Our Story

Claire and Dane first met as freshman at Calvin University in August of 2019. Neither of them remembers officially meeting, but they were both members of the swim team. This particular day was one of the first swim team functions of the year (underclassmen beach day), and Claire thinks it was this particular day that she found out who Dane was!

Claire and Dane started becoming friends during their swim team training trip down in Florida that December. Claire was drawn to Dane's outgoing, loud and friendly personality. Dane heard Claire was pretty funny even though she was quieter than him, so he wanted to see what that was all about, and he was drawn to her smile.

They started hanging out more that freshman year, but then covid sent everyone home in March 2020. Claire and Dane's friendship continued, and he even came to visit for a weekend with a few other friends for her birthday that June.

Claire and Dane continued a close friendship after returning to Calvin in the fall of 2020. They found themselves developing feelings for each other and saw how their different personalities really brought out the best in each other.

Covid restrictions meant no training trip in 2020, but Claire and Dane and their friends made the most of the semester break with a trip to Arizona. There were some sparks between them, and 4 days after that trip they went out on their first official date!

After that first date in January of 2021, Claire and Dane were pretty much inseparable and decided to make it official on Janaury 11, 2021.

For their 1st anniversary in January of 2022, Claire and Dane celebrated by going to see the musical Hamilton!

Dane came with the Sytsma family on a vacation to Hawaii in August 2022. He fit right in!

Claire and Dane finished up 4 years of swim team together and graduated from Calvin on April 29, 2023. They had been each other's biggest support through the last 2.5 years.

Graduation brought new jobs but also some miles between them. Dane took a job with Pfizer and moved to Portage in May 2023. Claire stayed in GR and started working for the Fertility Center. The distance didn't dampen their relationship, and they saw each other multiple times a week. The next two years would bring quiet nights in but also ski trips, football games, and more fun adventures together. Their relationship continued to grow, and they knew their future included each other.

Claire and Dane's first concert together was in August 2024--three and a half years after they started dating!

Dane competed in his first Ironman in September of 2024. He did amazing, and Claire was his biggest cheerleader.

In May 2025 Claire took her first big trip with the Hubers family--a cruise to Spain, France, and Italy!

On June 21, the day after Claire's birthday, Dane proposed! They had gone out for a nice dinner before Dane began med school, and Claire knew something was up when Dane drove past her driveway and said he wanted to show her this bike trail he sometimes rode! Erin and Kara were in on it and were there to capture the moment.

Dane moved home to Ann Arbor and began med school at Wayne State in July 2025. Late that summer, Claire began her new job with a financial investment firm and moved to Ann Arbor to be closer to Dane. The Hubers, who had been empty nesters for four years, had a full house for a couple of months with Dane, Claire, and Dre all living there! In September, Claire and Dre moved into an apartment nearby.