How It Began Jenna and Derek’s love story started as a friendship at CU in 2012, amid the fun and games (and dancing) of Greek life. Through shared excitement over a business plan for class to a romantic snowboarding lesson in Keystone to a momentous Valentine’s Day hike, the layers of attraction grew and grew until their friendship became something more. Friends initially wondered how two such type-A personalities could ever work out as a couple! But in the years since Jenna and Derek began dating, these two strong yet complementary individuals have built a partnership filled with mutual respect and loyalty, shared intellectual curiosity, and constant support for each others’ independence, personal aspirations, and professional ambitions. Making It Official Between their thriving careers, extracurricular pursuits (running for Jenna, golf for Derek), and busy lives with family and friends, getting married wasn’t top of mind, although they attended many a friend’s wedding over the years! But in 2022, after one such wedding, the idea of sharing vows — of being best friends, of combining their lives, of becoming a family — suddenly resonated for them in a way it hadn’t fully before. In early 2023, the two went to Vail, one of their favorite places to spend time together. Knowing Jenna well by this point, Derek said he’d made reservations at a “speakeasy” that, he insisted, had no phone number she could call to confirm and no listed address she could look up. Instead, he led her through the ice sculptures in this winter wonderland, and then he got down on one knee. His hands shaking a little, whether from nerves or the cold, it all depends on who you ask, Derek proposed. Jenna said yes. Looking Forward With family and friends, on a beautiful beach in Playa del Carmen this November, it’ll be a moment to finally celebrate what Jenna and Derek have, actually, already done: fall in love, grow together, and make a commitment to one another. Even from the very beginning, they’ve felt like part of each others’ families. Now, they’re excited to start their own.