For this incredible couple, it started at a conference in Dallas. Lauren was in the hotel lobby with a group of people from all over the country, including some co-workers of Matthew’s. Through the course of the conversation, he was introduced to Lauren. As the evening drew to a close, the fellow Canadians at the table asked Matthew to walk Lauren to her room to make sure she got to her room safely, and as a true gentleman, he obliged. From that night on, he was hooked.
Lauren and Matthew were hundreds of miles away from each other when the first started dating. Lauren said she knew from the very beginning that she loved Matthew. She said, “with him, it was just different and easy even though it was a very complicated situation when we first started dating. I knew I really loved him when I realized I can be totally myself around him. No need to filter or keep
my guard up because he seems to like my quirky parts the best.” Through the distance, Lauren and Matthew learned each other’s personalities, likes and dislikes, the sound of each other’s laugh. The would share countless hours in travel both together and separately, but their relationship was always an easy thing to understand.
On one of their adventures to Kauai, they decided that they would watch every sunrise and sunset together. On the first day, Lauren popped out of bed early in the morning, and while still dark outside, realized she only brought the left shoes of two pairs of flip flops. Her response, “why do I do this to myself!” and they fell over laughing. This phrase has become one of the inside jokes between them when things don’t go right, immediately lightening the mood and bringing them both to laughter. In case you were wondering, Lauren wore those left flip flops for two days, refusing to buy a new pair on principle, and Matthew absolutely loved her for that.
As they soared over the Phoenix desert in a hot air balloon, they discussed their relationship in the long term. You need time to make all the adventures happen, and they only wanted to do them together. This fun-loving couple even took the balloon pilots to brunch afterward to continue the conversations, and even had a hand in some shenanigans with the rival balloon company when they also showed up at brunch.
They would continue to have adventures of their own as these relationships deepened and blossomed, and when it was time to propose, Matthew knew he wanted his children there when all their lives would be forever changed. The three of them would work together to give Lauren a perfect proposal that really reflected them both. In January, the NHL Winter Classic was scheduled to happen at Busch Stadium. Nothing says St. Louis more than the Cardinals at Busch, and there’s nothing more Canadian than hockey. Matthew knew this would be the perfect place, with the Arch in the background, and family in attendance, Matthew proposed, and after the shock wore off a little, Lauren said yes. They celebrated with champagne and cheered on the Blues as they took home the win.
Photo by Ashley Fisher Photography