When Lauren moved onto Ryan's street during their freshman year of high school, she quickly became friends with his older sister, Ellie, who introduced the two of them. Lauren was immediately struck by Ryan's intimidating but attractive qualities - he was tall, had a deep voice, and was a little bit mysterious. Meanwhile, Ryan was drawn to Lauren's humor, beauty, and easygoing nature and enjoyed spending time with her. Over time, their friendship deepened, and they began to develop feelings for each other during their sophomore year of high school, spending hours hanging out in group settings or texting. Though several people at church and school thought they were dating, Ryan and Lauren always denied it. It wasn't until college that they finally began to act on their feelings and grow even closer, studying together and taking long walks in their neighborhood at night. Ryan’s feelings for Lauren fluctuated during this time, but Lauren was consistent in how she felt about him. She never had a specific moment where she knew Ryan was "the one," but she always had a gut feeling that he was the person God intended for her to be with. Their relationship took a new turn at the end of their freshman year of college when Ryan started reciprocating Lauren’s feelings again. He then came up with a clever plan, in which he invited Lauren over to watch The Godfather, knowing that the movie was famous for its gory scenes. As the movie progressed, Ryan helped Lauren hide from the blood and violence, and before they knew it, Lauren was resting her head on his shoulder. As he walked her home after the movie, Ryan asked Lauren to make their relationship official. Since that day, by God's grace, their love has continued to grow and flourish. They have been together for five years, even navigating two years of long-distance while Ryan studied at UC Berkeley. On Christmas Eve of 2022, Ryan proposed to Lauren at Heisler Park in Laguna Beach, and they are now overjoyed to be getting married and spending the rest of their lives together. As they prepare to start the next chapter of their lives, Ryan and Lauren are grateful for the support and love of their family and friends. They cannot wait to see everyone at their wedding!