The story of Molly and Mark…
How did you meet?
We often joke that we had no business ever crossing paths! Now that we’re settled in D.C. we get the question, “Oh, did you meet in _________?” (insert Boston, Lexington, Indianapolis, or D.C.) Nope, we actually met in Texas!
In 2014 Mark quit his job in Boston, took a leap of faith and moved to Austin, Texas in search of a new adventure. In 2015, Molly’s best friend and Maid of Honor, Kacey, quit her job in Indianapolis and did the same. Kacey’s boyfriend in Texas had a roommate who she always thought could be a good match for Molly, who was living back in Indianapolis. To hear Mark and Kacey tell it, the running joke was that when Molly eventually came to visit, Mark would be meeting his future wife.
Kacey spilled the beans to Molly a couple days before Molly’s first visit to Austin in January of 2016 that she thought her and Mark might hit it off and after looking him up on social media, Molly determined that: A) Mark was CUTE! B) there was no way she’d ever be able to spell that last name…
That weekend was the beginning of a year of long distance that was filled with countless phone calls, emails, texts, Skype movie dates and 15 more flights between Austin and Indianapolis over the span of a year until Mark moved to Indianapolis in January of 2017.
Describe your first date…
Mark: Our first date night was at Wink in Austin, Texas. I was very excited to have Molly back in town for the second time and couldn’t wait to show off the city. I planned a date night at Wink, a cozy restaurant nestled behind some shops in west Austin. So nestled it took us a while to actually find the place – our Uber driver drove us in a few circles before we realized where it really was. The night was supposed to be when I asked Molly to officially be my girlfriend, but I was too excited the night before and asked before the dinner, so our meal became a celebration of us.
Share your proposal story…
On June 8, 2017, Mark popped the question. Here’s the story of the proposal, as told by M&M…
Molly: When Mark made the reservation for a 5:30pm dinner at Tinker Street, I didn’t think anything of it because the restaurant doesn’t take reservations and was on our Indianapolis bucket list before we moved.
Mark: I had to get us to the IMA (Indianapolis Museum of Art) by 7:00pm for the “golden hour” as instructed by the photographer I had lined up.
Molly: We ordered this great bottle of wine and still had at least two glasses left when Mark tells me we have to leave. We get in the car and I start to make guesses about where we’re going. I eventually guessed that we were going to the IMA for a picnic because it was also on our bucket list. I still had no clue that anything else was in the works!
Mark: We’re walking through the gardens of the IMA and Molly keeps finding these great spots to sit but I had already planned to meet the photographer in a specific location so I had to keep making excuses as to why we had to keep walking.
Molly: We finally sit down, set out a dessert picnic Mark had secretly packed, and turn on some tunes. To get me to stand up so he could get down on one knee, Mark asked me to dance. At that point I thought something might be up…
Mark: I was waiting for the photographer to arrive and as soon as I saw him out of the corner of my eye, I got her to stand up, we danced to Marc Broussard (our favorite) and before she sat back down, I got down on one knee. She said yes and the rest is history!
How did you both know you had found “the one”?
Molly: A few months after we started dating, it was Easter and we were chatting about how we both wished we could go to an Easter service but neither of us had found a church that felt like home yet in Austin and Indianapolis. I forget who came up with the idea, but we decided we would have our own “church” the next morning via Skype. We got dressed up in our Easter duds, hopped on Skype and talked all about our spirituality, our personal religious histories, and why it was important to each of us. That morning was when I knew I had found “the one”.
Mark: One day in Indianapolis, while I was visiting from Austin, Molly and I went to a bar called The Vault. While there we played some extremely competitive games of Connect Four and had some very serious conversations about our future and what we wanted out of life. We had only been dating for 3 or 4 months, but during this conversation we addressed everything from religion to children, where we’d like to settle down to how many dogs we want to own. It was one of those great moments when you realize the person you’re with isn’t just awesome, they’re your type of awesome and you two just click. It was a special moment, and something I’ll remember forever (and not just because I won at connect four).
What do you love most about the other?
Molly: I love how genuine Mark is. It sets the tone for how he interacts with people, how he approaches his career, our relationship, and his friendships. He’s the kind of guy who asks you a question because he genuinely wants to know the answer. He makes friends with everyone he meets – Uber drivers, neighbors, grocery store clerks – and it’s so effortless for him because he presents himself to the world in this really authentic, open way. He makes me feel calm.. like a sigh of relief in my soul when he walks through the door. I feel like I could tackle anything with him by my side and I love that about him.
Mark: I love Molly for her kindness and caring nature. She truly is the most caring person I know. When it comes to friends and family once you are in her life you are in it. She will do anything for you and always wants what’s best for those she loves. I also love her voice (I could listen to her say Law-yer instead of Loi-yer forever) and how she’s able to talk me off the edge when I’m having an anxious moment. I have a tendency to get stuck in my head when I overthink a problem/challenge, and she’s always able to calm me down. I can’t tell you how amazing it is to have her in my life. I also just love how goofy we are together. We have a LOT of inside jokes and I love her for embracing our weirdness and letting them happen.
What moment or detail are you most excited about for your wedding day?
Mark: I’m so excited to be looking into Molly’s eyes the day of our wedding and exchange our vows. I know I’m going to tear up and cry because I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I also just can’t wait to throw the best party every for all the people we hold closest.
Molly: I’m probably most excited about doing a first look. I don’t like being the center of attention so the wedding’s going to be a little out of my comfort zone. I’m so excited to have that private moment to just take a deep breath together before we head into the ceremony and party!
What are you most excited about for marriage?
Mark: To have a true partner for life. I can’t wait until we’re old and gray and still joke around with each other and support each other. I know we both value family a lot and I can’t wait to see the family we raise together. I’m already excited to hang out with our kids (and grandkids).
Molly: I’m most excited to continue building a foundation for the family and life we want to create together. I’m also so excited to keep setting goals and tackling them together as a team. The cherry on top is that we get to laugh with each other FOREVER. That’s just so cool!
A huge thanks to the vendors who made this wedding day beautiful…
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