After years of a long distance relationship, this couple tied the knot on one rainy yet blissful September day.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

“Kendall and I met in Peoria, IL at a dive bar of all places! We had a mutual attraction for each other and we starting dating, but the timing couldn’t have been worse. A month after we started dating, I graduated from college and moved up to Chicago to start my new job. Thus began several years of many back-and-forth drives to spend our weekends together! After dating long-distance for over three years, Kendall landed a new job and joined me in the Chicago area in the fall of 2016.”

HOW HE POPPED THE QUESTION

“In February 2017 Kendall suggested that we have a date night since the following weekend we would be picking up our golden retriever puppy, Kona, from the breeder. When we hopped in the cab, Kendall told the driver to go to Navy Pier. I was confused because I thought we would be going straight to dinner — after asking Kendall, he said that the dinner reservation was not until later in the evening so we had some time to kill. By this time it was close to 6pm and I was getting “hangry”, so we stopped at a food stand to eat some french fries. Then Kendall suggested that we go for a ride on the ferris wheel since we still had some time before dinner. On the first loop up to the top, Kendall got down on one knee and proposed!  He knew how much I love the city (even though we live in the suburbs) and made sure to integrate that into the proposal… he truly surprised me!”

WHERE TWO BECAME ONE

The pair were wed on September 8th in the Ritz Charles Chapel followed by a reception at the Ritz Charles Garden Pavilion, a glass structure set amongst beautifully landscaped gardens and imported fountains offering a 360 view of the natural surroundings.

CHERISHED MOMENTS

“Kendall and I were planning on an outdoor wedding. As the day got closer, we realized that there was a 100% chance of rain (luckily we had a back-up plan for the ceremony). There was a lingering effect from hurricane Florence which hovered over Indianapolis our entire wedding weekend. We still had the best day – we took a bunch of cute pictures with our umbrellas, and our wedding party didn’t complain at all (even though they were getting soaked)! Our photographer also did an amazing job of turning an overcast day into photos that are light and beautiful. It’s hard to pick one moment that was my favorite because the entire day was so special, but I will definitely always remember the rain. They say it’s good luck for it to rain on your wedding day, but it rained almost every single minute of our wedding day, so we must have a lot of good karma coming our way!”

TIPS FOR FUTURE COUPLES

“Despite how much planning you do, there are certain things out of your control (like the weather!) and something is bound to go “wrong.” At the end of the day, remember that none of those small details matter- you are marrying your best friend surrounded by your closest family and friends. It will truly be one of the happiest days of your life, so just enjoy every minute!”

VENDORS

Photographer: Tessa Tillett Robbins
Dress: Beloved Brides
Bridesmaids Dresses: Weddington Way
Hair & Makeup: Ashley Fatt at HG Studio in Noblesville
Venue: Ritz Charles Chapel (Ceremony)
and Ritz Charles Garden Pavilion (Reception)
Florist: McNamara
Cake & Caterer: Ritz Charles
DJ: Paul Michaels Events
Photo Booth: Happy Snaps Photo booth LLC
Rings: Ethan Lord Jewelers