Jeff and Lauren met in Fremont through Jeff's lifelong friend and housemate at the time (and now groomsman), Brian, who worked at Trader Joe's with Lauren. Brian invited the crew back to the house for a going-away party for another co-worker after work. Jeff and Lauren hit it off right away and talked for hours. A few weeks later the boys threw a Christmas party, which Lauren attended with two of her friends (and now bridesmaids) Carly and Erin. The Christmas tree lights and music set the mood on the dance floor and Jeff broke out his best dance move: the dinosaur. Lauren laughed so hard she cried. Later that evening, as Lauren and her friends were leaving, Jeff asked her out to dinner. A few days later they had their first date on 01.02.10.

On the 10th anniversary of their first date, Jeff took Lauren to the coast, grabbing coffee in Pacifica, shopping in Half Moon Bay and getting burritos for lunch in Pescadero. After a short stroll from the beach through Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve, Jeff proposed at an unusually shaped eucalyptus tree, nicknamed the "Octopus tree" (pictured below), a tree that Lauren first showed Jeff on one of their first dates.