On May 25, 2012, Gretchen's 25th birthday, as she scanned the scene at Allston's majestic 90's night at Common Ground, she caught the eye of a handsome young man talking to his friend. Even after a few gulps of liquid courage, Dan was still too nervous to approach the woman who was eyeing him from across the bar earlier in the night. Luckily his friend Mike Dunn was able to break the ice with the birthday girl's group, which led to Dan getting Gretchen's number that night. Dan was hesitant to text Gretchen because she still was rocking a flip-phone and Dan was unsure of whether such a phone could receive text messages. Miraculously, Gretchen's phone was able to accept the hilarious message Dan sent from his non-flip, normal-person phone and they set up their first date.

That first date covered the full gamut of conversation, from fly-fishing to price-tags. With such interesting topics broached, it was impossible to refuse a second date. Soon second dates turned into second anniversaries and fly-fishing turned into fishing for hooks to end this wedding website story. After (too) many years of laughs, wild adventures, travels around the country, and sharing a home together, Dan proposed to Gretchen on February 10th, 2018 in their apartment ('tis the season of Winter Olympics, so the ever so romantic luge was on TV in the background) . They celebrated in style, revisiting their favorite bar and site of their first date, the Washington Square Tavern in Brookline.

Gretchen's engagement ring is very unique. Ask Gretchen and Dan sometime about how they acquired it-here's a teaser, it involves a Chinese food buffet and Gretchen's wonderful grandparents.