Mark and Nicole met through the dating app, Hinge, at the beginning of the pandemic in April of 2020. Their first date was a Zoom call that lasted 5 hours! They talked about their favorite cocktails, movies, and binge-worthy shows. As the weeks passed they were finally able to go on their first in person date. They grabbed a coffee at Collectivo in Lincoln Park and walked around the neighborhood naturally concluding their 5+ hour date at the Lakeview Binny's. After 2 years of dating, moving to Wicker Park together, Mark building a 60+ hour playlist from Nicole's music recommendations, recording memorable quotes from each other, and adopting sassy cat named Tootsie, Mark popped the question on April 30, 2022 and Nicole said "YES DUH!!!"