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Jordan + Dan

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Deep friendship sometimes grows into a lifetime love without our knowledge. If you ask Jordan and Dan Ficke, that’s how they will describe their relationship.

“Dan and I had known each other for ten years before we started dating,” smiles Jordan. “I always say that we’ve always been good friends, until one day…we weren’t! We met when I was 15, working at his father’s restaurant. I trained him on all the jobs around the restaurant, so technically I was his boss!”

Jordan and Dan went off to college but kept in touch; they became closer during the summer when Dan’s mother passed away. Jordan spent a summer in Europe after college; when she returned, the first text message she received upon landing back in the U.S. was from Dan! He was coaching at Wake Forest University in North Carolina and was back for a weekend. “He asked me out on a date, and the rest was history!” After dating for six months, it became clear that the two were destined to be together, and Jordan moved to North Carolina to be with Dan.

Jordan and Dan were living in Baltimore while he coached at Loyola University. “Dan travels all summer and is only home for a few days in June and July. On July 29, 2014, I came home and he had placed rose petals and flowers all over the apartment leading up to our puppy’s kennel,” Jordan reminisces. “I saw a card and a glass of my favorite wine. Dan does sweet things like this, so I didn’t think much about it. I took the dog for a walk and went on with my routine. Finally, at 5:45 p.m., I walked into our room, and hanging from the bathroom door were a dress, shoes, earrings and a note that said, ‘Meet me downstairs at 6:00.’ I frantically read the notes and realized that I had missed everything! I made it downstairs at 6:15 only to find the most handsome man, standing in front of a limo with two dozen red roses.

“We arrived at our destination, a restaurant on the water in Washington, D.C. We sat down and ordered, and Dan tried to convince me to walk on the pier. I emphatically declined, afraid they would give our table away. Reluctantly, I agreed to go to the pier with him. I soon realized that this was not just a romantic welcome home night. He began speaking really fast and sweating through his suit. Neither of us remembers exactly what he said, but he got on one knee and asked for my hand in marriage! Of course I said ‘Yes!” He proposed with his late mother’s first engagement ring, which his father gave to her in 1971, a beautiful emeraldcut diamond. We popped another bottle of champagne and ate dinner with smiles from ear to ear!”

The blissful couple tied the knot on June 13, 2015. Jordan’s sister, Dana Smith, served as Maid of Honor; bridesmaids were Audrey Bartlett, Jenna Dornseif, Amy King, Samantha McCue, Jamie Sloman, Kelsey Smith, Hannah Smith and Shannon Willison. Dan’s father, Bill Ficke, served as Best Man; groomsmen were Nick Boryla, Brad Farrell, Greg Fowlds, Brett Harvey, Ryan Lighthall, PJ Marshal, Mark Russell and Jawann Wright.

Although Jordan and Dan were wary of planning a June wedding, due to Dan’s work schedule, they learned that Dan’s mother’s birthday was on a Saturday. “So we knew it was meant to be!” affirms Jordan. “It’s always a hard day for Dan and his dad since her passing, and Dan thought it would be a great way to incorporate and honor her in our ceremony and also turn it into a happy celebration of love and life!”

Jordan and Dan honeymooned in Maui at the Four Seasons, and stopped by Del Mar on the way home. HLM