Jess and Dan didn't know each other before moving into Holmead House, a six-person group house in Columbia Heights, in 2013. Jess moved in because one of her best friends, Becky, already lived there; Dan moved in after responding to a Craigslist post. (Becky cast the tie-breaking vote to invite him to join the Holmead House family!) Over that first year, Jess developed a crush on Dan while watching football and hockey games together (and after she saw how capably he opened jars and lifted heavy objects). At first, dating a roommate seemed like something to avoid, but a year is a long time... At her birthday party the next summer, with the help of some close friends and a little bit of liquid courage, Jess finally confessed her feelings to (i.e., launched herself at) Dan at 1 AM while dancing at Wonderland Ballroom. The next day Jess was so embarrassed she tried to pretend nothing had happened. Thankfully, Dan refused to let her get away that easily and forced an honest discussion by sitting on top of Jess until she agreed to talk. And we’ve been together ever since!

We visited Toronto for our first international getaway as a couple and fell in love with the city. Four years later, with no time for a long trip but wanting to get away, Dan planned a trip back to Toronto as a mini-vacation. The first night we stayed at a beautiful hotel with a balcony overlooking Toronto Harbour, and at 8:15am on Saturday, December 8th Dan lugged Jess out of bed to "look at the beautiful sunrise." The moment the sunlight hit the water and the docked boats was definitely gorgeous, but the most beautiful moment was 2 seconds later when Dan asked Jess to marry him.