Marne Kohout, daughter of Kay Wainwright of Astoria, N.Y., and Thomas Kohout of Sao Paolo, Brazil, and Shawn Silk, son of Doreen and Harold Silk of San Francisco, have announced their engagement.

Marne and Shawn first met in the eighth grade but lost touch when they went to different high schools. They were reunited in 2001 when they attended a mutual friend’s birthday party at the Tonga Room in San Francisco. They instantly recognized one another and their reunion blossomed into a relationship. Shawn proposed to Marne last fall at the Cliff House in San Francisco.

The bride-to-be received her bachelor’s degree in economics from San Francisco State University. Her grandparents are Norma Kohout and the late William Kohout of Sacramento and Mildred Naef and the late Robert Wainwright of Merced.

Her fiancé received his bachelor’s degree in political science from UCLA and his law degree from Hastings College of the Law. He is a corporate attorney. Grandparents are the late Evelyn Lazarus and the late Rabbi Max Weitz of North Miami Beach, Fla., and the late Pearl and Joseph Silk of Detroit. He is the brother of Erika and Paul Silk of Antioch and Lori Silk of Los Angeles.

The couple lives in Los Angeles. Their wedding will take place November 2005 at Congregation Beth Israel in Carmel.

Laurie Rachel Hahn, daughter of Susan and Dr. Michael Hahn of Palo Alto, and Aaron Joshua Tapper, son of Anne Tapper of Philadelphia and Shelly Phillips and Dr. Ted Tapper of Lower Merion, Pa., have announced their engagement.

The bride-to-be received her bachelor’s degree in history from Stanford University and was ordained as a rabbi at Jewish Theological Seminary. She is the director of the Brandeis Collegiate Institute. Grandparents are the late Bessie Saravay of New York, the late George Saravay of Florida and the late Susanne and Erich Hahn of San Francisco.

Her fiancé received his bachelor’s in psychology from John’s Hopkins University, a master’s degree in theological studies from Harvard Divinity School and is finishing his Ph.D. in religious studies at U.C. Santa Barbara. Grandparents are Helen and Everett Palmatier. He is the brother of Jake Tapper of Washington, D.C., Alisa Phillips of New York, Deborah Aronson and Rebecca Caine.

The couple met when a mutual friend asked Laurie to help Aaron prepare to interview for the Wexner Graduate Fellowship. The two built a relationship despite being apart for a year while Aaron studied in California and Laurie in Israel, with a midyear vacation in Portugal. The couple now lives in Simi Valley.

Melissa Lerner, daughter of Margie and Phil Lerner of Hillsborough, and David Pinn, son of Charlene and Michael Pinn of Dallas, have announced their engagement.

The bride-to-be received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of Wisconsin in Madison and her master’s degree in clinical psychology from Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont. She is a marriage and family therapist intern. Grandparents are the late Roberta and Morris Tall of Atherton and Adeline and the late Harry Lerner of San Francisco. She is the sister of Michele Chapnick of Birmingham, Mich., and Jeffrey Lerner of San Carlos.

Her fiancé received his degree from University of Texas, Austin. He is an electrical engineer at Teradyne in San Jose. Grandparents are Marsha and Len Pinn of Cape Town, South Africa and Ann Marcus and the late Sam Marcus of South Africa.

Their wedding will take place May 2006 in San Francisco.

Shifra Raffel, daughter of Mia Stageberg of San Francisco, the late Cecilio Garcia of Albuquerque, N.M. and Elizabeth and Burton Raffel of Lafayette, La., and Stephen Maurice Pride, son of Kathryn and William Maurice Pride of Denver, have announced their engagement.

The bride-to-be is a computer programmer at the California Digital Library and received her bachelor’s degree in English from Princeton University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. She is a member of Congregation Kol Shofar. She is the sister of Brian Raffel, Stefan Armstrong of Brooklyn, N.Y., Kezia Pride of Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel, Cielo Garcia of North Carolina, Wendy Raffel of Brooklyn, N.Y., Karina Garcia of San Francisco and Nathan Raffel of Lafayette, La.

Her fiancé is a guitar player in Collisionville and received his bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Colorado, Denver. He is the brother of Refoel Pride of Ramat Beit Shemesh of Israel.

Their wedding won’t be the first time Shifra and Stephen will have met at the altar. Shifra’s older sister Kezia and Stephen’s older brother Refoel were married in 1990, with Shifra and Stephen as maid of honor and best man.

The two met in high school in Denver. Shifra and Stephen maintained a friendship over the years that grew closer after the birth of their first nephew. Their friendship blossomed and they became a couple six years ago, after Shifra saw Stephen perform with his band. She professes to be one of his band’s biggest fans.

They maintained a long-distance relationship until Shifra moved from Denver to join Stephen in the Bay Area in 2000.

A January 2006 wedding at the San Francisco Jewish Community Center is planned. Rabbi Beth Janus of Temple Beth El in Aptos will officiate. Stephen and his band will play at the Tish, the pre-wedding ceremony for the groom, while Shifra will give the d’var Torah.

Julie Esther Bernstein, daughter of Dr. Linda and Peter Bernstein of San Francisco, and Rustin Corey Silverstein, son of Wylie and Dr. William Silverstein of Scottsdale, Ariz., have announced their engagement.

The bride-to-be is a graduate student at the Harvard University School of Government and was a speechwriter for the ambassador of Israel to the United Nations. She received her bachelor’s degree from UCLA in 2002. She is the sister of Daniel Bernstein of San Francisco. Grandparents are Marian and the late Dr. Donald Bernstein, and the late Ilse and Markus Bernstein of San Francisco.

Her fiancé is a third-year student at Harvard Law School. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. He is the brother of Grant Silverstein of New York and Brooke and Scott Stein of Scottsdale.

The couple met in New York in 2003 and will marry this summer in San Francisco.