Lauren and I met at our friends' Nick's and Molly’s wedding in Maine... but the setup began a month earlier in Boston at Nick’s surprise 30th. At that party everyone kept insisting I needed to meet Lauren at the wedding. At one point someone declared we’d either fall in love or kill each other. No pressure.

Lauren and Molly had been fast friends from work and Nick and I were old college friends. Thanks to some well-meaning matchmaking (and an accidentally inclusive group chat), we finally crossed paths. I spent most of the first day avoiding her out of a mix of caution and what I’ll politely call strategic coolness. The next morning I texted to ask if she’d gone swimming at the dock yet... very smooth. Later that night Scott Heffner woke me up to drag me to the afterparty, and I’m forever grateful he did. We spent hours flirting and playing pool, swapped numbers, and agreed I’d “be in New York for work”... which, yes, was a convenient fiction so I could take her out on our first date.

What drew me in (aside from the fact that she’s stunning) was how everyone kept describing Lauren: a total badass, fiercely loyal, and completely herself. I was equal parts intimidated and hooked.

The early months were full of small, ridiculous rituals that made everything feel effortless. We still shout “FAT SHIIIBAAA!” whenever we see a chonky Shiba Inu, and we’ve racked up memories from trips to the Bahamas and Jackson Hole to St. Michael's and cozy country B&Bs where Bananagrams and Rummy 500 become Olympic-level competition.

The moment I knew I wanted to marry her came one ordinary afternoon on the National Mall. We spotted the ice rink at the sculpture garden, impulsively rented skates, and spent an hour giggling as she casually showed off her old figure-skating moves. It was that day I knew there was no one I’d rather do life’s impromptu adventures with.

So here we are still laughing, still yelling about fat dogs, and still driving back and forth from Annapolis to New York as we plan our next chapter of life.

We can’t wait to celebrate with you!