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Sean and Karen met on September 24, 2016 at a Northwestern University tailgate. They had a brief conversation about the master's program they were both pursuing, but nothing more than smiles and brief words were exchanged. On October 28, Karen and Sean met again at a Halloween party and realized there was something more. From there, it didn't take long for them to start their romantic journey. They had their first date on November 5 at Fountainhead in Chicago. Sean remembers being amazed when he saw Karen coming in to meet him. That same night he told Karen that he could see potential for a relationship with her. They dated for two months but decided to stay friends. However, they both still held feelings for one another.

Sean and Karen kept in touch while they were finishing their master's and after Karen told Sean that she was going London in September 2017, Sean told a few weeks later that he would also be in London during the same time. (Coincidence?) On September 21, they met up for dinner at The Green and later went for drinks at a nearby bar called The City Pride. There, Karen realized that she still had feelings for Sean, stronger than she knew. Sean was not expecting the kiss she asked for. After meeting again later that week, they both admitted their true feelings for one another, and wanted to try dating again. On Halloween night back in Evanston, Sean asked Karen if she wanted to be his girlfriend. She said yes! For the following year and a half, they built upon their relationship, traveled to different places near (St. Louis and Madison) and far (Italy and Peru) and ultimately decided to move in together in 2018.

It was on February 21, 2019 in Phuket, Thailand where Sean and Karen took the next step in their relationship. They were walking on a beach, admiring the marvelous sunset, when Sean went down on one knee and asked Karen to marry him. With tears in her eyes she said: "Sí. Sí. Sí. Mil veces sí!", meaning "Yes! Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!" On May 25, 2019 at Navy Pier in Chicago, they had a warm, intimate civil ceremony. They invited close family including Karen's 92-year-old grandmother, who traveled all the way from Perú just to see her granddaughter get married. The ceremony was officiated by Karen's beloved cousin, Jessica, who proclaimed them as husband and wife.

With only weeks to go, Sean and Karen realized that they could not go forward with their wedding as planned on April 25, 2020 due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. Despite attempts to reschedule for later that same year, they made the difficult decision to postpone indefinitely.

However, with these challenges came opportunities as Sean and Karen added a new member of their family, a beautiful Pomsky puppy named Tessie, who has enriched their lives. One year later, they took another big step and became homeowners while remaining in the Lakeview neighborhood they love. After a year and a half of waiting, Karen and Sean are now ready to have their ceremony and party they always dreamed of and they want you to be a witness in their celebration of love. They are looking forward to seeing you in Lima, Peru on February 26, 2022 and hope you can be a part of this momentous day in their lives!

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