Kevin and Abby

06/24/2017

Naperville, IL, United States

Kevin and I (Abby) met through mutual friends and quickly formed a bond over our love of our profession, which is teaching and coaching. We were actually dating other people the first time that we met but developed a close friendship. The timing never seemed to be right for us to date but when we started training for a half marathon together we finally got "on pace" and began dating on the day of our first 5k in Chicago. Kevin claims he was chasing me all along and finally caught up to me that day. A year and a half later Kevin proposed at my house which was perfectly intimate and charming. We now live in that house together and I love knowing that our story began and will continue in our cozy home.

The wedding planning process is never easy but we mastered the art of compromise quickly. Kevin and his family are very traditional so a full religious ceremony was important to them. It then became my goal to make the reception a party from start to finish. Our reception site was at Méson Sabika which is a mansion turned Spanish Tapas restaurant so the food and sangria were heavenly. After dinner and first dances, we skipped the garter and bouquet toss and went straight for the dancing. The band filled the dance floor instantly and the patio was a perfect location for all "non-dancers." My mother built a paper flower backdrop that served for a make-shift photo booth with props made by a small business run by a special education class at the school I work.

Our day was a perfect mix of traditional and modern which made it magically us.