It all began at the University of Kansas in Naismith Hall (Rock Chalk!). Danielle had returned home from a night at the famed Abe and Jake's bar, and Jake was just getting back from a fraternity party on the night of September 25, 2009. Danielle's friend Ashley suggested that they go to Jake and Louis's room for an afterparty. Danielle and Jake spent the evening chatting. After a few days, Danielle asked Jake to be facebook official after misinterpreting an "exclusive" conversation. Despite the awkward talk, Danielle and Jake officially began dating on October 14, 2009 just a few days later.

During the weekend of the Christmas holiday in 2016, Danielle and Jake had planned to visit Danielle's parents in Georgia. After some research (in typical Jake fashion), Jake gave Danielle a list of potential spots to visit in Atlanta. On the list of places was the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, which Jake knew Danielle would pick, unbeknownst to her. Danielle and Jake had visited the Botanical Gardens in college during a visit to Danielle's parents' home, and they had both admired the same sculpture, the impressive Earth Goddess. The night of the engagement, Danielle, Jake, and Danielle's parents and brother headed to the Botanical Gardens. Upon noticing that everyone was "acting strange," Danielle asked to get some drinks and hot chocolate in an attempt to diffuse the situation. Danielle enjoyed her hot chocolate and made s'mores, as everyone else was frantically trying to make the proposal come together in front of a clueless Danielle. The surprise was still coming along as planned, and after a few close calls, Danielle and Jake came to the same sculpture they had previously admired. Still blind to what was about to happen, Danielle asked Jake to take a picture in front of the sculpture. While getting their photo taken, Jake got down on one knee and asked Danielle to spend their lives together. After the proposal took place, Danielle thought there couldn't possibly be any more surprises, but she was wrong -- Jake's family emerged from their nearby hiding place. After the happy surprise reunion took place, a surprise celebratory tapas dinner with Danielle's extended family was held.