Iris and Andrew met the old-fashioned way: no apps, no blind dates, no set ups. Just fate stepping in at the opportune time when shared interests put both Iris and Andrew in the same voiceover class at Acting Studio Chicago. Their first day of class had them seated on chairs atop high risers, a mustard colored pant wearing Andrew seated behind a floral sun dress wearing Iris. She spoke to a friend of hers in class about the hottest app of summer 2016, Pokémon Go!, and Andrew butted in to give his hot take. And, as you would say…the rest is history!

But it wasn’t quite that simple, really. You see, it would take the entire duration of the class for either of the couple to make a move. Allegedly, both had an eye for one another, but neither ever really took the chance to spark up a conversation. It was on the last day of class that Iris made the move to speak to Andrew, when she showed interest in seeing him perform in a show at Chicago Shakespeare Theater that was at least half a year away. In his head, Andrew laughed at the idea. There was no way that she would actually show up to the performance that was that far in the future – what would keep her connected to him? A train ride home and outdoor deck conversation with his roommate later, Andrew finally figured out that Iris was flirting with him. While he maintains it was him specifically not trying to date any more actresses that blocked him from recognizing Iris’ motive, he also realizes how thick headed he can be about things like this. The two chatted away on Facebook messenger for the rest of the night, smiles on both their faces. Finally getting a clue, Andrew worked up the courage to ask Iris out on a date. As you would say, the rest is history!

Or was it?! There was a huge hurdle to overcome in getting to their first date: Iris had a two-week long vacation planned in Italy with her best friend Annie. Andrew was concerned that momentum would be lost and that their first date planned at Guthrie’s Tavern (R.I.P.) would be scrapped after Iris came to her senses. In fact, Iris even texted after getting back from her trip that she was sick and the date would need to be played by ear – a disastrous sign! On Iris’ side, however, she took every pill and vitamin she could find in order to still make the date happen. Thankfully, the two finally did meet in the romantic, yet no frills setting of a neighborhood bar packed to the brim with craft brews and stacks of board games. They played Settlers of Catan on their first date. Iris won. They got tacos after. It was an amazing sign of what the two’s future held in store for them. Iris’ innate competitiveness matched perfectly with Andrews’s penchant for challenging, as-complicated-as-possible board games, and the two built a foundation for their relationship upon their shared love of games, close-knit groups of friends, and a never-ending tendency of being goofballs with one another. And the rest, as you would say, is history! Really!

Flash forward three years and Iris and Andrew are living together, both having pivoted from the arts into corporate careers (and are kind of killing it?), she is fully aware of how obsessed he is with Dungeons & Dragons and miraculously still wants to be with him, and they’ve been on two big vacations together. They were in the middle of plotting their next big vacation – destination Spain and Portugal - and also were making the move from Lincoln Square to Lincoln Park. Despite the big changes in both of their lives, the two were still certain the other was the one for them all throughout the way. The element of surprise was a hard commodity to come by, as Iris and Andrew picked out and designed her wedding ring together. Popping the question was a certainty – it was just a matter of when and how. With a European vacation on the horizon and images of sunny coasts, cultural landmarks, and epic food and wine on Andrew’s mind, it was clear to him that there was no better choice but to ask the love of his life to be with him forever while they were halfway on the other side of the world. But that didn’t sit right, and the savvy Iris would see that coming from miles away. Another opportunity showed itself in an upcoming housewarming party the two were throwing where all their closest friends would be in attendance. The significance of moving into a new home together, their friends by their side, and the trip being days away – it was all perfect. Andrew pulled Iris away from the party and to the front porch of their home, where he got on one knee and told her exactly what she meant to him, asking for her hand in marriage. Iris, completely surprised, cried tears of joy as she agreed and the two kissed while Dan Plehal snapped photos from his hiding spot. An announcement was quickly made in the backyard, and their housewarming party was at once an engagement party to boot.

With the burden of popping the question out of the way, the now engaged couple flew off to the Iberian Peninsula with not a worry in sight about when or where a question might have been popped. They settled on a longer engagement before officially being wed and couldn’t have predicted the circumstances that the world finds itself in today. However, despite the other being the only human they saw each and every day for almost a year, their love for one another only grew and matured over time. They have been waiting a long, long time for this day, and while it doesn’t look like how they originally planned their celebration, it changes nothing about the significance it holds.