As told by the bride:

It all started on March 22, 2024 when I decided to take a trip back home for Easter to visit family and also take a little peek at one of my dating apps (Bumble) while I was at it.....

I had been living in Florida since the end of 2021 and as 2024 kicked off I started quickly realizing just how homesick I had become. Florida had provided a great professional and personal experience for me over the last three years, but being a Northeast gal was in my blood (as was saying wooder instead of water). While I was back home for Easter, I decided to take a quick look at my online dating apps to see if the dating pool had improved while I was away these last three years.

To my great surprise, I matched with a handsome man named George. George's profile exuded a fun loving, happy, and sarcastic personality (all wonderful qualities in my book). He had in his profile that he would offer a goat for the right woman's hand in marriage, which gave me a good laugh. Obviously, I had to know more, so I messaged George by saying: "what kinda goat we talking here?"

From there George and I exchanged messages and he quickly scheduled a date (total green flag). We met for our first date at Maman in Ardmore. George stood outside the coffee shop in his maroon coat looking right out of a Hallmark movie. Rugged, handsome, and a sparkle in his eye...it was like God had made the perfect man for me.

Pretty early on in dating I told my parents that George would be the man I would marry. Other than my father, I had never had a man make me laugh the way George does. George's positivity, zest for life, loyalty to family, and love of God are some of the many reasons I knew he was my match. I cannot wait to marry my best friend and love of my life on May 24, 2025!

As told by the groom:

I had been living in South Philly, and driving to the Poconos for my niece’s birthday party, when I distinctly remember coming across Lauren on Bumble (legal note - this wedding does not condone swiping while driving). At the time I didn’t think much of it, as my lease was up in August and after a decade of living in the city I was starting to explore other options.

Little did I know I was about to get acquainted with a place called Malvern.

To my surprise I ended up matching with Lauren, and her sense of humor clicked perfectly with mine as she not only enjoyed my goat joke, but my funcle (fun uncle) mug as well. We ended up meeting in Ardmore at a coffee shop that I still can’t pronounce.

Anyone who’s suffered through online dating knows that the best matches seem too good to be true, but from the moment she walked up with her beautiful brown eyes, tall legs, and purple sweater (yes, she loves the Hallmark store) I happily spent the course of the next two hours being wrong about any doubts that I had. Lauren asked what I thought about online dating, and I replied “I guess the good thing is it only needs to work once.”

One story turned into another, jokes and punchlines flowed freely, and I was so lost in the moment I forgot to actually get her phone number until she offered it. After I got home I told my best man, Torin, that she was the one. I even made a playlist for her before she went back to Florida. A month later I told her I loved her while we were eating salsa and guac, and on November 16th asked her to be my wife, near the big chair in Wayne*. Spoiler, she said yes!

Lauren is smart, beautiful, kind, and hilarious - she’s everything I ever wished and waited for, and I can’t wait to be married to her.

*it was supposed to be in the big chair at Wayne but it had caution tape all around it so some guys could paint the house near there or something? I think I said something to the effect of “you’ve gotta be kidding me” as we drove past it. Anyway, still said yes, mission accomplished!

Photos