Let's go back to a time where Kaitlyn was living it up with her friends and Mike was doing the same. One Saturday, Kaitlyn thought it was a great time to meet up with one of her friends (Hi Alison!) to tag along to a bar she rarely entered—they have carpet on the stairs, it's hot, there is no rose wine. It just so happened that Mike was there too. They met each other on the third floor and it was the start of something new. After the initial intro, the two started to get to know each other through lots of date activities—from a brunch and bowling date to a jazz night at the Contemporary Art Museum. During these adventures, it started to become pretty clear that the two were not just a match made in Old Town, but there was the making of a legit partnership. . A few months later, it was Valentine's day 2020. Mike and Kaitlyn went bowling (didn’t see that one coming, did you?). On that February Friday, Diversey River Bowl was filled to the brim with high school couples.While waiting for their lane to open up, they grabbed a pitcher of light beer and chatted it up. And during this convo they were like: Mike: 'So' Kaitlyn: 'So' Mike: 'I like bowling, I like you' Kaitlyn: 'OMG SAME' Mike + Kaitlyn: 'So, we should like, be BF and GF then right?!' Mike + Kaitlyn: '100%' After this agreement, they crushed it in bowling, went to the Publican for a celebratory dinner, and were on their merry path to lifelong happiness. THE END. Oh, wait. Something else happened. There was a little thing that occurred starting in March 2020 and it threw a curveball in the Mike and Kaitlyn path to love: that, my friends, is COVID. If you know anything about the bride, you know she's a rule follower and stresses out about literally everything. During these crazy times, Kaitlyn stayed in the city with Carley (Maid of Honor, whoop!) while Mike went to the burbs to stay (with Best Man Jim, whoop! and his parents).. Kaitlyn and Mike ended up not seeing each other for 103 days. *We know this because Mike was keeping track with tallies on the cement wall in his backyard. Eventually, they made their way back to each other—in person—and the vibe and connection was still the same. Okay, so yeah, they continued hanging out, having a blast, playing fun card games with deep questions to get to know each other. AND THEN SOMETHING AMAZING HAPPENED. One day, Mike and Kaitlyn were supposed to go on a typical brunch and bowling date at good' ol Pinstripes. However, during their bowling outing, while Kaitlyn was throwing her ball for the 5th frame (and HIT A SPARE), Mike waited behind her with a box and a little ol' question. Spoiler, she said yes, Carley captured the whole thing on video as a stealth operative, and then they proceeded to continue bowling and celebrating. And that's why you're all invited to this special day!