They did WHAT?

Ceremony

Reception

Our Wedding

~2014Estimating the date on this, but In my Fullerton apartment oh so long ago.. we had already been friends for a while here, this is just our first documented photo LOL

Where it all started..

Josh was on of the first people I messaged when I was moving to NYC, I had actually come out to visit him and some other friends previously

CUT TO

April 17, 2023Josh and I had hung out a few times in the city at this point "as friends," but there was something about this time. We got a pack of hard kombucha and some pickles, split a joint and talked about life in Prospect Park. He convinced me to rent a Citibike and we made our way down towards my neighborhood at the time and a bar we now both know and love. We got decently tipsy, and shared our first kiss... neither of us really knew what it meant, and we wouldn't for a little while. But it stuck in both of our minds. This pic shows how happy I was after the day we had spent together :)

The night things changed...

September 20, 2023If you're reading this, you probably know the jist of the in between and how we got together.. but if not, your thoughts of "well, they're a non-traditional couple" are going to increase exponentially LOL. I moved in as we had discussed, as a roommate,.. but between the aftermath of our last major hangout and us pretending like there wasn't something more there, this was the breaking point in the best way. We decided that we fit together and were on the same page in a lot of ways, so why not? And it was official :)

It's official

Being that he had lived here for a few years before me, Josh was the best at showing me the neighborhood. We often take long walks around and doing this was a great way to bond more with his dog Chloe. She is such a sweet girl and I had actually met her a few times before so being around every day solidified our bond, she's definitely my pup step-daughter-in-law or whatever works x-)

Exploring NYC/bonding with Chloe

Most of y'all know two things about me:1. I don't have a traditional family situation so my friends are very much my famiy2. I am a member of the rave community, namely the best rave crew who doubles as family One thing I always hoped for in a partner was someone who could enjoy music festivals with me. I brough Josh to his first one called Decadence in Arizona with some of the core members of the rave fam, and it turned out better than I could have even imagined, Epic core memories like no other, and knowing he and my friends got along was such a huge piece of icing on the cake,

Meeting the fam

2/14/24I don't remember when exactly we decided we wanted to get married, but I remember it being such an easy decision. We realized very early on in our relationship that we loved each other and could build a future together. In a sense, it was what both of us didn't even realize we were waiting for: a romantic love and partnership with our best friend. Our relationship hasn't been traditional since the beginning, why stop now? We don't need a huge ceremony, we don't need a big show (although we do want to have a celebration party when we can!), we just wanted to be married.

I want to do the thing,.

We planned an intimate ceremony with an amazing friend of ours as our officiant, in Prospect Park with just us, two guests and of course, Chloe. Carleigh (said officiant) did a phenomenal job not only crafting an amazing speech for the ceremony, but helping us find the perfect place. Photos were done by my friend Grace (more details in the photo section). Things did not go as planned on the day, but would it really be Josh and I if they had? LOL. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful day and while I wish every single one of you could have been there with us, I hope you'll understand out decision to do things this way. We're still going to celebrate!

Lauren & Josh

Lauren & Josh

Photos