Lauren and Rupert joke that it was ‘love at first shop’ rather than ‘love at first sight’ as their first trip out together was to buy groceries for their student flat. Having spent part of their first date on the land train at Bournemouth seafront, the mode of transport holds a special place in their hearts and they have since taken the opportunity to ride land trains while holidaying in Faro, Prague and Crete.
Lauren explains: “We met in the kitchen of our halls at Cranborne House. As I had already moved in, I offered to take Rupert to the local ASDA and showed him the shortcut. As we got to know each other, we began to have weekly brunch dates in the flat and had our first proper trip out together around Bournemouth seafront. I remember that we finished up in the Oceanarium gift shop.”
The couple decided to make it ‘official’ after a camping trip with some friends in summer 2011. Five years later Rupert proposed during a weekend getaway to a Christmas market in Florence. They married in July 2018 at Rhinefield House Hotel in Brockenhurst, surrounded by family and friends including many of Lauren’s family who made the trip from New York.
Lauren said: “I came to university expecting to make lifelong friends but wasn’t expecting to find love. I thought I would return to America once my Master’s was completed but here I am still in the UK almost eight years later. I had no idea that I would meet the love of my life just one week into being at BU, but I am really happy that I did!”