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GRAND FORKS — Brett and Taylor Delage have the unusual distinction of being a married couple born on the same day at the same hospital, just a few hours apart.
But the two were not always as close as they are now, just a few weeks on from their marriage ceremony.
“We didn’t really like each other right away up until maybe our junior year, and we became friends,” Taylor said. “Then we hung out a lot, just us two.”
They had known each other since second grade, when their teacher threw one class birthday party for both of them, but they did not know at the time their connection goes back even further.
They were both delivered on Sept. 13, 1994, by the same doctor at United Hospital, which merged with the then-Grand Forks Clinic under Altru’s umbrella after the 1997 Flood. The connections don’t stop there, either. Brett’s mother has been a nurse at Altru in Crookston for nine years.
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They did not find out just how much they had in common until they began dating in 2013, which was their senior year at Crookston High School. They were still dating when they graduated together. After nine years together, Brett proposed the day after Christmas in 2020.
The setup for the proposal was Brett wanted to take pictures at Taylor’s parents’ house. He was able to get his own parents and Taylor’s best friend to come, as well.
“We go in the backyard, and we have our cat and our dog with (us),” Taylor said. “Brett and I are standing there, and we're taking pictures with them. I didn't know that Brett had put the ring around our cat collar. And I'm just sitting there holding my cat, and the ring’s right in front of my face. I didn't even realize it. At one point, it was taking forever for me to notice, and (Brett) goes, ‘Can I have the cat for a second?’ I turn it over, and I’m handing it to him and I see the ring. He gets down on one knee, and I start bawling.”
Taylor liked to bring up her seniority in jest during their dating lives. The running joke even made its way into their wedding this year.
“Our pastor made a comment at our wedding about how we had the same birthday, and I whispered to him, ‘Make sure I let them know I'm older,’” Taylor said. “He goes, ‘Yes, Taylor, we know you're older.’”
The inherent connection between them through Altru was not just present during their dating lives. It is a connection still jokingly brought up often reminding them of how they've never truly been far apart in their lives.
“Most of the time, it will come up on our birthday, or pretty much just whenever she wants to just tell me that she’s older than me by three hours,” Brett said.
