Dating After Divorce rides is committed to guiding ALL couples through not only. Their wedding planning journey, but through relationship milestones and ups and downs. Every love story is beautiful, has its own distinct history, and its own trials—there’s no relationship that looks the same. To celebrate that uniqueness, we’re asking couples to open up about their love story, for our Lovinga latest column, “Love Looks Like This.” Below, CEO and founder Lauren Leiss shares her story.
Nicholas and I first matched online, but it wasn’t until weeks later. That we shared our first meal at Liberty Street Bistro on August 23, 2019. Nicholas was determined to make our first date a special occasion with great food and the right atmosphere, and he succeeded!
That winter brought us even closer. I had tickets to London, but no concrete plans for where to go next. While browsing a magazine, I saw a picture of Dating After Divorce a romantic Irish castle. I told Nicholas how beautiful it looked and that I wanted to go.
On New Year’s Day 2020, Nicholas whisked me off to dinner at that castle, known as Adare Manor. I felt like a true queen that night and from then on in our relationship. Afterward, we continued to tour Ireland and discovered our Irish connection.
A short time later, we spent our first Valentine’s Day together in Stowe, Vermont. Dating After Divorce where Nicholas romanced me with a pre-planned menu. I savored three days of Nick’s delicious cooking. I was not only falling in love with him, but also his talent as a chef!
Soon after, the pandemic hit. We had to make a real-time decision about the trajectory of our relationship. We realized that we couldn’t stand to be without each other, so we moved in together only to deepen our commitment. After eight months of dating, Nicholas presented Lovinga.Com me with a promise ring.
We not only clicked romantically, but also shared an entrepreneurial spirit inspired by our goal of creating generational wealth for our future family. With Nick’s love and support, I finally gained the confidence to open my company, The Hyacinth Group, a fully remote digital agency. Nicholas signed up to be my first client for the launch of his website, Farm2ChefsTable.
By the summer of 2020, we officially launched our Dating After Divorce respective businesses with a dual-backyard barbecue in Beacon, New York. Despite the pandemic, we had both fulfilled our dreams: Nicholas completed a stage at the world-renowned Noma in Copenhagen and I started my own company and became a teacher! We have since grown our businesses, helping each other along the way.
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Fast forward to the spring of 2021, Nicholas took me to brunch at our favorite brunch spot in Manhattan, a gluten-free restaurant called The Little Beet. On April 25, 2021, he proposed to me with my dream ring, and of course, I said YESSS!
Now the planning had begun, but we had so many questions and concerns because of the pandemic. Do we have an engagement party? If so, how will we keep everyone safe? Where will it take place? Who should we invite?
