Charles Rivkin, who was then serving as the U.S. Ambassador to France under former president Barack Obama. As it happens, his breakfast guests that day were Jack\u2019s grandparents, who had been connected to Lily\u2019s father through a mutual friend from Chicago.<\/p>\n

Jack went to the same high school as Lily\u2019s father and her cousins, and the two both attended Lily\u2019s cousin\u2019s bat mitzvah in 2008, even appearing in group photos together. In 2015, Lily\u2019s friend happened to live with Jack\u2019s sister. At the time, Lily was going through her first big breakup and would hang out at her friend\u2019s place, wondering if she\u2019d ever meet the right person. Looking back, she says, she can\u2019t believe that the sister of her future husband was just a few feet away.<\/p>\n

Lastly: In the 1950s, Lily\u2019s great-grandmother, Celia Hammerman, bought a diamond necklace from Jack\u2019s great-grandfather, Harry Levinson, who was a jeweler in Chicago. The couple only realized this connection two years into their relationship. Of course, Celia and Harry could never have known that one day, her great-granddaughter would marry his great-grandson, wearing that very same necklace.<\/p>\n

Despite the many overlapping threads, Lily and Jack didn\u2019t actually meet until November 2021, when they were both living in New York City, and matched on the dating app Lox Club<\/a>. In November 2024, three years into their relationship, Jack proposed\u2014after a series of misdirects and surprises.<\/p>\n

It was their anniversary, and the couple had a yearly tradition of going upstate to celebrate at The Glenmere Mansion hotel in Chester, New York. Their bags were packed, and Lily had even confirmed a dinner reservation there. But on the morning of the trip, he told her, \u201cWe\u2019re not going to the Glenmere,\u201d and handed her an itinerary for Franciacorta, Italy. She repacked her bag and they rushed to the airport, but as they were about to check in, he revealed that they were actually going to Paris. \u201cMy goal was to have as many decoys as possible so that when the proposal happened it wouldn\u2019t feel obvious,\u201d Jack says.<\/p>\n

His plan worked. \u201cAt this point, he had me so thoroughly confused that I wasn\u2019t even convinced we were actually flying to Paris,\u201d Lily shares.<\/p>\n

They arrived in Paris, and what was ostensibly a brunch plan ended up taking them by the embassy, where Lily grew up. He suggested they go inside. \u201cI told him, \u2018Jack, we can\u2019t just walk in\u2026\u2019 and then the doors opened.\u201d<\/p>\n

She still didn\u2019t realize what was happening until she saw a photographer, and it clicked: He was proposing. She started crying, and she said yes. When they walked into another room for a Champagne toast, there was one last surprise: Their families were waiting to celebrate with them. \u201cI couldn\u2019t believe they were all there. It was so special,\u201d Lily says. \u201cJack was so incredibly thoughtful in every aspect.\u201d<\/p>\n