Before she knew him as “fiancé,” Emily knew David as “hot horticulturist.” She admired him (and his signature bucket hat) from afar at Lincoln Park Zoo where they both worked, hoping that one day she’d get to climb him like a tree. David was doing the same, referring to her as “zoo bae,” and trying his best to sit next to her at staff meetings. They first spoke on Arbor Day, when Emily asked David to do “tree pose” for the zoo’s Instagram. When he responded, “I’ll do whatever you want,” she knew he was husband material. For a while, brief and awkward encounters on zoo grounds were the seeds of their relationship. Their love budded when David attended one of Emily’s yoga classes at the zoo’s Nature Boardwalk. He bought a season pass to the rest of her classes that evening. It was on. Eventually, Emily asked David to get a beer with her at River Shannon Irish Pub in Lincoln Park. After a few drinks she asked him to marry her. They sealed the deal with a kiss in their bike helmets outside the bar. David would ask the same question on a bike ride a few years later, this time with a ring (and after they took off their helmets). David and Emily have been growing a life and love together in Chicago’s Wicker Park. Like the couple from Disney Pixar’s 2009 movie Up, David and Emily met at the zoo and blossomed a lifelong love. Hopefully that’s the only similarity their story shares. They can’t wait to celebrate with their favorite people in the world (including you).

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1x0i7IfcOKuTlXy67Gl4Zl (Zola won't let us embed this as a link, but if you really care and are curious, you can copy and paste this link into a web browser, which is a huge pain, but we hope you enjoy our favorite songs!)