In the fall of 2017, Ian had just moved to D.C. and was not enjoying the dating scene. He complained to his friend Katie, who took pity on him and offered to set him up on a date with Courtney, a former coworker of hers. The two met on a blind date at Beuchert's Saloon—Courtney was 20 minutes late, Ian showed Courtney pictures of his cats (Klaus and Jacques), they split an order of fries and ranch dressing and talked for four hours. The rest is history.