Annie
and
Chaz
Our Story
Annie and Chaz both serendipitously moved to Chicago in the summer of 2020. For Annie, it was a move back to her hometown after 9 years on the east coast; for Chaz, a few-months-long trip out to Chicago to take advantage of remote work and visit some high school friends for the summer, with plans to make the drive back east in the fall. (Spoiler alert: Chaz never wound up making that return trip to Virginia…)
They connected on a dating app, where Chaz’s opening message mentioned that one of his best friends had gone to Williams, Annie’s alma mater. That was enough to get Chaz’s foot in the door, and they met on a warm night in August about 5 months into the pandemic. Late summer and early fall unfolded between long dinners, lakeside strolls, and even a Beer Olympics where Chaz introduced Annie to the famous Flabongo – and no less than 20 of his close friends, whom she now counts as her own. Chaz continued to push back his return to Virginia until, in February 2021, a new job in Chicago finally did what Annie had hoped for all along: got him to stay (though Chaz contests that Annie was the impetus, months earlier, for canceling his return roadtrip).
In the fall of 2021, the couple moved in together in Lincoln Park, relocating to River North in the spring of 2022, where they spent the summer trying nearly every restaurant within walking distance. They celebrated Thanksgiving with Annie’s family and Christmas with Chaz’s, and on New Year’s Day 2023, Chaz suggested they go look at rings. He maintained that an engagement was still the better part of a year away, a ruse that successfully threw Annie off the scent of a spring or summer proposal. But on April 22, 2023, during a sunny 15-minute pocket between hail showers, Chaz asked Annie to marry him, orchestrating an elaborate weekend of surprise celebrations with family and friends. On that day, Annie understood why people say their wedding day is the best day of their life, because just the prospect of marrying Chaz made that the best day of hers (so far).
Annie and Chaz often reflect on the timing of their meeting. It took a global pandemic for them to find each other, and while the future was uncertain, they each knew at least one thing to be true: there was no one else they’d rather spend their lives with. Perhaps the best bonus to finding each other has been meeting and forging friendships with all of you – the family and friends of the person we love most. Thank you all for being in our lives. We couldn’t be more excited to celebrate with you in June.
Lots of love,
Annie & Chaz
They connected on a dating app, where Chaz’s opening message mentioned that one of his best friends had gone to Williams, Annie’s alma mater. That was enough to get Chaz’s foot in the door, and they met on a warm night in August about 5 months into the pandemic. Late summer and early fall unfolded between long dinners, lakeside strolls, and even a Beer Olympics where Chaz introduced Annie to the famous Flabongo – and no less than 20 of his close friends, whom she now counts as her own. Chaz continued to push back his return to Virginia until, in February 2021, a new job in Chicago finally did what Annie had hoped for all along: got him to stay (though Chaz contests that Annie was the impetus, months earlier, for canceling his return roadtrip).
In the fall of 2021, the couple moved in together in Lincoln Park, relocating to River North in the spring of 2022, where they spent the summer trying nearly every restaurant within walking distance. They celebrated Thanksgiving with Annie’s family and Christmas with Chaz’s, and on New Year’s Day 2023, Chaz suggested they go look at rings. He maintained that an engagement was still the better part of a year away, a ruse that successfully threw Annie off the scent of a spring or summer proposal. But on April 22, 2023, during a sunny 15-minute pocket between hail showers, Chaz asked Annie to marry him, orchestrating an elaborate weekend of surprise celebrations with family and friends. On that day, Annie understood why people say their wedding day is the best day of their life, because just the prospect of marrying Chaz made that the best day of hers (so far).
Annie and Chaz often reflect on the timing of their meeting. It took a global pandemic for them to find each other, and while the future was uncertain, they each knew at least one thing to be true: there was no one else they’d rather spend their lives with. Perhaps the best bonus to finding each other has been meeting and forging friendships with all of you – the family and friends of the person we love most. Thank you all for being in our lives. We couldn’t be more excited to celebrate with you in June.
Lots of love,
Annie & Chaz