Small world, big city. The Prologue: They had 17 years of missed connections before they fatefully swiped right. Ben grew up in Manhattan and moved to Barrington, IL when he was 12. Jacque grew up all over, but ended up in Lake Zurich, IL when she was 9. The neighboring towns not only share a border, but an outspoken and committed rivalry. This is where it gets weird: Their family homes were 2 miles from each other. Jacque went to Ben's senior prom. Ben was a frequent customer at Jacque's first job and a frequent consumer of the restaurant’s double-bacon ButterBurger deluxe baskets. Their families both ate at Tacos el Norte weekly. Stranger still, they were living just 3 blocks from each other when fate finally brought them together in 2016. They finally meet: A reservation was set at One North Kitchen. It was Cinco de Mayo and Jacque wanted a margarita. Even though his messages were witty, Jacque nearly canceled on Ben the night before after yet another disappointing first date. Then, she looked back at his profile and decided he was too cute to pass up, so she gave him an hour of her time. The hour they spent together was filled with playful banter and lots of laughter. They haven’t stopped laughing since.

Here? On Wabash?! It was 95° and the love birds planned to meet for a late afternoon appointment in the diamond district. After what felt like an eternity of indecision, Ben had asked Jacque to come with him to help pick out the final touches on a ring. She'd spent weeks reading into every move he made. Just that morning, Jacque's sister-in-law Camisha had to talk her out of wondering if ‘today is the day’ because Ben had strangely insisted Jacque wear her hair down...in 95° weather. After work, Ben came to Jacque's office for a casual happy hour. They sipped cocktails and made small talk with her new colleagues. Her suspicion started to wane. Nothing seemed awry. Nothing out of the ordinary as they hoofed it to the train. Nothing as they climbed the stairs to the platform. Nor as they rode the 5 stops to the jeweler and walked out of the station. Disappointed, Jacque relented that it wasn’t going to happen today. Then, steps away from the shop, Ben asked Jacque to wait for a moment. "I have something to ask you before we go in." She stared at him bewildered as he reached into his bag and dropped to one knee. "I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Jacque, will you marry me?" As he opened the box and bared the ring he had commissioned weeks before, she put her hands on her head and prepared to utter the phrase she'd waited her whole life to say: "Here? On Wabash?!" Eventually she got her wits about her and said “of course”. Ben then pointed out the secret photographer who whisked them into a photoshoot amidst the urban backdrop. Jacque was still in shock as Ben told her they had a dinner reservation and needed to go home and change. She walked in the door thinking about the perfect outfit to wear, but her thoughts were soon interrupted by a loud "SURPRISE." What followed can only be described as the most perfect way to celebrate a perfectly unexpected engagement.