We met through mutual friends on a night out in Milwaukee. I had recently moved to Milwaukee for work, and Brian was working at a research clinic before starting medical school. We chatted about our mutual affinity for St. Louis sports (he's from the STL suburbs; I'm from Central IL), and that was about it. Fast-forward a few months and our paths crossed again, but this time we followed up with casual hangouts at our local pub to watch Cardinals games and the Blues playoffs. Later on, we went on our first date that didn't involve a pitcher of beer, free pizza and a sporting event. We spent Summer 2016 taking in all of our favorite Wisconsin sights. From Jazz in the Park on Wednesday nights to hiking Devils Lake to a weekend trip to Door County, we knew we knew there was something special. Brian's pending move to Omaha, NE in August was always looming the background, but we decided to take a chance and see if we could make the distance work. Boy, am I glad we did. Cheers to a lifetime of more summer adventures as husband and wife. -Danielle

“I have to go into the hospital today and round with the team,” I explained to Danielle. Even though it was a Sunday morning, I was on my surgery rotation, so it seemed entirely realistic. However, instead of driving to the hospital, I drove to the suburbs and met with our friend Heidi, who had helped me conceptualize and purchase the engagement ring. I took it home and buried it in my dresser. Once I had the ring, I had to answer the next question: how in the world did I want to ask her? I had spent weeks to months trying to think of the perfect situation in which I could ask the question. In the end, I just wanted to do something intimate where the both of us could share in the moment together. I thought about some of our favorite places in Omaha, and one that came to mind was Nosh, a wine bar that we frequent. A few days after I picked up the ring, I thought, “why wait?” I texted Danielle, asking her if she wanted to join me for a random happy hour on a rainy Thursday night. She agreed, to nobody’s surprise. I told her I would meet her around 5 p.m. Around 4:45 p.m., I arrived at Nosh, bought a bottle of Belle Glos pinot noir, and waited nervously. The minute Danielle walked in the door, she knew something was awry. I was in the back of the restaurant wearing nice clothes, not at the bar in jeans. To be honest, the moment I asked her to marry me is somewhat of a blur, but I mostly remember Danielle passing from shock to excitedly saying “yes!” within a matter of seconds. There were hugs, tears, and scattered applause from the others enjoying happy hour. Some of our closest friends were able to drop what they were doing and come celebrate with us for the next couple of hours before going home and calling our families with the news. It was an experience that neither of us will ever forget. -Brian

December 2015: We met in Milwaukee, WI March 2016: We started actually hanging out April 2016: First date August 2016: Brian moved to Omaha, NE for medical school while Danielle remained in Milwaukee September 2016: Officially a couple January 2017: Said "I Love You" May 2017: Brian returned to Milwaukee for a summer internship June 2018: Danielle got a job offer and moved to Omaha April 2019: Engaged! March 2020: Brian matched into an Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Pennsylvania June 2020: Brian, Danielle and Piedmont (their cat) moved to Philadelphia, PA May 2021: Officially Mr and Mrs Hoeynck!