For 3 years in a row, Matt and Lauren attended the same New Year’s Eve party in South Boston. You might be thinking that each year, Lauren’s bubbly charisma and Matt’s playful, sarcastic wit caused them to gravitate more and more to each other until they knew they were destined to be together…but that’d be a lie; truth be told, neither of them can remember meeting the other despite likely being within an arm’s reach!

Instead, enter Bumble (the modern-day Sadie Hawkins dating app). A nonchalant glance of each other’s profile, a mutual swipe right, and a hilarious opening line by Lauren to break the ice was all it took to get a first date on the books for the coming week. What was supposed to be a casual Tuesday night meet-up at Backyard Bettie’s in Southie ended up turning into a 6-hour impromptu bar crawl to all their favorite local watering holes.

While the following months were filled with excitement as Matt and Lauren gallivanted across Boston and met each other’s friends and families, their first real test came a few months into their relationship when Matt took a work assignment in New Zealand. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder", or so they say…Lauren had two options: master long-distance texting or book a flight. Naturally, she booked the flight. Their trip was filled with breathtaking views, bucket list-worthy memories, and the realization that if their relationship could withstand the ultimate long-distance, they could get through anything together.

So when it came time to move to Chicago together during peak COVID, they were ready for it! Things only got more exciting once Lauren and Matt became pawents to the most special, yet crazy, little vizsla baby dog, Sir Sullivan Charles DeLucia-Baier. Lauren, Matt and Sully continued to explore the Chicago area and Midwest on the weekends, eventually bringing them to Galena, IL. It was here that Matt surprised Lauren with a beautiful proposal at the tip of a “mountain top”, during peak sunset golden hour. She of course said YES, and now they can’t wait to write the next chapter of their life together in front of you all on October 18th!