Welcome to our wedding website, we can’t wait to celebrate our special day with you. We’ve created this website as a convenient and interactive way to share all of the important details leading up to our wedding as well as details regarding the special day. Hopefully, you can find answers to any questions you may have concerning our wedding and associated events. You can also read the narrative of our life and get to know our awesome bridal party. Hotel recommendations are listed, plus we've made suggestions of places to visit and things do while in the Windy City. To ensure our vision of an exemplary wedding is actualized, please take note of the wedding color scheme and expected attire under the Wedding Events heading. Need help in selecting the perfect wedding gift? Check out our registry information here, as well. So, have fun! Take a look around; browse until your heart's content. Don’t forget to RSVP when the time comes! Finally – Thank you for your ongoing love and support. We are so excited to share this day with you and we look forward to dancing the night away with all of our favorite people! Love, Yolanda and Willie

Prologue: Yolanda and her son Xavier had just moved into their apartment in Oak Park, IL from Arkansas and were settling into the “Big City” life. Yolanda had begun her first year of teaching for Chicago Public Schools on the Westside of Chicago at Dvorak Math Science Academy. She was feeling blessed to have been given the opportunity to teach in one of the nation’s largest school districts and she was determined to do the best job possible! Willie had just begun his career with Cook County Juvenile Detention Center as a Youth Counselor. He considered himself blessed, as well, to have a rewarding career. Chapter 1: One spring afternoon, Yolanda had concluded her day and was leaving the school building through the front entrance. There was a lot of traffic impeding her efforts to cross the street to get to her car. As she waited patiently, traffic suddenly came to a congested standstill. She could hear someone yelling, “Hey lil ole pretty black girl!” She didn't pay the cat calling any attention since she knew the greeting couldn't be directed at her because she was a 23 year old GROWN young woman who had never been approached by a man in that manner. As Yolanda stood, patiently waiting for the traffic jam to clear, a handsome young man (Willie) , motioned for her to cross the street. Knowing that she had reached the other side safely, the young man yelled again, “Hey lil ole pretty black girl”. This time, Yolanda responded, “Hello, thank you.” (To this day, she can't believe she even fell for that line!) Willie immediately parked his car, jumped out, and introduced himself. They spent the remainder of the afternoon talking. Afterwards, they exchanged telephone numbers. This marked the beginning of a beautiful friendship; the first chapter of their life together.

Chapter 22: Willie's birthday was approaching and he knew exactly how he wanted to celebrate. Yolanda could tell that he was up to something suspicious. He arranged for Yolanda's family to travel from out of town to attend his birthday celebration. He also contacted Yolanda's friends. SShhhhh! Willie had big plans. This was going to be more than just a celebration of his life. As Willie was making preparations for what he had in mind, Yolanda was making sure that Willie's party would be amazing. She busied herself with planning his party; deciding on a color scheme, choosing the venue's decor, selecting food items and the ideal favors. She wanted Willie's night to be perfect; no detail would be overlooked. That night Willie and Yolanda's family and friends packed the venue. It was a celebration and everyone was having a great time. In the midst of all the fun, Willie called Yolanda to the front of the venue under the guise of thanking the partygoers for celebrating his birthday with him and his favorite girl. He began his "thank you" speech in normal fashion. Then in a quick turn of events, Willie got down on one knee to begin his proposal of marriage. Yolanda looked on in shock and everyone else screamed in excitement! Yolanda and Willie painted the perfect picture: she, a stunning vision in burgandy and creme and he, a perfect model of a dapper gentleman as they expressed their love for each other in front of their loved ones. Yolanda did not hesitate to answer, "Yes, Yes Yes!" They were now engaged; ending one chapter and begging the next chapter of their life together.

Chapter 23: Willie and Yolanda will make it official; embarking a new journey and writing the story of the next chapter of their life together.