Our Story
It all started the way the best stories do π sweaty, sandy, and completely unplanned.
On June 2nd, 2017, we met at North Avenue Beach during an adult rec league volleyball game. (Yes, beach volleyball. Yes, we're that couple.) Neither of us had any idea that the day before Sean's birthday would turn out to be one of the most important days of our lives. We rang in Sean's birthday dancing the night away, which honestly feels very on-brand for us.
We quickly became really good friends, hitting up fun concerts like Taylor Swift's Reputation Tour, various Rod Tuffcurls and the Bench Press concerts, Colin Jostβs stand-up tour, and generally making the most of Chicago. Until a trip to Russia changed everything. The rest, as they say, is history. An extremely chaotic, adventure-filled history.
When COVID hit, we moved in together and nothing says "I love you" quite like sharing 850 square feet during a global pandemic and coming out the other side still actually liking each other. Then in January 2021, we got the baby, Nala, who has been running the household ever since and absolutely knows it.
In June 2023, we decided to pack up our Chicago lives and just... go. Like, go go. Over the next three years, we hopped across the globe with Nala in tow β MontrΓ©al, Bulgaria, Italy (basically all of Italy), Prague, Romania, Paris, Germany's Christmas markets, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Indonesia, India, Taiwan, Hong Kong... and that's not even all of it.
We spent three months putting down roots in Mexico City, exploring the food scene and the neighborhoods at our own pace. Then came Bangkok, where we spent a year and a half calling Southeast Asia home, using it as our base to explore the region while building a little life of our own.
In between, we collected moments we'll never forget. Hiking the Path of the Gods on the Amalfi Coast and eating our weight in pizza. Riding horses up Mount Vesuvius. Wandering through castles in Transylvania, raising steins at Oktoberfest, and getting lost in the magic of Germany's Christmas markets. Floating down the Mekong on a slow boat. Visiting elephant sanctuaries in Thailand and Laos. Watching the sun rise over Cappadocia from a hot air balloon. Camping under the stars in the Thar Desert. Swimming alongside manta rays in Nusa Penida and sea turtles in Gili Air. And one of the most meaningful trips of all β visiting Suzhou, China, the city where Lexi was born, and capturing it all in serious and hysterical photos together. Rolling out of our boat bed at 4am to climb to the top of the Komodo islands and watch the sun rise over the islands was equally unforgettable, the kind of serenity you can only experience in true nature, with no distractions and only nature in sight, plus a few dozen other tourists who also dragged themselves out of bed at 4am for their photo ops.
Along the way, we were lucky enough to be welcomed into some truly unforgettable celebrations β a wedding in Russia, one in Ireland, the most colorful wedding in India, two incredibly different cultural weddings on opposite sides of Turkey, a beautiful Thai ceremony, and a dozen back home in Chicago. Turns out watching other people say "I do" is great practice.
And now, here we are, in San Francisco π planning this wedding you're about to attend.
Nine years of friendship, love, and adventure β plus one very spoiled baby (hi, Nala πΎ) β and it's all led to this. We're getting married in Chicago, where it all began, and we couldn't be more excited to celebrate with the people who mean the most to us.
Thanks for being here and being a part of our story. Now let's party. π₯