Roadside B&G

Welcome Party

Wedding Day

Kirk in the Hills

Ceremony

The Community House in Birmingham

Cocktail Hour

Reception

Our Wedding

The story of the Love Birds of Berkley started on Sunday, January 28, 2024. You sports fans may recall this was the same day as the Lions defeat in the NFC Championship game. While watching, Lauren and Jim traded messages after matching on Hinge that very morning! It went so well and was so effortless, it led the pair to scheduling a date for the following Friday. These two met in Plymouth and bar hopped. All of a sudden, the lights came on in the bar, and they realized their first date had lasted over five hours!Lauren and Jim continued to see each other over the coming weeks, as they both felt an incredible connection starting to blossom. It culminated one month after their first date, where they found themselves back in Plymouth. While sitting on a bench in the town square, Jim asked Lauren to “go steady” with him and for her to officially become his girlfriend. Lauren and Jim were very excited as Lauren accepted this proposal.While their relationship was still young, Lauren was thrown in the deep end quickly, attending Jim's parent's (Jim and Lisa) Good Friday parties. It was a whirlwind where she met almost all of his family and family friends in a short time span. For Jim, a similar situation came in May 2024 when Lauren had a family wedding to attend. Jim met many of her family members and hung out with them throughout the weekend.After the two love birds passed their one-year anniversary, Jim started to put the wheels in motion. Following his discussion of his intentions with his parents and sister (Carrie), Jim set forth to ask Mary and Joe (Lauren's mom and step-dad) to meet for breakfast. While still in tax season and fooling Lauren into thinking he was headed into the office, Jim took an alternate route to Dearborn. He asked for their blessing to propose to Lauren over some delicious eggs and bacon! While Jim was nervous, Mary and Joe were very excited and gave their blessing. Jim made sure to call Joey (Lauren's brother) and ask for his blessing as well - Jim wanted to make sure he approved too! Jim made plans to propose in July 2025.The day of the engagement arrived: Saturday, July 19. Jim had thrown Lauren off a few times, However, he was not as smooth as he thought. Jim had told Lauren that they were attending a play near Cranbrook-Kingswood with his parents. When Lauren was getting ready, Jim had interjected like he never had before. He asked "Are you going to curl your hair?" and "Don't you think you should wear a dress?" While Jim felt like a jerk, he wanted to ensure Lauren looked her best for the proposal and photographers waiting for them.Jim and Lauren arrived to Cranbrook, little did Lauren know she was just a few minutes away from being engaged! Jim had his dad call the two when they were in the car to tell them "they were running late". This gave Jim the excuse to walk around the gardens with Lauren. Jim and Lauren headed back to the Cranbrook House of Gardens where they saw beautiful architecture and horticulture. Jim saw the photographers there waiting, but couldn't give it away. Once Jim knew Lauren's best friend, Abby, was in place, Jim led Lauren back to THE spot. Jim grabbed Lauren's hand as she was confused as to what was happening. Jim got down on one knee, forgetting the speech he had prepared in his head. Lauren was caught off guard but excitingly said "Yes!" The photographer's captured the moment beautifully!The couple enjoyed a fun party with family and friends that night to celebrate this new chapter in life. Now, they await their wedding day and cannot wait to celebrate this next step with all of you!

The Lions may have lost, but we still won!

Our Story

Photos

Abby D'Alessandro

Philip Norris

Danielle Stelma

Nicholas Smentowski

Renee Metcalf

Joseph Gaikema

Carrie Aldrich

Matthew Burr

Joey Johnston

Wedding Party

Use the link provided to reserve a room. Please book by June 3rd, 2026.

Daxton Hotel Birmingham, Curio Collection by Hilton

This hotel is a 7-minute drive from our reception venue, The Community House. There is no block at this hotel, however, it is a great location!

The Kingsley Bloomfield Hills - a DoubleTree by Hilton

We have privately reserved a set number of rooms. These are first come, first serve. If you would like to stay here, please contact Lauren at 313-737-0467.

Holiday Inn Express Detroit-Birmingham by IHG

Travel

We do have a short gap in-between our ceremony and cocktail hour. There are many things to do in downtown Birmingham, MI during this time!

Dick O' Dow's

Townhouse

Luxe Bar & Grill

Cafe Origins

Paris Baguette

Things to Do

Registry

Suit and tie, dresses/jumpsuits. Being elegantly dressed; avoid anything too relaxed like jeans or casual sandals.

Dress Code

Lauren & James

Lauren & James

Registry