St. Andrew's Hall

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception/Cocktail Hour

Dinner

Drinks & Dancing

Our Wedding

We can't wait to celebrate our wedding with family, friends, and all those who we hold close to our hearts. For those of you who may not know the other partner, or curious about how we met..... The Story:As the sun was getting ready to set on a quiet November evening, Mark's phone buzzed. A weary and tired Mark, who had just returned from a trip to Mexico and had a very long work week, glanced at his phone - it was a message from Lauren. "Hey, you feeling spontaneous? Wanna grab a bite to eat and have a few drinks? Exhausted, but open, Mark responded "Sure, what time?". Little did both of them know that would be the last first date either of them went on. In a now rare, but then easy decision, they quickly agreed on a place to meet - One Eyed Betty's in Ferndale, Mi. Mark regaled Lauren with tales of his travels whilst Lauren fluttered her eyes and shared all the amazing cities she found herself living in over the years. After dinner, Mark offered to walk Lauren back to her car. On the walk back, Lauren realized that she had left her card IN the parking garage card reader. She confessed that she had seen him walking towards the restaurant as she drove by and was so flustered by his handsomeness that she forgot to take her card back when she pulled in to park. Enamored by her beauty and the ease of conversation, they made plans for the following day. For their third date Mark reeled Lauren in even more by taking her to a show at the Fillmore and spoiled her with the full VIP treatment where upon arrival he was quickly greeted by the staff, who then ushered them in, gave them drinking tickets, and showed them to their box seats. Lauren countered the VIP treatment a few days later by bringing him to a Red Wings game a few seats back from the glass. Fast forward three years, countless concerts and events later, Mark &amp; Lauren decided that after several family vacations taking them overseas to France, and another across the U.S. it was time for a vacation of their own. During the last week of January 2025, Mark and Lauren took a Caribbean cruise that took them to Grand Cay Islands, Nassau Bahamas, Grand Turk Islands, and Dominican Republic. Lauren had suspected he may have had plans to propose on the Cruise, but Mark being Mark, he tried to play it off all cool so as to throw her off the trail and make sure she was totally surprised. With proposal plans changing on the daily, on the last island and excursion of the vacation, it was a now or never moment for Mark. After swimming with dolphins at a marine resort, he noticed a cage full of lovebirds that welcomed guests inside. They went inside and were given seeds to put in their hands. As Lovebirds flocked onto them and perched on their heads, arms, and hands, Mark knew this was the moment. He got down to one knee, pulled out a ring and caught Lauren in total surprise. After saying yes, the lovebirds flew into the shape of a heart, the dolphins did a choreographed jump and flip in the air, the Seals barked and clapped their flippers and the sharks splashed the water with their tales. On August 30th, we join the happy couple as they celebrate their love with friends and family.

Our Story...

Our Story

Photos

Wedding Party

Q + A

We do not have a set block of hotels, however, Mark has a lot of relationships with the area hotels that he frequently refers bands and artists to when they perform at his venues. Wanna sleep where the rockstars sleep - here's a list of suggested hotels with some discounted rates in the links. A few hotel suggestions near the bottom are not offering discounted rates, but are within walking distance of the venue. Check the notes below each hotel for rate or location info.

Looking for a luxurious night or weekend in town? Stay at the beautiful Shinola Hotel in the heart of downtown Detroit on the historic Woodward Ave. St. Reach out to Shinola's Direct of Sales Andi and let her know you're coming into town for Mark's wedding. We have a small block of rooms at discounted rates.Email: Andromeda.Kosova@Shinolahotel.com / Main Office: 313-356-1400 Extension: 1413

Shinola Hotel

If you are looking for apt. style rooms that include a kitchen and washer and dryer in the rooms, we have a partnership with The Roost in the historic Book Tower Detroit. These rooms are great for extended stays. Rates start in the high $100’s and go through the mid $200’s depending on local events and availability. You can use the&nbsp;<a href="https://be.synxis.com/?Hotel=41836&amp;Chain=26424&amp;promo=LIVENATION" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">link here</a>, or use the code “LIVENATION” on myroost.com. If you’d like book a block of rooms, reach out to Jessica Reincke at 313-597-7410 or&nbsp;<a href="mailto:jreincke@myroost.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">jreincke@myroost.com</a> and let her know Mark referred you and you are coming into town for our wedding.

The Roost

If you are looking for a hotel with more 'fun' amenities. They have a cool rooftop bar, 24/7 room service, and in the downstairs level of the hotel is 5 iron golf simulation and duck pin bowling and other games you can rent a space at.

Cambria Hotel Detroit Downtown

This hotel is walking distance to St. Andrew's Hall.

Hilton Garden Inn Detroit Downtown

This hotel is walking distance from Saint Andrews Hall and part of the Greektown (Hollywood) Casino. We do not have room blocks or any discounted rates for this hotel, rates are as-is.

Hollywood Casino at Greektown

This hotel is right around the corner from Saint Andrews Hall.We do not have a block or any discounted room rates at this hotel so costs are as-is.

Atheneum Suite Hotel

Hotel Recommendations 

We can't wait for you to visit our city! Early fall is a beautiful time of year in Detroit, and we'd love to suggest a few things to do if you're making a weekend trip...

Arts, Beats &amp; Eats is a massive annual festival in Royal Oak, MI (just north of Detroit) that takes place over Labor Day weekend (Aug 30 - Sept 2, 2025). It combines art, live music, and food, making it one of Metro Detroit’s biggest summer events.

Soaring Eagle Arts Beats & Eats

Coming into town early or staying a few days after? There's lots of great concerts the week of the wedding. Wanna see where Mark work's at? Let him know if you'd like to catch a show and he'll make sure you have a memorable evening!

The Fillmore Detroit

Coming into town early or staying later in the week and want to catch a concert at Saint Andrews? Let Mark know and he'll help make that happen. The downstairs venue 'The Shelter' is where Eminem used to attend rap battles and is the location premise for his movie "8 Mile".

Saint Andrew’s Hall

Detroit's world-class art museum with the famous Diego Rivera murals and many traveling exhibits.

Detroit Institute of Arts

A must-visit for music lovers to see where legends like Stevie Wonder and The Supremes recorded.

Motown Museum

Perfect for a scenic stroll along the water, with parks, restaurants, and boat tours.

Detroit Riverwalk

An island park with stunning views, trails, an aquarium, and a conservatory.

Belle Isle Park

The birthplace of Detroit-style pizza.

Buddy's Pizza

Try one of two iconic diners dueling for Detroit's iconic coney dogs and pick your favorite.

Lafayette Coney Island

The second of two iconic diners dueling for Detroit's iconic coney dogs.

Mark & Lauren

Mark & Lauren

Registry