THE MEETING

Alex and Breanne were set up by a mutual friend, Christina, in their first years of college. She was Breanne’s sorority sister and good friends with Alex. Following Christina initially tossing out the idea, they bumped into each other once or twice but only for a few minutes or in passing. It wasn’t until a few months later when Breanne, recently single, reached out to him on Facebook. Over the summer they chatted off and on until the start of school in August. Shortly after returning to campus, Alex surprised Breanne on her birthday with flowers. That was the moment things really began for the two of them.

The first day we met has always been a point of contention, but I just couldn’t get the thought of meeting Breanne out of my mind. I had to be patient and court her to get her attention, but even then it was a bit of a struggle for a while.

THE FIRST DATE

I think our first official date, we went to get Mexican food with another sorority sister and her boyfriend at the time. Following dinner, Alex took me to Comedy Sportz to see an improv show. On the way back to campus, we grabbed frozen yogurt. Prior to that, I had been pretty swamped with recruitment events, so we had a date night in, opting to watch a movie; not wanting the night to end, we decided to take a long walk in the pouring rain.

THE MOMENT

After a few years, I think we just both knew that we wanted to stay together and marriage would help solidify that. I wouldn’t say there was one defining moment…more like many happy days together that helped us know for sure.

THE QUIRKS

The quirkiest thing about Alex would be that he likes running…. Weird. Also he doesn’t like warm fruit, so no pies or apple crisp.

The quirkiest thing about Breanne is the way she smiles at you if she really likes you. It’s nothing I’ve ever seen anyone else do before.

THE I LOVE YOU

I accidentally said I love you while getting ready in my sorority for a Blackhawks game. I was looking in the mirror, putting on my makeup and Alex was just hanging out. Somehow it slipped out and I immediately back-tracked saying I didn’t mean to say it, even though I definitely meant it. It wasn’t until a few months later, when Alex said I love you, that I said it again.

THE PROPOSAL

My best friend Suzanne and I had gotten together for dinner and to hang out. She suggested the restaurant near the Bean at Millennium Park so that we could ice skate or at least take some pictures after we ate. Ice skating was packed (and a decoy apparently) so we went up by the Bean to take some pictures. Because it was freezing, Suzanne’s phone had died, so we walked around a little. I had no idea we were actually walking around so she could locate Alex, who was there with his sister, who took photos of the proposal with the Bean and skyline behind us.

THE VENUE

After making appointments to view a few other unique venues with banquet halls, we found that neither of us were enamored by any place other than The Haight. Its ambiance, flexibility of spaces, staff, and aesthetic were all very appealing. In retrospect, I don’t think we could have found a better venue.

THE WEDDING DAY

Alex and I spent the majority of cocktail hour, just the two of us, enjoying a few drinks and appetizers in the bridal suite. It was very special to have a few minutes to reflect on the day so far. Aside from that, I loved the moments leading up to the wedding…and, obviously, spending time with our closest friends and family, laughing and just enjoying the day.

THE ATTIRE

My dress was Blush by Hayley Paige and Alex’s suit was from The Groomsman Suit.

THE MARRIAGE

Marriage has given us both the ability to find humor where there had been none before. It’s given us a newfound respect for the way we work together and process stressors. The process of planning the wedding changed our relationship more than marriage itself, since we knew nearly everything about one another prior to the wedding.

THE ADVICE

Once engaged, have a conversation about expectations and set a budget. Alex and I were very clear with each other about how often we wanted to plan; some people want to do it all at once (or by circumstance, are forced to do so), while others need longer periods in between decisions to not feel overwhelmed. Throughout our engagement, we worked hard to keep that communication going. We both wanted to be involved, but planning can easily turn into a never-ending to-do list. I would also recommend having days or even weeks, if your timeline allows, where you don’t talk about the wedding at all. Most importantly, enjoy the process and the little moments together along the way. I loved our mornings sitting in new coffee shops waiting for a vendor meeting or exploring new restaurants near our venue.

THE SHOUT OUTS

Gosh, we loved all our vendors! I truly felt like we had a dream team on our wedding day. Anthony Alanis was our videographer. We immediately clicked with him when we first met. He captured the day perfectly and was so fun to have around. Brittany Lyn Studios was our photographer. Even though she wasn’t able to shoot our day with her husband, she and her assistant captured us in the ways we were hoping they would.

SLT Hair & Makeup along with my cousin Grace. Ashley Nicole was our coordinator. She was awesome day-of and so helpful in the months/years-or-so of planning up until the wedding, keeping us on track with planning and focused on what was important to get done along the way.

Cuisine America was our caterer. Mary Catherine and her team were great. The food was excellent and Mary Catherine’s many years of knowledge and experience were invaluable. Wedding Cake Music was our DJ. Erik and Jon were great, from coordinating song lists and MC responsibilities prior to our day. They played what we requested, honored our wishes and knew exactly when to step out of bounds and let the energy of the night carry everything along.

EDEN was our florist. Jordan put together beautiful arrangements and was there when we needed her to move our dual purpose greenery. From what I know, she worked well with The Haight staff and our caterer to get the scene set just right. Lullabelle Design was our stationary. Erin was so great. She met us in person to discuss our ideas and was tolerant to our many requests to modify everything. She was very accommodating, responsive, and a joy to work with.

THE VENDORS

PLANNER: ASHLEY NICOLE EVENTS INC.

PHOTOGRAPHER: BRITTANY LYNN STUDIOS | VIDEOGRAPHER: ANTHONY ALANIS VIDEOGRAPHY

FLORALS: EDEN| CATERING: CUISINE AMERICA

CAKE & SWEETS: FRIEND | DJ: ERIK RAMIREZ – WEDDING CAKE MUSIC

ALCOHOL: THE HAIGHT | HAIR & MAKEUP: SLT MAKEUP ARTISTRY

INVITATIONS: LULLABELLE DESIGN