We met in November 2020 as Sophomores at the University of Iowa and knew instantly that we found our forever person. At that time, there were still restrictions on campus due to Covid, so we spent a lot of time at Connor’s apartment (Lauren lived in her sorority house, where boys were not allowed). We were immediately connected at the hip and made such special memories during these early years.
We spent the next 2.5 years enjoying our time in Iowa City and cheering on the Hawks. Shortly after meeting, Lauren switched from pursuing the medical field to studying Marketing Analytics, joining Connor in the Tippie College of Business. We were also in a few student organizations together, such as the business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi. We are so happy to have met during college and had the ability to make those memories together.
We loved celebrating holidays together and began making traditions that will last a lifetime. Connor brought Lauren to Emmetsburg’s annual St. Patrick’s Day weekend a few months into dating, which was a great introduction to the Irish culture that Lauren will soon embrace as a Joyce. We also began celebrating the other holidays with each other’s families, and look forward to continuing spending holidays together forever.
We graduated from the University of Iowa in May 2023 and couldn’t have been more excited for the future ahead of us. Connor received two degrees, one in Finance and one in Accounting, while Lauren received one in Marketing Analytics and a minor in Psychology. We will always miss our college years and have a soft spot for Iowa City, but we will forever be Hawkeye fans and visit for football games each season.
We spent the next month traveling around Europe before starting our lives as full-blown adults. This 33-day trip was truly a dream come true. We visited 7 countries (Ireland, Amsterdam, Paris, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Greece) and loved every second of it. Connor’s favorites were Ireland and Switzerland, and Lauren’s were those plus Amsterdam - and she will forever be thankful for Connor carrying her 60+ lb suitcase throughout the duration of the trip :)
In July 2023, we moved into our beautiful apartment in downtown Chicago, right on the city’s river. Connor spent the first two years downtown in Investment Banking at Lincoln International before changing to Private Equity at McNally Capital. Lauren has been working at the Chicago medical malpractice and personal injury law firm of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard since they moved downtown, where she does Marketing, Events & Public Relations.
On July 25, 2025, Connor popped the question and asked Lauren to marry him :) Lauren went into her office that morning, where she found a note from her boss, Marcie, on her desk. The note instructed her to pack up her things and head down to the lobby because she had a nail appointment that morning. (Connor knew Lauren couldn’t get engaged without a fresh set!) When she went back down to the lobby, one of her best friends (and Bridesmaids), Mia, was waiting for her. They went to get their nails done, headed back to Lauren and Connor’s apartment, and got ready “to get drinks.” After their drink, Mia brought her to the location where they finally saw Connor and everything that he had set up :) Connor got down on one knee and asked Lauren to marry him!! <3 They spent the rest of the evening celebrating with friends and family whom Connor had coordinated to show up after the proposal. The next morning, they headed to Colorado for 5 days to relax and take in the fact that they were engaged!!! It was truly the best day ever, and Connor did (too good) a job keeping everything a secret from Lauren (no matter how hard Lauren tried to get him to tell her anythingggg about the day!) Now we truly can’t wait to become husband and wife and hope to see you all there!