Sep | 19 | 2026

Stephanie and Joey met at age 16 while working at People’s Park, a restaurant in downtown Waukesha, where they perfected the art of being “strictly friends.” Fast-forward to college—(what they call fate) brought them both to UW–Eau Claire, and even better, the housing gods placed them not just in the same dorm, but on the same floor, just a few doors apart. Naturally, they teamed up to make new friends, attend freshman parties and convincingly pretend they weren’t catching feelings. Spoiler: they totally were. Those “maybe?” sparks led to on-and-off dating throughout college. After a brief detour, they reconnected for good in October 2022. Joey proposed on July 13, 2024, on the beach at Grant Park and Stephanie’s reaction? Maximum excitement, just as you’d expect. Twelve years of friendship, five years of dating, three international trips, two apartments, two cat babies…and now, here they are, ready for forever.