Lauren and Chad will be married in September at the Lioncrest, located on the Biltmore Estate.  They are an amazing and truly gorgeous couple, and I am so so excited about their wedding coming up!  They have been together since November of 2008, and they can thank Lauren’s mom (whom I adore, by the way) for setting them up.  What a great mom!  Read more about Lauren and Chad below…
How did you meet each other?
Chad and I met the best way possible… through my Mom.  We have more friends in common than we could have ever thought possible for two people from completely different towns.  My mom was tailgating for a UNC football game with my oldest brother, Jonathan and his wife, Haley in October of 2008. She was talking with Reid, a good friend of Jonathan’s, and also a close friend of my mom’s.  Reid was also Chad’s brother-in-law.  Reid previously had worked with my mom in high school and shadowed her in college while he went to dental school.  My mom met Reid’s wonderful wife, Ashelea, and she asked if my mom had ever met her brother.  My mom said she had always wanted to meet him, knowing that he had played baseball for Carolina… and Ashelea insisted she introduce them.  Chad and my mom talked for a few minutes and finished off their conversation with a picture.  The next day, my mom came home and told me about the handsome, nice, and TALL, guy she had met at the football game.  I laughed it off not thinking that my mom even had a clue about my taste in men. A few days later we were out to lunch and I asked her about this guy.  She said he was the brother-in-law of Reid, so I thought I’d give it a shot. We decided that we would meet each other at half-time of the next UNC football game.  The game was UNC vs. Ga Tech. We texted (silly as it may be) the whole morning before and during the first half of the game.  Chad was taking recruits around the stadium and I was being taunted by Jonathan and Haley for being nervous about the half-time introductions. Half-time rolled around and I walked down to the corner of the endzone to meet Chad.  We went out that night with a group of people and have been inseparable ever since.
When did you get engaged, and how did he ask?
Our engagement is definitely a story we will tell our kids one day!  We were on a vacation together, both of our first times to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.  We had just arrived in Punta Cana at our hotel and decided to go to the pool for a little while and enjoy a few drinks.  We were hanging out at the pool and out of no where I decided to ask Chad if he wanted to talk about our future (I never really ask this, but since we were on vacation together, I thought it might be a nice time to talk about such things…).  Chad’s face immediately turned from happy to annoyed and he says he doesn’t really know what there is to say about our future, and he doesn’t really feel like it’s something we need to talk about right now.  That’s when my face goes from happy to sad. I tried to push for more, but when I saw he wasn’t really going to budge, I just gave up.  On our way back to our room to change for dinner, I even got so sad I cried because I thought Chad had brought me on this trip to break up with me. All these crazy thoughts were running through my head (as you can see!). We changed and went to watch the sunset before dinner.  While we were watching the sunset, Chad handed me a box and said he had brought me a present for our first night together in Punta Cana.  I automatically thought he had gone and bought something at the hotel gift shop to try and make up for his poolside antics.  I opened the box and inside was a charm for my charm bracelet he had bought me for Valentine’s.  The charm was shaped like a heart and had “Marry Me” engraved on the front. I looked up, in utter shock, and Chad had a diamond ring in his hand and was down on one knee.  I said yes, of course!

What do you two do for a living?
Chad works at Main Street Financial Group in Forest City, NC. He is a group benefits consultant. The company has been family owned since 1928. Chad works alongside his uncle, Cooper, and his dad, Tripp. Lauren works at Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville, NC. She is a marketing and public relations specialist and plans events for the hospital.
What are some of the activities that you like to do together as a couple?
We love to play with our three dogs, Omaha, a white lab, Slugger, a labradoodle, and Bogart, a maltese. Anything that involves being around our dogs makes us happy. Chad went to UNC-Chapel Hill and Lauren, NC State, so we enjoy a friendly rivalry of our alma-maters depending on what season it is. Currently, it is football season and Lauren would like to let it be known that the wolfpack is 3-0 and the tarheels are 0-2.
Why did you choose the Biltmore Estate as your wedding location?
We love the North Carolina mountains and the Biltmore Estate is nestled perfectly in the middle of these beautiful mountains. The gorgeous views that you get from each and every location on the estate made the Biltmore the perfect place for our wedding. Plus, it was a great “neutral” location for both of our families since neither of us are from the area.
When you think about your wedding, what are you most excited about?
EVERY LITTLE DETAIL. For starters, becoming husband and wife. We can’t wait to look into each other’s eyes and say “I do”. After we become Mr. and Mrs., we are going to dance the night away with our most favorite people on the planet. What could be any better?
What do you love about each other?
Lauren: What I love about Chad is… the way he treats me. Chad treats me like I am the most special woman on earth and the center of his world. It makes me feel so special. He never lets a day go by without saying he loves me, telling me how beautiful I am (even if I disagree over and over again), and he always says, “how did I get so lucky” and “are you sure I deserve you?” I know he would do anything for me, and I would do anything for him.
Chad: What I love about Lauren is… What an absolute beautiful person she is from the inside out. She is the kindest most caring person I have ever meet. Lauren is everything and more I have ever dreamed about in a woman. She brightens everyone of my days with her sparkling blue eyes, gorgeous smile, and love for life. I thank God everyday for bringing Lauren into my life and I cant wait to spend the rest of my life with her.
Anything else you would want people to know?
I’m in love, I’m in love, and I don’t care who knows it! – Elf