Renee, a Louisiana gumbo queen, and Pete, a New York yankee boy, both found themselves in Chicago, Illinois in pursuit of their comedic aspirations. In late 2014, the two were enrolled in the same improv comedy classes at the iO theater.

While suffering through a typically brutal Chicago winter, Pete asked Renee out to a restaurant that boasted, "the city's best Hot Toddy." Unfortunately, neither the server or the bartender seemed aware of what a Hot Toddy was. Pete and Renee were told "the bartender can probably whip one together." Despite that hiccup, Pete and Renee bonded over their love of The Food Network, their supportive families and awkward first dates.

Pete and Renee never anticipated becoming a part of three families: their friends in Chicago, the Byrnes in Webster and the Barrys in Lafayette. Their wish for this wedding, is to pay tribute to the support that all of their loved ones have given them over the last six years. In Chicago, surrounded by their improv community, the couple had an engagement party. In the pre-winter landscape of upstate New York, Pete's wonderful friend, John Schlia, took their engagement photos (sprinkled throughout this website). In Renee's hometown of Lafayette, and within the gorgeous Jungle Gardens of Avery Island, the two will be wed. 2020 was an extremely difficult year for not only the Bride and Groom, but for all of you. Pete and Renee are so excited to finally have all three families come together, under one roof, to celebrate their Marriage.