DRIVING a Jeep full of his belongings and scripts, William Van Duzer Lawrence IV arrived in Los Angeles nine years ago, determined to become a television comedy writer. People did not immediately recognize his talent, but they did notice his persistence.
He repeatedly sent his work to Howard West, an executive producer of ''Seinfeld.'' Mr. West remembers Mr. Lawrence as one of the most charming pests he'd ever met. ''He always looked like he stepped out of the shower, bright and perky,'' he said. ''He'd come into the office bouncing like a St. Bernard.''
Mr. Lawrence eventually found work as a staff writer for the first season of ''Friends'' on NBC, and four years ago he moved to New York as a co-creator of ''Spin City'' on ABC.
In May 1998, Mr. Lawrence met the actress Christa Miller at an ABC party in the Mercer Hotel in SoHo. Ms. Miller, who grew up in New York City and now plays Kate on ''The Drew Carey Show,'' does not come across as a prima donna. She usually dresses in jeans and basketball sneakers and has incredible aim with everything from snowballs to footballs.
''She's the only woman I've ever known who can hit the receiver running with a perfect 40-yard spiral in a family football game,'' said Dick Ebersol, the chairman of NBC Sports and an uncle of the bride. ''She's just an incredibly gorgeous tomboy.''
Cynthia Rowley, the dress designer and a friend, added, ''She's the perfect mix of a totally fun, adventurous tomboy and a real, sparkling girly-girl.''
Mr. Lawrence, who grew up in Ridgefield, Conn., and is a great-great-grandson of Sarah and William Van Duzer Lawrence, whose home became Sarah Lawrence College, followed Ms. Miller around the party, showering her with one-liners. ''For me and my circle of friends,'' he recalled, ''the big question is, Will she get my jokes? Christa did. Then I found out she was seeing somebody. I thought, 'Oh, it's me being tortured again.' ''
That night, he made her promise she would call him if she ever broke up with her boyfriend. They did break up, and the following December, she was visiting New York and sitting alone in a SoHo cafe, turning her cell phone on and off, like someone plucking petals from a daisy. ''I was thinking, 'Should I call him, should I not call him?' '' she remembered. ''Finally, I called and left a message, and when I didn't hear back from him, I thought, 'Oh, it's too late.' ''
In fact, he was in Puerto Rico with a big group of friends. When he returned, he got her message, called immediately, and said, '' 'You better be single.' ''
A bicoastal romance ensued, and in March Mr. Lawrence left ''Spin City'' for Los Angeles, where he is now developing new sitcoms for ABC. The couple live in the Hollywood Hills and spend their weekends battling each other at various outdoor sports.
''We're ridiculously competitive about everything,'' he said. ''It stretches from tennis to who makes the best chocolate chip cookies. It makes menial tasks fun when you can argue about who washes the dishes better.''
On Nov. 27, they were married in New York in the chapel at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, where Ms. Miller went to school. In some ways, it resembled a Hollywood wedding. Guests had to check their cameras at the door since there were celebrities inside, including the casts of ''Drew Carey'' and ''Spin City.'' ''It was the best table-hopping party I've ever been to,'' said Danny Rose, who works with the bridegroom. ''Everyone was just so raving about it.''
As a bridegroom, Mr. Lawrence was characteristically boyish and wide-eyed. ''I'll always remember how blown away I was when I saw Christa in her dress,'' he said a few days later. ''Everything leading up to that moment was pure terror and then, the second I saw her, she was so beautiful it had a very calming effect. The only nagging thought was, 'What on earth is this woman marrying me for?' ''