So Luuk and I met at a bar on Lincoln Ave in Chicago called Lion’s Head Pub (more specifically, the fun upstairs called The Apartment). I was a regular as a sophomore at DePaul with a solid fake ID, and its where I wanted to go for my 20th birthday. After pregaming at the volleyball house, we were going to meet up with the tennis team as Sept 8th, 1997 is also Tripp Tuff’s (Luuk’s teammate and my fraternal twin) birthday.

I show up to Lion’s Head with my friends and 2 of the 4 sophomores got bounced (Katie had a shitty ID), so as I was booking it up the stairs, I turn back and see Katie literally yell “save yourself!!!” and run across the street to the next bar. Claire was the only sophomore who made it in with me, and as I turned to follow Katie to Haligans, Claire was like “she’s fine she’s with soccer” (lol).

Claire knew I was obsessed with Luuk (from a distance, we had actually never spoken) and so when she saw me on the opposite side of the bar as him, she snagged me by the arm and dragged me over to him like were in 7th grade.

But it worked thx Claire!!! And even though I understood every 5th word he was saying between the bumping 2017 hits and his then thick accent, we have been together ever since <3 How we met was so fun, in the best city, and with the best people, and its one of my favorite memories ever.

And just to further set the 2017 scene, this was the night I heard Avicii’s “Without You” for the first time. We played it on repeat at the pregame and the DJ played it at least 3 times, so it immediately transports us back to the night we met!

M&L

Ceremony

Reception

After Party