Their first ever photo together!
In April 2012, she was a blues dance instructor and he was a software engineer looking for a new hobby. He took a few classes at Monday night Shades of Blues and she was his teacher. But that's not when they were destined to meet...
One trip to Italy, two new jobs, and more than six months later, Tyler and Lauren finally met at the Pi Bar for a first date. They enjoyed some great local craft beers and Pi Bar's Death By Mushroom pizza, although Tyler hardly touched his (he admitted later he was pretty nervous!). After much talking and laughing, they parted ways, eagerly looking forward to their next meeting...
2013 saw Tyler and Lauren quickly grow to be good friends, starting with many fine SF Beer Week events attended together. They each earned a coveted Strong Beer month glass that year, "made it official" on Facebook in March, and had their first weekend getaway in Fort Bragg later that Spring. A while after that, Tyler moved into Lauren's small studio apartment, and they learned how to live as roommates as well as friends (Tyler learned that the shower curtain must remain open when not in use so monsters can't hide behind it, and Lauren learned that room temperature beans still in the can do not constitute "dinner"). Tyler experienced his first Henry Thanksgiving in San Diego, and Lauren celebrated the Brandt/Peters family Christmases throughout California.
A glimpse of their new home in Alameda.
2014 was another big year for Tyler and Lauren. They traveled to Denver to attend the final Fusion Exchange, which Lauren helped to organize, and while there, they made time for skiing, visiting family, dancing, and more dancing. They made their first big purchase for their small home, a "Sactional" sofa, and Tyler took Lauren to New York City (and Broadway!) for her birthday. They traveled to Portland in December, and began looking for a bigger Bay Area apartment, in the hopes of stretching out a bit.
In 2015, after a long search, Lauren and Tyler found their dream apartment in Alameda, moved in quickly, and started the process of settling in. After a few months spent furnishing and decorating their new space (led almost entirely by Lauren), the stage was set for the next phase of their relationship...
The perfect proposal...
The fact that it was coming wasn't a surprise, but without a specific date picked out, Tyler was able to use the anticipation to his advantage. On May 16th, he took Lauren on a romantic weekend date, where they hit Lauren's favorite places in San Francisco — the Pork Store, Ampersand florist, Paxton Gate, a short detour to see the newly repainted Golden Hydrant at 20th and Church, and of course, the Pi Bar. Lauren was sure Tyler was going to propose at every single one of these places, but he kept her waiting...
As Lauren headed off to work that evening, concluding that the 16th wasn't going to be the day after all, Tyler was at home, preparing. When she returned home, full of energy, he waited patiently for her to notice that he had changed out of the ratty old "Blue Kangaroo" Ping Pong t-shirt and into a nice button-down. This was the signal for Tyler to reach into his pocket and pull out a slip of paper with the words he had written for this moment.
As Tyler read, tears welled in his eyes and when he was through, Lauren tried, hopelessly, to hold back joyful sobs. "Yes!" she cried, and after an awkward re-do of the "ring ceremony" down on one knee, they had their first dance as fiancé and fiancée (Lauren later admitted that it was one of their best ever dances together).
Which brings us to today...
