This Delaware couple found their heart’s match in medical school.

By Lisa Dukart

Devin Sullivan wasn’t looking for a relationship when she met Blake Shoemaker, but she couldn’t deny their instant connection. They became fast friends, good friends.

The two students met the day before starting at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Because the first letters of their last names were close alphabetically, they often found themselves paired together for labs and in classes. They also found a mutual friend group.

Devin and Blake’s profound connection was even felt by others. Before the two started dating, Blake’s dad pointed Devin out in a crowd during a white coat ceremony and told him, “I think you guys are going to end [up] together.”

He was right, but it wouldn’t happen for a while. Right now, they were focusing on their studies.

Mid-year, Blake decided to ask Devin out. They went to dinner, talking so late into the night they closed the restaurant down.

“It was nice that we were friends first, because I got to realize what a great person he is,” Devin says. “He’s just a very empathetic, kind, intelligent human.”

When it came time to look for residencies, they opted for a couples match, hoping to be placed in a the same health system. ChristianaCare was their match, and also a top choice for Devin since it was near where she’d grown up in Hockessin. It wasn’t far from Blake’s hometown of Northumberland, Pennsylvania, either.

They began working in July 2020, a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic. The whirlwind time “sped up getting to knowing [each other] and how we handle those stressful situations,” Devin says.

By now, each knew they had found their life partner and an engagement was imminent. Flying out to California to visit Devin’s twin brother and his then-girlfriend, Blake planned his big moment.

“Devin loves sunsets and beaches,” Blake says. Toward the end of their vacation, the two couples rented a convertible to drive up the coastline and go wine tasting. They ended the day at Malibu Beach. And then, as the sun began its descent…he asked.

A little over a year later, Devin wove those same sunset hues into her bridal bouquet in a nod to the special moment. Their August 6 wedding was exactly six years to the day they had first met. Holding their ceremony and reception at Hagley Museum & Library, their nuptials took place by the Georgian-style du Pont estate. It was presided over by the museum’s executive director, Jill MacKenzie, Devin’s mom’s longtime best friend.

Before the ceremony, they exchanged a first look, sharing quiet moments together ahead of the excitement. “I was just overtaken with emotion when I saw her,” Blake says.

Devin adds, “Everything slowed down and I just felt very calm and still.”

The celebration was a testament to their love and the many more perfect moments that lie ahead.