How We Met

We first met in college, during a time full of growth, discovery, and way too many themed parties. We ran in the same social circles, brought together by mutual friends Adam and Shoubick. One night, after a party, Jane ended up crashing at Zach’s place. Ever the gentleman, he made sure she felt completely comfortable—coffee in the morning, a change of clothes, and even convinced a roommate to give her a ride home. That kindness stuck with Jane.

Life moved forward—Zach launched his career at Andersen Windows, and Jane moved across the country to her favorite city, Boston. A few years later, out of the blue, Jane found the clothes she had borrowed from Zach and decided to return them. She tracked him down and shipped them back from Maine, where she was living at the time. That simple act stood out to Zach.

Reconnecting

Over the years, we stayed lightly in touch—Facebook messages, the occasional comment or “like,” but nothing too serious. Life took us in different directions—Jane moved a few more times, and Zach spent some time in Arizona.

Then in the spring of 2024, Jane posted an update: she was moving back to Minnesota. That caught Zach’s eye. Once she settled in, he reached out, and what started as a casual message turned into a long conversation, followed by a phone call… and then a plan to meet up in Stillwater.

Our First Date (Again)

We met up at LoLo’s in downtown Stillwater, both dressed up and maybe a little nervous. Jane looked stunning in a black jumper. Over lunch, Zach (already hooked) asked if she’d go see Inside Out 2 with him. And just like that, we were off and running.

Over the next few weeks, we hiked, caught a movie, went to the dog park, and kept finding more excuses to spend time together. Then came the Fourth of July week. With some time off, we spent nearly every day together. On July 3rd—now known as Tequila Night—we stayed up talking until 3 a.m., sharing stories and dreams around the dining room table.

Things moved quickly (in the best way). We soon realized we didn’t want to spend time apart—and decided to move in together.

Life Together

Since then, we’ve shared amazing adventures: trips to Mexico and Nashville, discovering favorite restaurants like Little Oven in St. Paul, binge-watching South Park, and cooking meals side by side.

We blended our little families—Zach brought Sylvia, his sweet black lab; Jane brought a small zoo of chinchillas and bunnies (and adopted a fourth chinchilla over the winter!). And together, we added Clover Belle, a golden retriever with a big heart and a mischievous streak.

The Proposal

In true Jane fashion, she jokingly added a “calendar event” titled Engagement Season, running from May to July. Zach took the hint.

On May 24th, during one of our weekend trips to Stillwater, we stopped by River Siren Brewery—where we’d had our first date. Zach suggested walking down by the river to “get a picture of the lift bridge.” As we reached the Stillwater concrete pad, he dropped to one knee.

He had a whole speech prepared (and remembered about 75% of it). Jane was so surprised, she blacked out and couldn’t recall what he said anyway—but she read it later. And more importantly—she said YES!

Where We Are Now

We're now happily planning our wedding, taking lots more trips to Stillwater, and soaking up all the joy that comes with this exciting chapter. We can’t wait to celebrate with all of you and are so grateful to have you be part of our story.