Maria and Will first met while grabbing drinks in downtown Chicago after work. Will leaned over to his brother, nodded his head in Maria's direction, and whispered "I'm going to date that girl". Little did he know, he'd be so lucky to marry her!

Let's rewind... Maria moved to Chicago in 2019 to kick off her career at Salesforce. After many Friday post-work happy hours, she became fast friends with a group of coworkers, including Will's twin brother and Best Man, Riley. One fateful night, Riley decided to bring Will along to grab some beers at Point & Feather in River North, where Maria was enjoying a skinny spicy mezcal margarita with a few friends, including her Co-Maid of Honor, Lexi! Months passed, but Maria felt herself gravitating towards Will whenever he was around and frequently asked Riley, "Where's Will tonight?" Finally, after a sunny Saturday at Parlour Pizza in March 2020, Maria and Will bumped into each other and right after leaving, Will texted Maria "I'm taking you on a date".

Two days later, the world shut down and Will fled home to the suburbs of Chicago to quarantine with his family and Maria hunkered down in Tahoe, California with her sister and Co-Maid of Honor, Chelsea, and her husband, Rajiv, for what was planned as two weeks and ended up being three months. Maria and Will spent the entirety of Covid texting and facetiming. Maria would use solo hikes as an excuse to call Will without fear of her sister eavesdropping and Will even resorted to playing (and mostly losing) games of online chess with Maria, looking for any excuse to talk to eachother. In June 2020, Will took Maria on their first date, a long walk and picnic on the lawn of Gibsons. They spent hours talking and laughing together, which was just the start of their love story.

After two years together, Maria and Will moved to New York City in June 2022 to kick off their next adventure. Together, they have explored their new home and absolute favorite city - enjoying picnics in Central Park, trying new restaurants in every neighborhood, singing along during 9th St. Groove's sold-out concerts, and enjoying Sunday night dinners with Maria's sister and bridesmaid, Emily, and her husband, Peter.

In 2023, Will and Maria made memories traveling together during their 23 trips, many which included a quick flight to Vermont to visit Maria's sister, Chelsea and her family, Rajiv, Lily, and Hazy! Vermont has become a home-away from home for both Maria and Will and they are excited to celebrate their love and the start of their forever with you!