Destination: "I do"

Alli and Mike matched on Hinge in the fall of 2019. Their first date was at Sapori Trattoria in Lincoln Park, where Alli’s nervous babbling and the pasta were both never-ending. Then came 2020. When the world shut down, they began quarantining together. Alli was finishing her final quarter at DePaul, while Mike was deep into his third year of dental school. That spring, Mike asked Alli to be his girlfriend (over their favorite bagels)—and the rest was history. Four years (and a lot of travel, dance lessons, and house parties) later, Mike asked for Alli’s parents’ blessing during a family vacation to Gatlinburg. He proposed in their Chicago backyard, transformed with string lights, rose petals, and candles—with the help of their wiener dog, Clover (see pictures in our gallery). As Alli said yes, she was surprised again—friends and family were waiting inside, and her parents had been secretly watching it all unfold. Now, they’re excited to celebrate in the city where it all began—and where they fell in love.