Dane and Cassandra actually went to the same college, but they didn’t officially meet until the fall of their senior year at the Middy, the local watering hole best known for their Friday happy hour specials. Cassandra was catching up with Liam—Dane’s roommate and now their officiant—when Dane walked up to figure out who this cute blonde was. They continued talking more consistently over the coming weeks until Cassandra asked, "So are you going to ask me on a date or what?"

Their first date was just before Christmas 2019 at Crave in Minneapolis. They spent the rest of winter break texting, and once they were back at school, they were spending time together during the week and going out together on the weekends. Everything kept getting better.

On February 20th, Cassandra was feeling under the weather, and Dane came over to her townhome to watch TV. She joked, “Would you be mad if I fell asleep?” Dane surprised her by saying yes—and when she asked why, he said, “Because then I wouldn’t be able to ask you something.” She turned to him, and he asked her to be his girlfriend. :)

Not long after they started dating, COVID sent everyone who lived on campus at CSB-SJU home, and their long-distance chapter began. At first they were only 30 minutes apart, but once they graduated in May, Dane moved back to the Cities for the summer, and suddenly it was an hour and a half. Then he started grad school in Madison, and it became four hours. Cassandra visited often and got to know the friends who were part of this stage of Dane’s life.

When grad school ended, Dane had a few different job offers he was interested in, but all of the front runners were in different states. They carefully talked through each one—especially which cities Cassandra would actually want to visit. Dane ultimately chose California. For the next year and a half, they did long distance from across the country. Cassandra flew out ~once a month, Dane came home for holidays and events, and they mastered the art of virtual movie dates.

Eventually, they had the big conversation: Where did they want to build a life together? Dane was loving his job, and Cassandra’s company had an office near him. They realized they wanted the same future—together—so Cassandra packed up her small car, and her parents helped drive her to California. She later found her place at Northwestern Mutual, and Dane landed his dream job at LA Golf. Life finally felt settled.

By February 2025, they were coming up on their five-year anniversary—which, naturally, meant Cassandra began asking if any “sparkles” were in her future. Dane hid the fact that he was secretly designing a ring with a jeweler back in Minnesota. Their Italy anniversary trip: no proposal. A Mexico trip and Caribbean cruise: still no proposal. By early April, Cassandra was starting to wonder. She was convinced it would happen over Easter, even delaying her nail appointment—until Dane strongly encouraged her to get them done a few days earlier than she originally had planned.

They went to a nice dinner with friends on Saturday (Cassandra was so nervous), but again… nothing. The next day—Masters Sunday—they watched the final round before Dane said some coworkers wanted to get drinks in Newport Beach. He mentioned it was a nicer place, but Cassandra definitely didn’t catch on; she wore a red matching set.

They drove down early, and Dane suggested taking a walk by the ocean. On the way to park, they passed a huge “Will You Marry Me?” display, which made Cassandra instantly nervous… until they simply walked right by it. Not for them.

At a lookout spot, Dane said he wanted to take her picture—and that’s when Cassandra knew. He tapped her shoulder, got down on one knee, and asked her to marry him. She said “Yes!”—the easiest yes of her life. He’d even arranged for a photographer to capture the moment.

Afterward, they celebrated with champagne, and when they got home, Dane realized he had forgotten 24 roses hidden in his trunk that he meant to give her during the proposal -- better late than never!

Truly the best day ever.