I Do!: Lauren Kurre and Nick Rudzewick

Lauren Kurre and Nick Rudzewick first met their freshman year at Marist College in Poughkeepsie. But it wasn’t until five years later that Rudzewick got the courage to ask her out.

“There was always something deep down in my stomach that told me to talk to her . . . Something kind of came over me,” Rudzewick, 27, said of the night in May 2019, post-graduation, when he finally made his move while they were out with friends.

Kurre, also 27, said she felt the attraction, too. In fact, a year or so before they started dating, she remembers praying to God one night in her dorm room, asking if Rudzewick was “meant to be” in her life.

“It gives me chills,” she said.

The couple live in Brooklyn but grew up in Nassau County. It was on Long Island, at Gilgo Beach, that Rudzewick proposed in June 2022.

And while some couples might be overwhelmed with wedding planning, it was a time for Rudzewick, a videographer, and Kurre, a fashion publicist, to shine.

Within weeks of getting engaged, they said they had booked their major vendors, including their venue — the Hempstead House on the Guggenheim Estate. The house is located on the Sands Point peninsula, made famous as the “East Egg” in “The Great Gatsby.”

“I had a very distinct vision . . . We wanted to really lean into the North Shore, castle vibes,” said Kurre.

The reception theme was “modern-day Gatsby party,” with an emphasis on gold and champagne colors. Kurre wore a custom gown by Puerto Rican designer Edgardo Bonilla, then changed into an all-sequin gold gown by designer Jason Wu.

The couple married Sept. 30, 2023, at Notre Dame Parish in New Hyde Park. Kurre’s father, an ordained deacon, walked her down the aisle and then officiated the ceremony, she said.

“I always say he’s the kindest person I know,” Kurre said of her new husband. Rudzewick, too, had nothing but praise for his bride: “We have a great connection, she’s beautiful . . . Beyond obviously I love her, I like her as a person.”