John and Ilene met in July of 2014 in Montauk. John was just visiting, but that didn't stop him from asking Ilene to have drinks with him later that week in NYC. When John went back to Ohio, he and Ilene kept in touch and soon they started traveling back and forth to see one another. After a year of long distance, John moved to NYC to attend Columbia and the two moved in together shortly thereafter. John proposed in Paris in June of 2019. Their dog-child Coach is very happy his parents will finally be making things official. They will be tying the knot on the 7-year anniversary of their first date.