We got married!

We are thrilled to announce that after many trials & tribulations - we are MARRIED!!! Due to the current conditions, our original wedding celebration has been postponed indefinitely. Gratefully, the stars aligned for us to have a beautiful ceremony under an 800-year old live oak tree on Saturday, with my parents as our witnesses. We’ve always believed in the magic of this city - and wow, did she deliver. We are so appreciative of all the love and support we have received over the last several months. We look forward to celebrating with everyone as soon as it is safe to do so! We love you all! PS - Go to "Photos" to see more

We're not really sure. It's likely that we caught a glimpse of each other in elementary school while Mack played with his friends (who happened to live in Tess' neighborhood). It's also likely that we saw each other on the first day of high school as we were in the same class (of only 125 students!) at University High School. Our senior year, Tess was the editor of the yearbook, and Mack took the journalism class. Apparently there were multiple conversations that revolved around journalism assignments and whether Mack had submitted his photos of the basketball game on time. We both went on to Illinois State University where we lived blocks from each other in off-campus apartments for four years. But it wasn't until a month before Tess' graduation that we finally met. Tess turned 21 that week and the dance department threw a bar crawl to celebrate. Tess and her best friend & roommate Megan begrudgingly left their PJs and comfy couch to go out for the first time with all of their classmates. After hitting a few bars (and being thoroughly unimpressed), the girls wandered over to the classic downtown Bloomington spot - Fat Jacks. Not two minutes after walking in, Tess recognized a group of guys from U-High and waved. We owe it all to Ben Kiesewetter who came over to say hi, and brought Mack along with him. I never thought I'd say I met my husband in a bar but the rest is history... -Tess

It was already going to be a big weekend as Tess had a dance performance, her friend Kaylee was in town, and Tess' birthday was right around the corner. After her performance, Tess came out to find her college roommate Megan in the audience with Mack and Kaylee - what a surprise! Tess was thrilled and had a wonderful evening with three of her favorite people. Mack had previously explained that they needed to spend that evening at a hotel downtown, as he (supposedly) had a mandatory work conference the next day. That morning as they were leaving their room, Mack mentioned he wanted Tess to see the rooftop pool. They went upstairs and Tess discovered that there is actually an observation deck that has a 360 degree view of the city. Mack presented her with a "birthday" card, and several of the birthday and anniversary cards he had given her over the last five years. Hidden in each card were secret words that came together to spell..."Will You Marry Me?" Little did Tess know, the surprises of the day were just beginning! The couple got to go straight into an engagement photo shoot with one of Tess' best friends and professional photographer Emily Apple. Then they headed home to their apartment to retrieve Megan and Kaylee and go out to celebrate....or so Tess thought. As she opened the door to their apartment she found a surprise engagement party complete with decorations and everyone she loves. After the party settled down, Mack mentioned he had dinner reservations. On the way "to dinner" they stopped at what turned out to be an Airbnb for everyone to stay at together! Eventually they all headed to dinner at Tess and Mack's favorite spot in New Orleans - Jamila's Mediterranean Cafe. The surprises continued as their friends Emily & Matt, and Lauren and Matt Marturano showed up for dinner. It was truly a perfect day full of a million surprises and so much laughter and love.