Alex and Mark were initially introduced through mutual friends and began dating/competing with each other in August 2022.

Mark says he was captured by Alex’s quick wit, mastery of the English language, and effortless ability to counter his quips. Alex was just glad Mark wasn’t put off by her unending stream of movie quotes and niche questions about her favorite Internet conspiracy theories……but she’ll also tell you how she loved his game-for-anything attitude, thoughtful nature, and exceptional knowledge of wine.

They both recognized pretty early on that they matched each other in just about every way (except the states they lived in).

Being long distance for most of their relationship may have caused a longstanding disagreement on the correct time to get to the airport, but it also led to some of their favorite memories together in a wild range of places — their favorites including a Christmas lights-covered dive bar in DuPont Circle, slopes in Breckenridge, several historic landmarks (Mark), a bookstore that serves champagne (Alex), countless oyster bars, and eventually Stone Ashe Vineyard in Asheville, NC, where Mark proposed in August 2024.

They’re so excited to welcome friends and family from all over the country to celebrate their marriage at the lake in October!

A Few Mark & Alex Tidbits:

• They love to play cards and have kept a running Gin score since April 2023 — the score stands at the time of this writing:

Mark: 8,530 Alex: 7,273

• Alex is furious about the current Gin score but is still the reigning ping-pong and corn hole champion

• They both have June birthdays and prefer to spend them somewhere on the water

• Mark likes Pacific oysters while Alex likes Atlantic, but mignonette is always a requirement

• They will never, ever agree to disagree on Neil Young