Jake and Grace met in high school at Nouvel Catholic Central. Grace always thought Jake was cute and sweet. She went on multiple mission trips to Mexico with Jake’s mom, Marsha, who often tried to set them up. Grace and Jake had mutual friends and would hang out in a group on occasion. Once in high school they shared a kiss, but never dated. Throughout college, they would occasionally run into each other in Saginaw. There was always a spark, but the timing was not quite right, despite the best efforts of groomsman, Sam Campbell.


Grace and Jake both moved around Michigan after college. In early 2020, Grace posted on social media that she was moving back to Grand Rapids. Jake reached out to her saying that he also lived in the area and asked if she wanted to catch up. Grace was ecstatic; however, Jake kept her waiting, often going a week or two between text messages since he was very busy working at Red Lobster during the pandemic.


One night, after weeks of texting each other, Grace invited Jake over to her house for dinner and drinks after work. She made sure to have a curated playlist on when Jake walked in the door and made a delicious dinner of Peanut Curry Zoodles with a Sangiovese wine. They stayed up until 5am talking on a Wednesday night, discovering all the similarities of their lives.


That next morning, Jake drove down to Chicago to spend the Fourth of July with his sister, Holly and now brother-in-law Jonathan. According to Holly, all Jake could talk about was how great of a night he had with Grace and how much they had in common. After that first night, Grace and Jake decided they didn’t want to be with anyone else.


Starting their relationship at the beginning of the pandemic came with its own set of challenges, but Jake and Grace made it through. They found they shared a love of travel, food and wine, and have gone on many adventures together. Some of their favorite trips include hiking to waterfalls in Costa Rica, wine tasting in Traverse City and the Finger Lakes. Exploring the ice caves in the U.P., kayaking all over Michigan, getting engaged in Hocking Hills, and eating and drinking their way through Europe.


After dating for a couple of years, Grace eventually won over Buster and Buddha, Jake’s fur babies. Jake sold his house, and the cats and Jake moved in with Grace. The rest is history.