Hi Everyone! As you know, we opted to move forward with a small wedding ceremony with just our immediate family and bridal party in attendance. We decided to have our videographer host a livestream of the wedding ceremony so that all of our loved ones can tune in and celebrate from afar. We also look forward to finding ways to celebrate with all of you in the future when it is safer. Thank you so much for all of the love and support you have shown us thus far! On October 3rd, 2020, you can go to the link below to tune in. The ceremony will begin at 5:30pm central time and the livestream will begin shortly beforehand. http://www.metrospectmedia.com/livestream

Remember when Corona was just another type of beer we were going to serve at our wedding? Us, too! Oh how things have changed! We were so looking forward to hosting a large group for our special day - and we really thought things would be better by now! But as October 3rd has drawn closer, we know that our original plan would be putting our family and loved ones at risk, regardless of what the rules and regulations state. So, with that in mind, we have decided to move forward with a small, intimate wedding ceremony. Whether we are able to have a large celebration in the future or not, we will find unique, special ways to celebrate with each of you when the time is right, whether it's us taking a West Coast tour next year or having our fellow Chicagoans to a local watering hole. Your love and support means the world to us!

It was Halloween weekend of 2016 and Sam and his buddies were celebrating a friend's birthday on a trolley that drove them around Chicago as they bar hopped. Meanwhile, Alli had cancelled a flight to St. Louis last minute (thank you, Southwest!) and decided to stay for the weekend, with it being her first Halloween since moving to Chicago. Alli and her friends grabbed brunch and hopped around the city, ending up at Stanley's in Lincoln Park. It was pretty crowded inside with a Cubs playoff game on TV, which Alli and her St. Louis friends had no care for. As they were leaving the bar, a trolley pulled up. What looked like a fun crew hopped off and, after a few introductions, Alli and her friends decided they should sneak onto this trolley and, meanwhile, Sam and his friends were equally interested in convincing Alli and her friends to join their group. Upon making this realization, it was settled that Alli + friends would be joining the Halloween trolley with no costumes and no connection to anyone in this group. Our parents always said never get into cars with strangers, but they never mentioned any rules around trolleys. At the after party of the trolley, Alli and Sam finally started talking and have been laughing together ever since.

Alli's favorite place in the world is Kiawah Island, South Carolina, where her family has vacationed since before she was born. In keeping with tradition, Alli and Sam went down there in July 2019 to spend the week with Alli's family over the 4th of July holiday. Alli's mom, Judy, has always had a knack for planning scavenger hunts and they are often incorporated into family trips. This year was no exception, with Judy planning a very detailed scavenger hunt that she claimed would end at one of her favorite restaurants for her birthday dinner - in hindsight, this was to make sure we actually showered and looked decent. It was boys vs. girls and each team was provided with a cooler of cocktails and the first clue and they set off. The girls were clearly dominating the scavenger hunt so they were surprised to see the boys - and Judy and Bruce - at the 5th stop, The Marsh House. Judy claimed this was intermission and there would be a trivia portion to the scavenger hunt, with the winning team getting a 3 minute head start on the second half. After the girls quizzed the boys on a few Kiawah-related trivia questions, it was the boys turn to quiz the girls. That's when everyone backed away from Alli and Sam and he got down on one knee. Needless to say, Alli said yes :) The celebrations didn't stop there, with a celebratory dinner following the engagement and a boat day a few days later with some of Alli's best friends who live in Charleston. We can't wait to keep the celebrations going into 2020!