10.18.2025

Jay and Lauren met in late 2015 while they were both working part time jobs at Blain’s Farm and Fleet in Dubuque and also attending college full time. A mutual friend introduced them to each other after Lauren had expressed interest in Jay. Her exact words were: “he’s really cute, you should put in a good word for me!” Lauren knew from the moment she met Jay that he was going to be a very large part of her life and she was right! That fall while Lauren was helping out at a volleyball camp, she injured her ankle and was unable to work for a few weeks. Jay noticed her absence and took to Facebook to ask her “where the hell you been at work?” Once he slid into her DM’s the rest was history! Lauren and Jay officially began dating on December 30, 2015 and have spent virtually every day together since then. Since then, they have built a wonderful life together with a beautiful home, three very loved German Shepherds, a cat Lauren found in a dirt pile next to the house, and in 2023 they welcomed their son, Tate, the most loved and adored little boy in the whole world. In July of 2024 while on a family vacation at the lake in Minnesota, Jay finally popped the question everyone has been (im)patiently waiting for. They had just returned to the cabin from an afternoon of golfing and Lauren had slipped into some more comfortable clothes. Jay wanted to go down to the dock to take some family pictures and suggested to Lauren that she put her golf dress back on for the pictures. Lauren stubbornly rejected that request and insisted on doing family pictures the next day when her hair looked better. Lauren’s sister and mom urged her to change and take the pictures today but made no progress. Eventually, Jay was able to convince everyone to head down to the dock and take pictures with Tate. While Lauren was taking pictures of Tate with Uncle Hunter, she heard a familiar voice yell something from back at the cabin. She looked up to see Jay’s parents walking in. Confused, she turned around to Jay who was not yet in position. She turned back around to see if she was really seeing his parents as they were 8 hours away from home. When she turned back to Jay, he was down on one knee and asking her to marry him. The easiest “Yes!” ever! Jay had pulled off a beautiful proposal in Lauren’s favorite place. Lauren was completely clueless (and never changed back into the golf dress, instead was wearing tennis shoes, biker shorts, and a tank top), but everyone else knew what was going to happen on this vacation. Once the shock wore off the wedding planning quickly began! We are so excited to share our special day with some of our most cherished friends and family. We look forward to seeing you on October 18, 2025! Cheers!