Stephanie and Dan's first meeting was a happy accident. They each tagged along with Kara Williams (Bridesmaid) and Scott Scheper (Groomsman) on a random night out in August 2019. A round of friendly drinks evolved into a double-date culminating in a post-midnight dinner at Chicago Cut. This became known as "Date Zero" in Stephanie and Dan lore. They went on their first official date the following weekend and kicked off a culinary excursion in which they tried to hit the best restaurants in Chicago's West (Best) Loop on a weekly basis. Their first real test came at the onset of Covid, during which they decided to spend the initial lockdown together. Over the ensuing months, which seemed like five years, Dan realized he'd found someone special after Stephanie didn't kill him after a week. They survived the pandemic together and decided they wanted to continue their lives in that same manner - together.