IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING!

Curtiss and Diana's love story began in a dimly-lit late-night bar in Wrigleyville. Suuuper classy. It was a little after 1 a.m., Diana was celebrating her last week of college at Loyola and Curtiss was still reeling from a bike accident earlier that evening and the unfortunate loss of his credit card (again). They locked eyes at the bar⁠ and suddenly felt like they were the only two people in the room. Before they knew it, they were outside exchanging numbers and a tasteful goodnight kiss.

In 2016, after three years of dating, Diana came down with a bad case of wanderlust and left to travel the world with her sister Maddie. Curtiss knew that as much he wanted her to stay, when you love someone, sometimes you have to let them go. So he did. But he did not give up. He wrote Diana letters every day she was gone and gave them to her on her 26th birthday. Diana cried as she read all 28 single-spaced pages in her communal hostel room in Prague. The letters worked! When Diana came back to the states, she spent a week with Curtiss in Chicago. They fell in love all over again and have never looked back.

Two years later, Curtiss popped the question while he and Diana traveled through Portugal. He was incredibly nervous, and in true Curtiss fashion, he almost lost the ring… twice. Luckily, Diana’s sister Maddie was traveling with them and offered to hold on to it. While the three of them were out beach hopping in Lagos one afternoon, Curtiss suggested they catch the sunset at Ponta da Piedade, a scenic cliffside overlooking the ocean. So they decided they would head back to the Airbnb by 3:30pm to get ready for the 5:15pm sunset. Plenty of time. 3:35pm: They made it to the top of one of the most picturesque beaches, wine in towe. Diana and Maddie assured Curtiss they would stay for “just 10 minutes!” 3:50pm: Diana and Maddie opened the bottle of wine, despite Curtiss’s repeated casual pleas. “Hey guys, we should probably head back soon…it’s getting late…and uh, babe, you take a while to get ready…” 4:15pm: They were finally on the road, speeding. “Di! You can get ready in 30 minutes, right?? I believe in you! I know you can do it, babe!” Curtiss was in full-on panic mode. And Diana was starting to get suspicious… 5:00pm: They were back in the rental car, and managed to peel into the parking lot just as the sun was beginning to dip into the ocean. As Diana looked out over the water, Curtiss snuck up behind her, got down on one knee, pulled out the ring, and said the words he had spent the last six years rehearsing.