Rachel Laufer has been glowing ever since the Taste of Wellesley fundraiser took place in May.

That’s the night when Jeff Marcus, who runs the Truly’s ice cream shop in town, put a cherry on top of the evening by asking for Laufer’s hand in marriage—with a charity ring that blinked a rainbow of colors. The two had just finished scooping ice cream for attendees at the Rotary Club of Wellesley event held at the country club.

“After dancing with one another to the band, Jeff completely surprised me by getting down on one knee with the blinking ring and said ‘Would you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?’ That was followed by an acceptance, a kiss, and the most incredible feeling in the world!” Laufer shares.

trulys couple — Rachel & Jeff at Taste of Wellesley (courtesy photo)

The couple’s path to engagement started at Truly’s in 2018, the year before Marcus’s family bought the shop. Laufer, who grew up in Canton, had taken her then 2-year-old daughter to the library and then to Truly’s for soft serve. That’s where they first met Marcus.

“Jeff was shy, but we started talking and realized we both were huge fans of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm!’ Seeing him laugh made me happy. He gave me his number, and to this day, I still hear about me never calling him,” says Laufer, who is partial to the chocolate-vanilla soft-serve twist.

As a busy single mother running an online consignment business, Laufer says “dating was the last thing on my mind!” But she and Marcus thought often of each other over the years, until this past March, when they reconnected.

Laufer and her daughter Olivia moved to town in 2022, and have since embraced the community through the Wellesley Mothers Forum and school activities. Olivia attends Hunnewell Elementary School—conveniently located around the corner from Truly’s—so the mom and daughter naturally made their way back to the shop.

“We now spend more time than I’d like to admit at Truly’s,” Laufer says.

Laufer and Marcus first took their relationship beyond Truly’s earlier this year when he asked her to dinner at da LaPosta in Newton for what he described as the closest thing to authentic Italian pizza in the area.

“It didn’t feel like a typical date. It felt like I was with my person. It was so organic, and I remember just both of us laughing and really enjoying catching up,” Laufer says.

This romance is sprinkled with sweetness. The pair started dating after dinner and realized they shared lots of common interests, including their love for good coffee, traveling, Boston sports, comedies, and more. Laufer even helps Marcus test ice cream flavors.

What’s more, Olivia and Marcus have taken to each other, with his taking part in reading day at Hunnewell being a big hit for the young student.

The Taste of Wellesley event wasn’t technically a date—Laufer and Marcus were working Truly’s booth (Laufer scooping for the first time)—but one thing led to another as the band played under the stars.

The couple has set a date of October 2025 to get married… and that’s the scoop.