We're so excited to celebrate with you!

Joe and I met when we were both working at a recruitment firm here in Chicago. We both had firm lines that "we don't date co-workers" and vowed to just be friends, and called each other 'Work Wife/Husband' going forward. Cut to 6 months later and one work event where Joe asked if I'd like to come watch a movie at his place. I asked if I could bring my dog to which he said yes, and honestly the dog and I just never left. We officially began dating while on work trip to Boston, where we were gifted a peach cobbler at the dinner that said "happy anniversary." 3 years later we're so excited that the cake didn't lie.

Anyone who knows Joe knows 2 very concise things about him. First - Joe doesn't do anything he doesn't want to do. Secondly - Joe doesn't mince words. Which is great, because I'm a people pleaser and I can talk to a brick wall all day long. When we had been dating for 5 months both of our leases were ending at the same time, and in Chicago it made more sense to live together than pay for 2 places in the same building. However, this was pretty quick for young Joe and he debated it internally for weeks before approaching me about it. Finally one day he looked over after we'd toured an apartment and said "Open Forum - would you want to live together?" to which I said sure - and he said "great, if we break up I get to keep the tv and you get to keep the couch." It honestly felt more like a pre-nup than an invitation to live together. 2 years later we were Mexico bound for a vacation in the middle of winter and covid. Joe had told all of my friends that there would be no proposal on the trip, and they in turn told me. So, the first evening as Joe demanded we go for a walk on the beach, I was genuinely irritated that we had to leave the pool and the swim up bar. As we meandered down the beach with Joe wearing his backpack I was bemused and expecting him to offer me a water bottle. Instead Joe and I bantered about surviving 2.5 years of dating and a puppy. At one point he turned to me and said "Open Forum...will you marry me" and I laughed as he got to one knee and presented me with a gorgeous ring. After saying yes and continuing our walk back to the open bar - we both laughed at the fact that the moment he said "Open Forum" all I could think was that I had been bamboozled and hoodwinked because I knew exactly where that question was going. We are so excited to go back to where we got engaged and celebrate our wedding with everyone!