The importance of friends can never be taken for granted. Especially when they set you up on a blind group date in the midst of Covid, and that one date ends up presenting you with the person of your dreams. The time: October 2020. The place: JL’s Sports Bar in Palatine. The players: 3 couples…one of which had never laid eyes on the other. From what I recall, the introduction went fine… not a whole lot of conversation… probably some nervous knots…but a seed was planted…. Maggie Finn and Jimmy Smearman met.

It was the first official date… Dinner for two. It came shortly after the initial meeting and took place at the Finn Family Lake House in Antioch. There was a wine & cheese course. A meat course. And a spark or two…of course.

I have known Jimmy for over two decades, and I have always liked him. I met Maggie about two years ago and I remember calling her “Mags” right away. It was like we were old chums or something. It was genuinely bizarre that the comfort level was so high, so fast. But if I were the wagering type, I would have bet on Jimmy and Maggie. Even Maggie’s sister Megan sent a snap chat of Jimmy playing with her daughter Lily (Maggie’s niece) right after they all met for the very first time. Her comment was “I think he’s a keeper”.

Things progressed quite rapidly from there, with Maggie and Jimmy making a major shift in their life perspective from “I” to “WE”. They took vacation trips to Florida, a one-year anniversary trip to New York, and spent a lot of time with both their families and friends. They spent time trying new restaurants, taking morning coffee walks, and going to the lake house. If their time together was a popular song, it would be “Come Fly With Me”.

From what they tell me and from what I can see for myself, Maggie & Jimmy feel as if they’ve known each other forever. Being together just feels right…feels like home. And they can be their truest selves without being worried that it will somehow change the way they feel about each other. OK…there might be a tiny bit of sweat… but that generally happens when they go work out at the health club together, and that’s to be expected.

Maggie thought she had the perfect birthday weekend planned for Jimmy’s August birthday. Downtown Chicago, the Riverwalk, nice dinner, nice hotel. Little did she know, the surprise would be for HER (even though she recently caught the bouquet at a friend’s wedding). So, on that day, Maggie couldn’t understand why she and Jimmy were heading the wrong way on the Riverwalk. But she went along with Jimmy anyhow…. and it’s a good thing too. Because otherwise, the photographer Jimmy had hired would not have been able to take all those great pictures of Jimmy getting down on one knee and popping the question! You know the one: Will You Marry Me?!?! Maggie looked around and wondered…”is this really happening?” But there was never a doubt…and with a sprinkle of happy tears, of course she said YES!!!

October 14th, 2023, at The Abbey Resort in Fontana, Wisconsin. It’s a destination that has special significance for both Maggie & Jimmy. Maggie’s Dad loved the lake, and I’m sure he’s looking down from heaven and smiling. I have come to realize that family & friends truly mean the world to this couple. By the time they get married, they will have attended 25 weddings together. That shows how much they are loved and how much they love celebrating with others. Next year, they will be attending the most important wedding of all: their own. It will finally be their turn. And they can’t wait to be joined together as husband and wife in the presence of God, and share their special day with the people they love.

Maggie and Jimmy, writing this piece was an honor, and it was easy to do. Your story is filled with love and laughter, care and compassion. And that’s because of who you are as individuals, and who you are as a couple. I’m so glad to be a part of this amazing journey; it has been wonderful so far…but the best is yet to come! I feel so blessed and I love you both. -- Mom (Mother Of The Groom)