It all started with a swipe! In August of 2017 we matched on the dating app, Hinge. And although Chris opened with “Nice Insta! 🔥🔥🔥” [Note from Chris: Laura was the first woman I ever texted THREE fire emojis to], Laura directed the conversation towards the photo he posted of his trip to Banff National Park where she had visited a few years prior with her family. We immediately discovered we were both lovers of travel and the conversation was worthy of meeting up for a date.

And so, on a drizzly late afternoon of August 29th, we both met on Fulton Ferry Landing (the pier next to The River Cafe), and walked together to get a drink followed by dinner. Conversation was easy so we decided to meet for a second date. A week later Chris took Laura to Spin where he crushed her in multiple rounds of table tennis leading Laura to feel 50/50 about the date. [Chris felt 50/50 about the date because of how easily Laura was defeated]. Later during dinner, Chris redeemed himself by standing up as a gesture of politeness when Laura left the table. In all her years of dating, no man had done this before! Although it was a small gesture, it was then Laura realized Chris was so competitive he may never let her win, but he was also a true gentleman. And the rest was history!

Through a combined love of traveling, food and dining, running a business, renovation and design, deflecting through humor, speculating, and critically analyzing everything to the point of driving everyone around us (and ourselves) crazy, we slowly became each others go-to person. We have transitioned to a life together by supporting each other through all of life’s ups and downs, and actively choosing to build a strong and healthy life and relationship together.

We got to where we are today by having great parents and luckily we have been able to spend quality time with them while dating. We’ve joined Laura’s parents on a trip to Tokyo and a safari in Kenya, and explored the beaches of Mexico, St. Barth’s, and Manasquan, NJ with Chris’s mom. We have celebrated numerous holidays and milestones with family members in both Oklahoma and New Jersey, and we’ve shared countless memories with friends in NYC and around the world.

We feel very grateful for all of it - for each other, for the life we’ve built independently and together as a couple, and also for the support of our friends and family throughout our relationship. We couldn’t have done it without you! It’s been a wonderful ride so far and we look forward to kicking off the next chapter of our story by celebrating with you in the city where it all started, our beloved, New York!