Oshkosh Love Stories

Jess + Brennan Lund

I met my husband Brennan when we both worked at the VF Outlet more than eight years ago! Since then, we've lived in Oshkosh, gotten engaged in Oshkosh, got married at The Waters and will continue to live here forever! Brennan also adopted my son, Deacon, at the Winnebago County Courthouse. All of our important days have been in Oshkosh and there's not other place we'd rather be!

Kristy + James Schaeffer

June 29, 2019 James and I had our first date in Downtown Oshkosh. We went on a sunset cruise with “On the Loos Cruises”. After, we had dinner, drinks and took a walk along the river, not wanting the night to end. Fast forward to April 30, 2021…it was a warm April evening and we decided to get dinner down by the river. We ate outside, then took a walk along the river. We frequent the riverwalk, and fondly refer to the area where the boat took off from on that first date as the “scene of the crime”, as that is where our love story began.

That night, when we got to the “scene of the crime”, James dropped to one knee and proposed. I said yes and we proceeded to Beckets to share our excitement. Dylan was behind the outdoor bar and when we told him of our news, he poured us two glasses of champagne, congratulated us with a toast and announced our good news to the patrons. We decided to get married at Beckets thanks to their amazing owners and beautiful venue. On December 17, 2022, we got married on the perfect snowy wi get day with the river that holds so many memories for us shining through the window behind us. Oshkosh is our home. The place where our love story began and where we look forward to growing old together as we make more memories.

Jaime + Pete Haferman

We first met at Pete's Garage on Halloween before I moved back from Florida. She asked me to take a picture with her and her friends. I had no idea who she was but she rubbed my arm and that’s all I needed. Her and her friends left for the night and I went over to talk to one of my friends and asked if anyone knew who she was. No one knew, but I told my friend that she was smoking hot and I’m going to marry her someday.. A month later, she friend-requested me on Facebook and I thought “holy sh**, this is the girl from Halloween”. A week later, it was a friend’s birthday party at Pete's, and I told her I would be down there if she wanted to hang out. She came down. We talked for hours, and we had our first kiss in the Pete’s bathroom. That was December of 2012. We got married at the Gibson in February of 2022. It’s all history!

Madison + Torey Eytcheson

My (now) husband and I moved to Oshkosh in 2021 when we were dating. We didn't have any ties to Oshkosh, but it has been the perfect town for us. We've made so many friends and memories here. Early 2022 we adopted our sweet boy Whiskey from a local shelter. Last April we had our wedding ceremony at Venue 404, pictures at Menominee Park, and wedding reception at the EAA Aviation Museum. It was THE BEST day. February 1st we had another wedding ceremony and got our marriage blessed at St Raphaels. Our love has grown so much in this great town.

Anjie + Pete Baier

Pete and I met working at Oshkosh Truck in 2001. We started dating in 2002. We have had many adventures together and married in 2019 at the Oshkosh Masonic Center. 23 years of adventure in Oshkosh!

Chloe + Boone

In the summer of 2018 I moved back to my hometown of Oshkosh after I had been living in the big city of Milwaukee for 8 years. The circumstances that brought me back here were hard on me and had me pretty down. It was time for me to rediscover Oshkosh and see what ‘Event City’ had in store for me. It being summer the downtown farmers market was in full swing and it would be my first time going. I checked out every market stand and all the shops along the way.

One of the places I adored the most was Wagner Market. The biggest selection of craft beers, brats, and some of the most delicious deli options I’ve ever seen. There was a deli worker behind the counter that caught my eye. Red hair you couldn’t miss and a smile so contagious. I was terribly shy to say anything more than a friendly customer and employee interaction. I attended the market until it was over. Stopped in a few times over winter and back to every Saturday during the market. This happened for 4 years. I was so excited to see he was still working there each summer. Even if I didn’t need anything I would purposely buy SOMETHING in hopes he’d check me out at the register. Money well spent for 2 solid minutes of smiles, giggles, and heart palpitations every Saturday.
I would constantly gush over ‘the cute red head at Wagner’ to my best friend, FOR FOUR YEARS.

My friend finally got fed up with me being too shy to do anything and went straight to the source and told him I liked him. He was surprised and had the same feelings. We both just figured the other was taken and didn’t make any moves. He asked me out the next time I saw him and our first date was at the Oshkosh Farmers Market.. after all that’s what brought us to each other.

Alicia + Ian Wenger

Our paths crossed in 2019 at the local downtown brewery and we quickly became close friends. After 1.5-2 years of growing closer, the chemistry was obvious and we started dating. Shortly after, the housing market hit a sweet spot and it made sense to buy! So we found our perfect first home in the heart of south-side Oshkosh and made the commitment. In September 2022, we got engaged in our favorite place doing our favorite thing. It was raining but that made it more romantic. September 2023 we tied the knot. The venue was TJs Harbor, well, actually the Air bnb next door (the Goyke House) , but they hosted our reception and it was awesome. Regardless, it was a beautiful day on Lake Winnebago and our wedding was a dream. After joining our original pets into one family and getting married, we decided to let loose and get a couple more cats and a dog. And now here we are in our little corner of our new hometown with our too-many pets and we wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Sarah + Jonathan Jacobson

Jonathan and I were both born in Oshkosh and have lived our entire lives here. We attended Community Church Oshkosh and Oshkosh North High School together, but didn’t officially meet until I purchased my first car from him. He and I didn’t speak to each other again until two years later. I caught him looking at me at church one Sunday, but he didn’t come over. Later that night I was just about to message him on Facebook when he sent me a message at the same moment! He and I chatted back and forth for a bit, then he called me a few days later to set up our first date at Starbucks. He and I hit it off right away and decided to pursue a relationship a few dates later.

He and I dated for four months before he proposed to me at his family’s land in Princeton, Wisconsin under the guise of star gazing. We got married a year after our engagement at Community Church in Oshkosh and had our reception at the former UWO Alumni Center. (Now the UW Oshkosh Culver Family Welcome Center).

Patricia + Marlo

Marlo and I met while we were both at UW-Oshkosh. I was participating in the Miss Oshkosh program, and I needed the music for my talent piece edited. One of the girls who was performing the violin for her talent shared Marlo's phone number with me since she knew him as a violin major. We connected, he edited my music, we stayed in touch via Instant Messenger, and soon after we were dating. We graduated from UW Oshkosh, were married at St. Peter Catholic Church in 2009, and together opened Manila Resto and Algoma Club in Downtown Oshkosh. We are happily raising our children here and enjoying everything our community has to offer.

Katie + Aaron Weeks

Katie grew up in Oshkosh and moved to Orlando for work after graduating from UW-Oshkosh. While living in Orlando, she met fellow theater-lover Aaron on a dating app after multiple near-misses in-person. At one theater show, they each attended solo, sitting only 12 seats apart, but not yet meeting. Katie brought Aaron up to Oshkosh multiple times while they were dating to experience sturgeon spearing, the Paine Art Center and Gardens, Menominee Park and Zoo, the Oshkosh Public Museum, and more.

After dating for a couple years, they were engaged in 2020. When deciding where to get married, they chose Oshkosh to be close to Katie's large family, and chose The Grand Oshkosh, where Katie grew up performing in Oshkosh North musicals, as their wedding venue (the easiest choice of the whole wedding), due to their love of theater. Longtime Oshkosh North choir teacher Randy Zentner even attended their wedding for some hard-hitting nostalgia. It was the perfect venue, captured beautifully in part by Thompson Photo Imagery. 

The couple has since moved to Wisconsin and resides in the Milwaukee area, making regular trips up to Oshkosh to visit family, friends, and China King Buffet. Aaron, a lifelong Floridian, shoveled snow for the first time in his life in Oshkosh, and continues to embrace the seasons and his new XL snowblower.

Lindsey + Matt Mugerauer

Our story begins in the halls of Oshkosh West High School, when kids still used their lockers. Ours were close to each other and a friendship grew from there. After graduation we started dating, spending nights at Spanbauer field and attending UW-Oshkosh together. We got married in 2005 celebrating at the Columbus Club surrounded by friends and family.

Growing up in Oshkosh we couldn't imagine starting our family anywhere else. It's been fun watching our kids walk the same halls that we did. To give back to this community that gave us so much, Matt found himself getting involved in local politics. Starting with serving on the Softball Commission to being the Mayor of Oshkosh. We can't wait to see what the future holds for us, our family and this amazing city.

Alondra + Ryan

Ryan and I met in Oshkosh at Peabody’s on a summer night. He was talking to a mutual friend and I spotted him and knew I needed to go introduce myself. Long story short, we will be together for 9 years this summer! We bought our first house in Oshkosh and raised our daughter and two dogs there up until recently. Oshkosh and Peabody’s holds a very special place in my heart because it brought Ryan and I together!

Rona + Ron 

"Neither my partner, Ron, nor I have ever lived or worked in Oshkosh, and yet Oshkosh remains a significant place in our story! We first met in 2019 on a cruise from Vancouver to Southampton on Cunard's QM2. It was my first solo cruise after being widowed and Ron, who was divorced, was aboard with friends. Over the course of the trip we got to know each other, not really believing that anything permanent would result. After all, he lived in Australia and I in Britain!

After the cruise, we kept in touch via WhatsApp.. and then came Covid. We were locked down literally half a world apart! WhatsApp became our lifeline and we spoke or video-called every day for nearly three years!

In 2022, Ron booked a week at the EAA Oshkosh Fly-in. He's a retired RNZAF and RAAF officer and had long wanted to go to Oshkosh. "Come with me" he said "I'm flying into Chicago & driving up to Wisconsin. We could meet in Chicago Airport". And we did! What a week it was. The convention was spectacularly vast yet so brilliantly organized. The aerobatic displays were awesome and the aircraft on display fascinatingly varied. Ron was in his element and we enjoyed being invited to the Jabiru owners get together one afternoon!

Oshkosh 2022 cemented our relationship. We knew that we needed to be together, so there were tearful farewells at Chicago Airport. But two weeks later Ron flew to the UK. We spent a few months flying to & fro, eventually deciding to make Australia our home. This year we are returning to Oshkosh. We're sure it will be just as happy a week as 3 years ago."

Heidi + Jordan

My husband Jordan and I didn’t meet in Oshkosh, but it’s where our love blossomed.

We first met on a camping trip in the summer of 2019. I had gone to visit mutual friends, and Jordan—still in college at UW-Oshkosh—was there too. We quickly connected, and even though Jordan fell for me before I realized it, we couldn’t deny the spark between us. We began dating in April of 2020. Fast forward to 2021, when Jordan proposed, and we began planning our wedding. We knew we wanted a special place, so we picked the Gibson Social Club in Oshkosh, right across from the bars we had frequented in our college days.
On December 16th, 2023, we said "I do." Oshkosh will always be close to our hearts—where we started our journey and where our love truly grew.

Tiffany + Reid

We both got a second chance at love after meeting on a dating website. Reid grew up in Neenah, and Tiffany grew up in Georgia. The Paine Art Center and Gardens in Oshkosh was the perfect place to declare our infinite love for one another, and it just happened to be during the initial Nature of Light exhibit in 2022.

Oshkosh will always be a part of our story for setting the scene for a beautiful life!

Ashley + Mike

Mike and I are both Oshkosh natives and we met by accident during the Oshkosh Main Street Music Festival at Barley & Hops in 2017. Mike was working crew for the bands, I was there with my friends, who happened to know him. We were going back to my main street apartment to make tacos and they invited Mike along. I fell for him the moment he offered to wash the dishes after I cooked (a routine we still have to this day).
After beginning a friendship that turned into dating in 2020 we discovered that our parents lived just blocks from each other, we both went to Oshkosh North High School just missing each other by a few years, and we were at UWO at the same time. Again just missing one another. Mike was even the DJ at my friends wedding that I attended! We even ended up living across the street from each other and could signal with lights and signs to each other during quarantine in the beginning parts of COVID.

After years of just misses that turned into friendship, then dating, we got married in Downtown Oshkosh where it all began. We had the most perfect wedding at Venue 404 in 2024. Although we ended up moving to Neenah, Oshkosh always holds a special place in our hearts. We visit Oshkosh weekly and can never be too far from home.

Brandee + Brett

Our journey began in late 1989 in the heart of Oshkosh. My mom, Pat Shaw, owned a charming flower shop, and fate intervened when Brett, freshly returned from the Air Force, stopped by to visit his aunt who worked there. Mom thought he was "cute" and set us up on a blind date.

Brett picked me up the very next week, and our first date at the Chalice Restaurant sparked a connection that only grew stronger. Our second date at the old "Pegasus" restaurant sealed our fate, and the rest is history.

In 1991, we celebrated our love with a wedding at Brett’s church in Fond du Lac, followed by a reception at the Downtown Hilton (now the Oshkosh Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center). Oshkosh has always been our true home—our children, Katie and Kyle, were born at the old Mercy Hospital—even though we spent over a dozen years in Sun Prairie.

Now, we’re back in Oshkosh, soaking up everything this wonderful community has to offer. We love sharing our passion for this town with our kids and two grandbabies. Whether it’s summer park tours, enjoying root beer at Ardy & Ed's Drive In, attending Brew's on the Bay at Menominee Park and Zoo, taking train rides (we’re thrilled they’re making a comeback!), going on zoo dates, or exploring the Downtown Oshkosh Farmers Market—the adventures never end.

After 34 years, our love continues to flourish, as does our growing family, all set against the backdrop of this amazing town. Thank you, Oshkosh, for all the love and memories!

Beth + Steve Oswald

My (previous) “work husband” wanted to set me up with one of his close high school friends. He knew that if I could appreciate/tolerate his sense of humor that Steve and I would hit it off. He was right. Our wedding invitation (in the photos) really is the best way to describe our love story.
We got married at our friend’s building - what is now Venue 404 -and made our home right here in Oshkosh, the city where I grew up. 14 years later Steve is still making me laugh!

Shawn Bell + Tatum DePerry Bell

Shawn and I grew up in the same small town and graduated from the same high school two years apart. However it wasn’t until we both attended UWO did our paths cross. We connected and Shawn invited me to a house party he was having in January of 2018. Ever since that night we have been inseparable. We spent many nights together studying at the library and working together in Reeve Union! Shawn proposed in July of 2021 and we got married in September of 2023. I am so thankful for Oshkosh bringing us together! 

Tammy + Joe Lefeber

"Dollar Burgers & Dollar Beers" -- We didn’t know we were making memories- we just thought we were having fun! As a bartender for over ten years at Ohio Street Station, this small-town girl fell in love- not just with a person, but with a crew, a community, and, eventually, Captain Joe.

Monday nights were legendary on the corner of Ohio and 9th. This college girl from a tiny town took a stab at bartending and found herself in the middle of something much bigger. I met some of my best friends, had some of the best times, and learned way more than minimum wage could ever offer. Somewhere between 4 PM and 2 AM, I discovered a love for watching the back door swing open, eager to see who would be part of my story that day.

The Happy Hour folks came first, popping in after work to unwind. We’d talk about their day, their families, and the obligations waiting for them at home after "just one" (which was often two). I loved hearing about their businesses and finding ways to support them as I grew into my own needs in the city through the years.

Next came the teams- baseball, darts, pool, kickball, and my personal favorite, soccer. Groups of people gathering to have fun and bond after the game, to unwind, and meet up each other’s new boyfriends or girlfriends, turning a simple Monday night into a special page in their story. They didn’t know they were making memories either, but I got to witness it all.

In a world flooded with negative news, my favorites were the celebrations- the birthdays, the promotions, the engagements (you get the idea). Moments where friends rallied around each other to spread love and joy. And on the rare occasion someone was celebrating alone, I had the distinct honor of making their night special.

Then there were "the regulars." Each unique in their own right, they found comfort and belonging within those walls. They became my friends, my family, and sometimes, just a really funny story to tell in the years to come. Many met "their person" on a random Tuesday night. Others shared their big plans, announced they were engaged or expecting, with smiles bigger than Lake Butte des Morts or laughed until their stomachs hurt at Thursday pool league. And some showed up just so I wouldn’t have to "work" alone.

I fell in love with a community I didn’t even realize was being built around me. I graduated from UWO, landed my first “real” job at OshKosh B’Gosh, but I kept that Monday night shift going for a few more years. It wasn’t the money that kept me- it was you Oshkosh!

Those dollar burgers led me to my own "cheeseburger in paradise"- my husband, Joe. It’s where I chose to buy a home, start my family, and raise my kids. It’s where I now go out to celebrate the people I’ve met along the way and, most recently, where I started a business of my own- Cruisin Tikis Oshkosh with my Cheeseburger Lovin’ man named Joe.

It was love at first sight. I love you, Oshkosh. I always have, and I always will. Cheers to the memories, our future, this community, and my better half.

-With all my love, Tammy “the Bartender from Ohio Street”

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