Real Brides: Lauren

One of my coworkers randomly texted me early on a Saturday morning in late May asking if I was planning to begin dating again. I told her that I hadn’t planned to date anytime soon but would be open to the idea of it depending on the person. She began to tell me about her friend that she thought would be a nice match for me. Genuine, goofy, God-fearing were some of the words that she used to describe him. While this all sounded nice, I was still on the fence about opening my heart back up again. She expressed that she understood my hesitation but reassured me that I would either gain a really good friend or an amazing boyfriend… I thought to myself that I could use another friend, so I allowed her to pass him my number. Later that day he called me to chat and we stayed on the phone for 4 or 5 straight hours. We talked about any and everything. I remember wandering through Lowes, grabbing sushi, browsing through Pier One, and sitting in the service lobby of the dealership waiting for my vehicle to be ready while holding this conversation with this new guy. I can’t remember what we talked about but it must have been good to keep my attention for that long. I am more of a text kind of girl than a talker but he obviously had that kind of effect on me. We had our first conversation on that Saturday and went on our first date Tuesday. I had the longest work day and then had to run errands in 3 different counties before meeting him that evening. I actually wanted to cancel the date because my day was rough but I kept the commitment and joined him at the National Harbor. When I walked toward the table, he was grinning from ear to ear in excitement. :) Our conversations were fluid and we rarely had any awkward moments of silence. It felt like we had known each other for quite some time. ​ We went on 13 dates within that first month and even though I wasn’t ready to date again something kept drawing me back to him. I was slow to love this time around and had identified all of the red flags to watch out for. I had built my wall up so high that he was only able to meet 50% of my personality. After each date that passed by, I would lower my wall a little. Poor Marcus didn’t receive his first kiss until after date #6 but he was a trooper! On our 3rd date, he invited me to join him and his parents on their family trip to Aruba. I was taken back because after just the first week of knowing me, he already saw a future with me and wanted me to meet his parents. This was definitely a man with a purpose and I appreciated that about him. God continued to show me signs that Marcus was the one for me and he has been consistent since the very first day. I am so happy that my coworker thought to connect the two of us that day, and even happier that Marcus asked for my hand in marriage. I cannot wait to begin our lives together as husband and wife! Photo by Iris Mannings Photography

Bride Lauren wore a Val Stefani Bridal style.