We're getting married!

Like so many millennials, we used a dating app...Thanks, Hinge! After meeting, we realized we'd not only been attending the same church the last few years, but out of 3 services and a large auditorium, we attended the same service, in the same section, and Joel usually sat 2-3 rows behind where Lauren sat with her family. So wild that we probably crossed paths so many times without even realizing it.

In June of 2021, Joel (being both spontaneous and frugal) jumped at a one day deal on flights to Colorado and quickly convinced Lauren it would be a great getaway. She accepted, with the condition that he plan the whole trip, and she promised to go along with whatever he planned. In the months between planning this trip and going, we fell more in love, and realized we wanted to be together forever. On our last day of the trip, we walked for 2 miles to make it to Brainard Lake by sunset. Joel popped the question, Lauren said yes, and then Joel one-upped himself by hiring a local photographer to take pictures of it all. Lauren was shocked to say the least, and the joy on our faces in those engagement photos is so evident of how grateful we are to have found one another and to get to spend forever together.