We’re getting married!

On Saturday, March 29, 2014 the Wisconsin Badgers took down the Arizona Wildcats in a 64-63 overtime win in the NCAA tournament, winning them a spot in the Final Four taking place in Dallas, Texas. Native Wisconsinite and lifelong Badger fan Chase watched the game with friends in Madison. Former UW Cheerleader Vanessa celebrated in Chicago at Will’s Northwoods Inn, Chicago's favorite Badger bar. At the final buzzer, both immediately began planning their trips to Texas to watch their team compete. It was this single point victory that would bring the couple together and forever change both their lives.  Vanessa and Chase took different routes to Dallas, but they were eventually brought together by their mutual friend, Stacy, when both were invited to Stacy’s post-game group dinner. A last-minute addition to the reservation meant the group was one seat short, bringing Vanessa and Chase close to share a single end of the table. They spent the night learning all about each other - Vanessa asking endless questions and Chase making her smile and laugh for hours. When it was time to go, Vanessa and Chase found they couldn’t get each other off their minds the whole way home.  Chase went back to work in Madison, and Vanessa returned to her classes at Northwestern University - but the pair kept finding excuses to message, call, and visit each other for weeks. By May, after an all-nighter in Chicago involving a jazz club, a lost car, and a breakfast diner, Chase and Vanessa made their relationship official.

Early in 2019, Vanessa began to plan her sister Alexandra’s birthday trip to Aruba. While she was finding flights, booking hotel rooms, and planning flamingo encounters, she had no idea that Chase and Alexandra were secretly planning an unforgettable proposal for the final night of their vacation. After days in the sun enjoying desert adventures, ocean excursions, and many pina coladas, the day finally came. Alexandra casually mentioned finding a restaurant on the beach to watch the sunset and soak up the last night in Aruba before returning home. When the group arrived at the beach, Chase took Vanessa’s hand and, spotting a swing close by, suggested that he and Vanessa go check it out. Vanessa jumped happily onto the swing, completely unaware of what was coming next. Chase grabbed hold of the ropes of the swing and pulled Vanessa up to stand with him. He took Vanessa’s hands, said the sweetest words Vanessa had ever heard, and got down on one knee. When he asked the question and opened the ring box, Vanessa fell down on her knees right beside him. Although it took several minutes for Vanessa to recover, she responded with the happiest “yes” she had ever spoken. When she looked up, she saw that her family was just down the beach, catching the moment on film. The rest of the night was spent celebrating with champagne and dinner by torchlight on the beach, making phone calls home to share the news, and a winning roll of the dice at the casino.