A Little Help From Our Friends Our story officially began in September 2023, though neither of us saw it coming. Mark was working at Care Medical Center when Lauren walked in for an appointment. After the chiropractic appointment, Lauren immediately called one of her best friends, Katie Beth: "You didn't tell me Daniel had a cute assistant." Katie Beth circled back a few short minutes later with not only his name—"Mark Felton"—but also a full Facebook rundown. After Katie Beth talked with Daniel, he had a protective response and realized it was probably a no-go since Mark had aspirations to move away. The conversation ended there. Luckily for both of us, that following January, Daniel quickly changed his mind and decided to play matchmaker, setting us up to attend a dance together in February. As the dance approached, Mark reached out and asked Lauren to dinner beforehand. To be completely honest, Lauren was ready to back out, but her friend Jess staged an intervention and made her go—which might just be one of the best things she has ever done. That "pre-dance dinner" turned into a three-hour conversation that left us both feeling incredibly refreshed, and the Mystery Ball dance was just the beginning. From the Back Steps to the Front Porch A month later, on Valentine's Day, Lauren closed on her new house. Mark was one of the very first people to tour the empty rooms. He showed up with a bottle of wine, and what was supposed to be a quick walk-through turned into hours of sitting on the back steps, talking into the wee hours of the morning. As Lauren's friend Kyndal wisely predicted that exact day, "Cupid brought you a house; next he'll bring you a spouse." Fast forward two years, and that very house became the backdrop for the next chapter of our story. Mark brought Lauren out to the front porch (with a photographer secretly hiding in the bushes!) and popped the question. He reminded her of where it all started, saying that while our love began on those back steps, it would continue to grow on those front steps—including the day we bring our future children through the front door. A Few of Our Favorite Things When we're not working or planning a wedding, you can usually find us surrounded by the friends and family we love most, eating at our favorite places, cheering through game-day Saturdays, hitting the golf course, or traveling to new places. But no matter where we go, we're always up for a late-night run to Krystal, bonding over our shared childhood love of those little square burgers. We are so incredibly grateful for the friends who pushed us, the family who supports us, and the journey that brought us here. We can't wait to celebrate the start of our forever with all of you in November.