We're getting married!

When Laurel found herself unexpectedly in Minneapolis for an extended visit in the spring of 2020 to “flatten the curve,” she never thought that a few months away from New York City would lead to falling in love. By the summer of 2020, she got a puppy (didn't we all?!) who she named Brooklyn as a consolation prize for leaving New York and got on dating apps. Meanwhile, just a few miles away across the Mississippi River, Alex was finally getting burnt out on quarantine movie nights with his roommate, and he decided it was time to give dating life a shot again. Laurel and Alex made the most of awkward covid dating with a string of park hangouts, distanced walks and freezing outdoor restaurant adventures with Brooklyn as a third wheel. When vaccines rolled out and slowly the prospect of returning to “normal life” seemed not only plausible but also inevitable, Laurel moved back to NYC and the two went their separate ways. Until… A few months into Laurel’s return to Brooklyn, Alex went for a walk over the Stone Arch Bridge and posted a picture on his Instagram stories while walking his roommate’s dog, Brady. Without even thinking about it, Laurel quickly responded “wow, I miss that walk. How are you doing?”. Four years later, a cross country move to New York (for Alex) and back to Minneapolis (for Alex and Laurel together)—the rest is history. Laurel and Alex spent the first years of their relationship having adventures all over New York City — long walks in Prospect Park; weekend dates to the Brooklyn Museum, The Whitney, The Met and more; bopping around lower Manhattan for happy hour at The Uncommon, followed by dinner at Thai Diner, followed by dessert at Venieros; self-designed pizza tours; and reading books in cozy coffee shops down the street from their fourth floor walk up. They spent those years building a relationship, friendship and family with each other in a city that felt like the world at their fingertips. Now, coming home together, it feels just right to start their next adventure in the city that began it all with their friends and family a 7-minute drive away instead of a 7-hour trek across the country. Thank you for being here with us and celebrating the beginning of the rest of our lives together.