The story of Erin and Jeff begins in a time many choose to forget - the pandemic. A time of much uncertainty, which was the perfect start to a time in which we will always remember. While home in St. Louis for Thanksgiving 2020, Jeff matched with a beautiful girl in Chicago on a popular dating app called Hinge (hint: it was Erin). It just so happened that the prompt of “what do you look for in a plus one wedding date?” was on both of their profiles and he answered almost the same exact same answer as her, which was “someone to tear up the dance floor.” After texting back and forth for a few nights, Jeff decided that he needed to go back to Chicago to meet her despite his plans to stay home through the holiday season. Miraculously, this mystery girl agreed to go on a date with him, so off he went on his perilous journey. On a cold Chicago December 6th evening, they agreed to meet up at George Street Pub in the Lincoln Park area. At this time, Chicago bars/restaurants still had social distancing rules and dining had to be outside. So they sat together on a patio in freezing temperatures in their coats, moving tables 3 times because the heaters by their tables kept going out (and there was no one else crazy enough to be sitting on a patio in that weather). They laughed and talked for hours, keeping Erin up way too late for her early mornings as a teacher, and that continued on for the next few months as their love blossomed. Over the next few years, after countless long walks to Lake Michigan, time spent with friends, traveling, and endless hours of laughter, they moved in together across the street from Wrigley Field. About one year later, Jeff saw a listing online for a messy bear of a puppy who was abandoned and looking for a loving home - thus Wally entered into their lives. Three years to the day of their first date, Jeff proposed in front of Lake Michigan right outside of Diversey Harbor, where they used to always start their walks together. Now they can’t wait for everyone to meet them in Chicago where their story began and celebrate with them as they begin their next chapter!