We met in March of 2015 at a wine & chocolate networking event hosted by Stephen's work at Kakao Chocolate in Maplewood for designers in the St. Louis area. We sat across from one another at the table, which was a calculated choice by Stephen, listening to the proper way to taste chocolate & why it tastes so good when paired with wine. Side note - this was Stephen's first time drinking wine (ever!) & Laurie had given up alcohol for Lent, so was not drinking at all...and almost did not come to the event because of it! As the night passed, it felt less like a networking event and more of a private conversation....even though the topics were a bit unconventional. Laurie shared stories about the feral cats outside her house and Shawn-T's Hip Hop Abs workout videos (random, I know). And, Stephen delivered his best dad jokes, of course, which kept her laughing all night....it was strangely perfect. We never took our eyes off one another. One of Laurie's coworkers described it as "fireworks from across the table". And even though it took time before we saw each other again - that is a story for another day - something special started that night that neither of us could ignore. From our first meeting to the start of our forever, we are so excited to celebrate with you all the people we love!