Mike and Mollie’s story starts with a global pandemic and a very controversial conversation starter, cream cheese. After a few weeks, when the topic of cream cheese had been fully explored, they moved their meetings from the "Hinge" app to zoom, talking for several hours at a time. Four (yes four) months later, Mollie decided it was safe (enough) to finally meet Mike in person for their first date. While Mike and Mollie’s story started off in a very “COVID-cautious” way, their love for each other blossomed quickly and continues to grow each day.

Dating during a pandemic can be tricky, but Mike and Mollie navigated it with ease. The typical dinner and a movie was replaced with take-out and streaming. Hanging out at the bar was replaced with long walks through Beverly Hills and Playa Vista, and any other outdoor and away from people activities they could think to do. The post-vaccinated era opened up more opportunities for the couple to explore and they found themselves traveling further away from home, starting with beautiful Oceanside, California (for those less familiar with Oceanside, California, you can just assume that last sentence was written with a polite amount of sarcasm from Mollie...Mike really does love Oceanside). But Oceanside was just the beginning, as Mike and Mollie soon explored Chicago, Arizona, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Zion and Bryce National Parks in Utah, and San Diego together. And, since Mollie considers it a foreign land as well, we can also include the Valley as part of that list too. No matter what Mike and Mollie did or where they went, you would always find them laughing and having a great time.

Mike and Mollie got engaged on June 25, 2022, four days before Mollie's birthday. The day started out as it typically would, with Mollie making breakfast and the two of them eating out on Mike's balcony. They had music playing and were enjoying the view of the Downtown Los Angeles skyline. After they were done eating, Mike got up and said he'd be right back. When he got back, he asked Mollie "what kind of day do you want to have today?" To which Mollie responded with the same mantra Mike starts most days with "I want to have the best day of my life." To which Mike replied "good" and placed the ring on the table in front of Mollie. After several minutes of Mollie staring at the ring and being excited, Mike realized he never actually asked Mollie if she'd marry him, so he said, "oh, wait, right, will you marry me?" To which Mollie said, "yes."

On January 21, 2023, Mike and Mollie will say their "I Do's" in front of their friends and family. They selected the Skirball Cultural Center for several reasons. First and foremost, it's beautiful. But, they also liked its positioning half-way between the valley (Mike's hometown) and the west side (Mollie's hometown). It's a symbol for their different life paths coming together and meeting somewhere in the middle.