Ben and Payton’s story began the way many good ones do — through friends. Huge shoutout to Jaden Green and Layne Laaker for setting them up!

At the time, Payton was working at The Warehouse, a local Bennington bar — coincidentally in the same town where Ben grew up. Payton worked with her friend Jaden, who was heading out one night with her boyfriend, Layne, and a group of his friends. Ben happened to be part of the group.

It was the first time Jaden had met Ben, and she immediately thought he and Payton would get along. After spending the night getting to know him, Jaden gave Ben Payton’s number and encouraged him to reach out. She later told Payton she had given her number to one of Layne’s friends and that she might be getting a text. After a few days of hearing nothing, Payton was surprised when Ben finally reached out.

After a few days of talking, Ben asked Payton to brunch for the upcoming Saturday. The College World Series took place the Friday before what was supposed to be their first date. Jaden and Payton made plans to go, while Layne was also planning to attend with a group of his friends — including Ben. They ended up meeting at the College World Series before their first official date.

Their first greeting went something like this:

Ben: “Hi Payton, nice to meet you.”

Ben again: “Come here — I’m a hugger.”

For anyone who knows Ben, this was exactly the first impression you’d expect. After hanging out with friends, they still planned to go to brunch the next day.

The next day, just a few hours before brunch, Ben — in typical fashion — made a bold move and invited Payton to a friend’s wedding in Norfolk, Nebraska (where Ben was living at the time) instead. Without hesitation, Payton thought, why not? What could go wrong? While it wasn’t a typical first date, it’s still one of their favorite stories to tell together.

From that weekend on, what started as a setup turned into something neither of them could have imagined.

Registry

Your presence at our wedding is the greatest gift we could ask for. Should you wish to honor us with a gift, we would be grateful for a contribution toward our honeymoon as we begin our first adventure as a married couple. For those who prefer, our registry items can be found below.