Once upon a time in a land far far away (Champaign, IL), Cory and Rachel met through mutual friends sometime during first semester of their freshman year. They were friends throughout college and even became "pledge husband and wife", not knowing what the future would hold. They graduated from the University of Illinois in 2015 and moved to the city shortly after. The post-grad years came and went, but they remained friends throughout the years. It wasn't until the summer of 2019 that Rachel and Cory started to become more than friends. Cory asked Rachel to be his girlfriend on the first night of a trip to Amsterdam and the rest was history. After surviving a year of quarantine, they moved into an apartment together because they knew it was the real deal. Countless memories, concerts, travels, date nights out, and movie nights in - with their friends and family by their side along the way - it was time to make it official.

Rachel had hinted at her *perfect proposal*, hoping the day would be coming soon. One idea that she planted in Cory's head was that it would be a surprise. On a rainy May Saturday (the weekend BEFORE Memorial Day, which was when she was TOLD that her sister would be in town), Rachel and Cory were meeting their friends for brunch. Their Uber dropped them off at Lincoln Park (a 10 minute walk to the restaurant) and Cory told her that they had arrived. They walked through the park, to a spot that he picked out months prior. Rachel started to panic realizing what was happening, only to find out that her sister was there and everyone would be waiting for them at home. Surprised would be an understatement. He asked, she said of course, and they had a party to celebrate the next chapter with their family and friends. Everything was perfect!