For those of you who are not able to join us, we miss you greatly but know you are with us in spirit! We are so grateful for your love and support and are sending you so much love! Please see below for a link to the virtual ceremony in case you would like to join us! The link currently says no content, but will be live 15-20 minutes prior to the ceremony. Saturday, October 7, 2022 Lauren Baker and Dillon Cook Highland Park United Methodist Church - The Sanctuary - 4:00 p.m. https://online.brushfire.com/hpumc/wedding

“Worst movie you’ve ever seen?” was Lauren’s opening pickup line to Dillon on Bumble and little did he know that this was the beginning of a lifetime of an opposite but enduring taste in movies and TV shows. For the record, Dillon answered with “Bird Box” to which he immediately had to backtrack out of as Lauren was a fan of Bird Box and he REALLY wanted to take Lauren out on a first date. Their first dinner date was at the Commons Club at the Dallas Virgin Hotel – Dillon nervously arrived early to have a couple liquid courage cocktails before Lauren arrived, fashionably late, for their reservation. Of all things, Lauren ordered some sort of rabbit pasta dish, which Dillon was weirdly impressed with. This first dinner led to multiple subsequent dinner dates in the preceding days that followed. Shortly after their first date, the COVID-19 pandemic began, and they quickly began spending all of their time together. During the spring and summer, Dillon and Lauren would take Friday afternoons off work to go play 9-holes at Bent Tree to decompress from the work week – Lauren was always the designated cart driver and celebrity putter. Eventually Lauren moved into Dillon’s house in September 2021 – all of Dillon’s leather couches and dark wood furniture from his bachelor pad were immediately put on the curb (literally) and quickly replaced with a new couch, rugs and pink throw pillows but their golden retriever, Casey, finally found her forever mom.

When Lauren began to incessantly send Dillon photos of engagement rings on Instagram, he knew that his time as a bachelor was coming to an end. Lauren thought it might happen around her birthday in September 2021, when she moved in with Dillon, but no luck. As fall wore on, Lauren thought that he was getting cold feet, but Dillon reassured her he had “everything all planned out in detail”. Shortly after her birthday, Dillon designed and bought a ring to hide in their newly shared house, away from Lauren’s prying eyes. Ring in hand, Dillon could get to planning; he made the decision that the Baker family trip to Carmel, in between Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2021 was going to be the place. Carmel has long been the Baker’s vacation oasis and it quickly took hold with Dillon after his first visit in July 2021. In typical Dillon fashion, this engagement was not going to be “basic”. Dillon had schemed with Lauren’s parents and arranged a round of golf at Pebble Beach during their Carmel vacation. The two were to play Pebble Beach on December 30th, 2021, at 9:00am… With Lauren’s engagement ring in Dillon’s golf bag, a tee time booked at one of the most famous courses in the World, and a surprise room at The Lodge at Pebble Beach waiting, Dillon showed up late to his first ever Pebble Beach tee time and his preceding golf round was one for the books… Although Dillon had taken numerous golf lessons and bought new irons in preparation for this round, the ring wearing heavy in his pocket, popping the question on his mind, and a perfect sunny Carmel day, all lessons and what “skill” he had prior were forgotten. One lost ball through 17 and 90+ already on the scorecard, Dillon and Lauren teed off on the famous 18th hole: First and second tee shot – water. He dropped a third ball in the middle of the fairway with 230 yards to the pin – water. Dillon’s caddy, Jimmy, knowing what his plan was at the 18th green was doing everything he could to help Dillon finish strong – “let’s drop a ball at the 150-yard marker and put an easy one on the green” – water. One more try – he bladed it “near” the green – one duffed chip shot and a few puts later, the first round at Pebble Beach was in the books. Dillon had hired a local photographer to take surprise engagement photos; Tom was going to act like he was taking stock photos for The Lodge while they were walking off the 18th green – Dillon awkwardly signaled him and asked if he would mind taking a few photos of him and Lauren together. A few pictures in and 5-10 minutes later of small talk, Dillon gave Tom “The awkward signal”, fumbled around his pocket full of golf tees and the ring box, got down on his knee beside the 18th green, in front of a crowd of onlookers and simply said “will you” – to which Lauren cryingly nodded and mumbled. It’s still unclear if she really said “yes” at that moment but all it took was 2-3 words and the two were engaged on a perfect, sunny day at Pebble Beach. Dillon shot a 101 for those of you wondering.