Natalie and Dans story begins more than a decade before they ever started dating, back when they attended rival high schools. Dan went to Brooks; Natalie went to Governors Academy.

The two of them first met, sort of, at a country concert in the summer of 2011. Natalie was there with her high school friends, Dan with his, and the two groups merged in the parking lot of the Mansfield Xfinity Center. They never actually spoke, but everyone there could tell they'd end up together someday (not really, but it makes for a better story). There's photo proof of the night, and fortunately for Dan, Oakley sunglasses and undershirts have gone out of style. Unfortunately for Dan, it is questionable whether they were ever quite in style.

From there, their paths diverged for twelve years. Dan headed to DC for Georgetown. Natalie made a stop in Waterville, Maine, for a season with the Colby Women's Lacrosse Team before transferring to Vanderbilt in Nashville.

After a few years in the working world, Natalie in New York, Dan back in Boston, they each decided to head to grad school. Natalie finished hers in 2022 and moved back to Boston just as Dan was starting his own program. Through a mutual friend (thanks, Nate), Dan helped Natalie find an apartment in the city.

Natalie threw herself into a demanding job while Dan busied himself in his first year of grad school, so it wasn't until October 2023 that their paths finally crossed again, this time when Dan spotted Natalie on a certain app and decided to take his shot. Natalie still insists it was strange that he didn't just text her, but Dan preferred the confirmation that came with a match.

Their first date landed a couple of weeks later, on November 9th, at a Bruins game. The Bruins won handily, and afterward the two headed to The Sevens for a few drinks before wandering around Boston and going their separate ways. Dan left that night certain that, as long as he didn't blow it, he'd found the one.

The second date was at The Street Bar, and the third occurred, of all places, in Charleston. From the very beginning, it all felt natural. Natalie quickly won over Dans family, and Dan eventually won over hers.

After graduation, Dan took a job in San Francisco, which meant a year of long distance. The time zones never dented anything, and instead only strengthened their relationship. Natalie flew out west to visit Dan in his bare, half-furnished apartments, and Dan caught more than a few red-eyes back to the East Coast. He finally moved home to Boston in September 2025, and the two moved in together in the South End, where they still live today. From there, the next step was only a matter of time.

The Proposal

With their two-year anniversary approaching in mid-November, Dan realized his birthday made the perfect cover. On a bright, sunny fall afternoon, he and Natalie set off from their South End apartment toward Beacon Hill for an early birthday dinner for the twins -- Natalie carrying a gift for Jill, none the wiser. Dan led them through Back Bay and onto the Comm Ave Mall. Just past Berkeley Street, at 3:42pm, he dropped to one knee and asked Natalie to marry him. She said yes!

And if anyone doubts the precision of that timestamp, Dan is happy to share the Google Sheet he used to plan the whole afternoon.

After a few photos in the Public Garden, Dan suggested a celebratory drink at The Street Bar, the site of their second date. The moment they walked in, Natalie spotted her mom and dad waiting at the corner of the bar to congratulate the newly engaged couple, and she was immediately brought to tears at the sight of them. After a glass of champagne, the group walked down the street to Davio's, where Natalie's two brothers, her sister-in-law, and Dan's family were all waiting. The two families broke bread together, and the whole evening went off without a hitch.

Since that very first date, Natalie and Dan have only grown closer. They've spent Cape weekends golfing, fall days in Colorado hiking (and golfing), and Julys in Kiawah celebrating Natalie's birthday (and golfing). From Boston to San Francisco to Colorado to Kiawah, the road has led them here -- to March 6th, 2027, in Charleston, where they cant wait to say I do in a place they love, surrounded by the people they love.