Like many modern love stories, ours began on Bumble, the dating app. After matching, it took a while for us to finally meet thanks to busy schedules and Dan coming down with Covid. But when we eventually made it to our first date, we spent hours talking and immediately hit it off. Despite what was clearly a great first date, more than a week passed before Dan asked Kendall out again. As it turns out, Dan was convinced she wasn't interested and put off sending the text. Fortunately, he eventually worked up the courage to reach out, Kendall happily said yes, and the rest is history.

Designed by famed Chicago architects Daniel Burnham and John Wellborn Root, The Rookery Building was completed in 1888 and quickly became one of the most celebrated buildings in the city. Built in the years following the Great Chicago Fire, the structure helped define the rise of modern skyscraper design and remains one of the oldest standing high-rises in Chicago today. The building’s name comes from the old temporary City Hall that once occupied the site, which locals nicknamed “The Rookery” because of the many birds that gathered there. Architecturally, The Rookery was groundbreaking for its time. Burnham and Root combined traditional masonry with innovative steel-frame construction, allowing the building to reach new heights while flooding the interior offices with natural light through its stunning central Light Court. Root also engineered an early “floating foundation” system to support the building on Chicago’s soft soil. In 1905, legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright was commissioned to redesign the lobby. His transformation introduced the luminous white marble, geometric detailing, ornate staircases, and skylit atrium that make the space so iconic today. The result is a beautiful blend of Burnham and Root’s original vision with Wright’s signature Prairie-style elegance. Today, The Rookery is recognized as both a Chicago Landmark and a National Historic Landmark, celebrated as one of the city’s architectural treasures and a lasting symbol of Chicago’s design history. We are so grateful to have this historic site as our wedding venue.