Our story begins in August 2022 where Nick "accidentally" super swiped right on Mary on the beloved dating app, Tinder. It only took three tries to finally set the date that we would finally meet on September 9, 2022 at Sportsman's Club in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood of Chicago. From there, it was clear that we had a connection. Our first year together was spent travelling all over North America, including Charleston, N.C., Louisville, KY, New York, NY, Indianapolis, IN, and Cabo, Mexico. Our love of travel didn't stop there, as we also made frequent trips to Galena, IL and finally abroad to Ireland, Portugal, and Italy the following year. While our first years together were filled with lots of travel, we also bonded over salsa dance classes at our local dance studio, as well as our love for food. And we mean, all food. Whether it's Nick or Mary cooking a gourmet meal at home for each other, dining out at one of Chicago's most incredible restaurants, or grabbing a late night hot dog, we have truly found an appreciation for the simple things in life. At the end of 2023, we decided it was time to expand our family and brought Mr. Beef, our mini Bernedoodle puppy, into the picture. Believe it or not, we had that name picked out for months before deciding it was the right time to take the plunge into puppy parenthood. Bringing us to today, where we recently purchased our first home...making the great leap from city life to the suburbs. We are loving our yard, making the space our own, and creating memories in a place we know we will cherish for years. Not only that, we are in the thick of wedding planning, and we simply cannot wait to have you all join us this September to celebrate the love and happiness we have experienced with each other for a lifetime to come! Get ready to dance the night away with us!

Galena holds a special place in our hearts. From the late 1970s and early 80s, Mary's grandparents found Galena as their perfect getaway to escape the city, enjoy nature...and her grandfather's favorite...fish on Lake Galena. Since childhood, Mary explored all that Galena has to offer and more. Not only that, Mary introduced Nick to Galena where we lovingly now call it "our happy place." Galena has been a place where we have celebrated with friends and family throughout the years, so when searching for a venue, finding a place in Galena was at the top of our list. In fact, on our third date, Mary (for some ungodly reason) told Nick that her dream wedding would be in Galena surrounded by friends and family, to which Nick's (also insane) response was, "Let's go do that." So here we are, doing that. And we're so glad to have you join us!