Lauren Ashley Peterson and Nicolas Ashley Herrera met online (shoutout to OkCupid!) in 2020 during a time when the world was on lockdown due to COVID-19. Lauren, an eclectic creative professional and Nick, a strategic electrical superstar spent their days indoors celebrating their similar interests, favorite restaurants in the city, and dissecting the questionable differences at hand. Lauren was (and still is) a lover of the ocean and social media fanatic, while Nick expressed his disdain for large bodies of water (and shellfish) alongside his not-so-social Instagram presence. On the other hand, Nick geeked out over Star Trek, One Piece, and his love for mushrooms — a foreign conversation that Lauren struggled to keep up with.

In January 2021, Lauren and Nick broke the rules of social distancing and met in person with Nick bearing a gift of bounty in hand - Grandma Doris’ blueberry dumplings. The deal was sealed. The couple was inseparable, and on the third COVID-friendly date, Lauren confidently told Nick (after a few glasses of wine) “You’re going to be my husband!”

Lauren and Nick often question how they got so lucky. They compare stories of their paths being crossed in their past life and always bring it back to the root of it all - God’s timing. On November 13, 2022, the couple headed to Miami to celebrate their nephew, Mekhi’s Wild One-themed birthday party. When the party ended and family lingered, Nick got on his knee and popped the question! In complete safari attire, Lauren said “YES” and the couple continue to get a good laugh at the fact that they declared their love for each other in animal print and cargo khakis.