In a traditional, but no longer usual manner, Alex and Lara met in church. Lara first talked to Alex when she caught him starring at her after the service. When a shy "hi" slipped out of her mouth, Alex simply nodded and walked away. She figured he despised her - he, in fact, did not. A series of awkward encounters followed, as Alex attempted to focus on the Holy Liturgy, and avoid any flirting. It took a bishop's consecration - a fairly rare event - for the two to finally have their first conversation.

In an attempt to get Lara to go out with him on a date, Alex required her fashion sense to choose a tie for a wedding (NOT his wedding, he made that very clear). Flattered by his admiration of her good taste, Lara said yes. She was not aware it was a date. On a cold afternoon the two met in the city for the noble quest of finding an affordable tie. They walked for three hours and Lara made him get in every store with a tie they encountered. Alex could not get care less about the tie, he just wanted to talk to her. She was not aware of this fact either. The date ended with a nice home cooked dinner that her older sister crashed.

Two days after their first date, the two met again at a friend's house to watch "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". The movie felt much longer than it should, as the two were set to have a talk afterwards. The mysterious talk had been requested by Alex. When discussing what might he so eagerly want to talk about, Lara's friend joked around and said "imagine he proposes to you". Lara laughed out loud at the absurdity of her joke. Alex did indeed propose that evening. In fact, he did not propose. He announced "I know we will get married eventually. It's not a question of "if", it's a matter of time.". Lara wondered "Is that a threat or a promise?". After careful consideration, and the advice of their priest, the two only got engaged eight months later.