Wedding | Anna & Connor

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We’re Connor and Anna — proud new “Miami Mergers” who met during our freshman year at Miami University. Connor grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago, while Anna is originally from Atlanta, but our paths crossed almost 13 years ago.

Today, we’ve built our life together back in Chicago, where we live with our sweet French bulldog, Frankie Mae. Connor works in marketing at the McDonald’s headquarters (which made our late-night wedding snack an easy choice), and Anna is an implementation manager for a benefits administration company.

We both come from incredibly loving families, and over the years, our friends and families have blended together so naturally. At the heart of it all, we’ve been best friends for these past 13 years and we’re so excited to step into this next chapter as husband and wife.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We knew from the start that we wanted to get married in Chicago. Planning locally made everything feel more manageable for us, and it also made it easier for our extended family and friends to travel in and fully enjoy everything the city has to offer.

The timing of our wedding was just as meaningful. We had envisioned a winter celebration, and when Valentine’s Day fell on a Saturday, we knew we had to take advantage. Even more special, Anna’s parents were celebrating their 38th wedding anniversary the day before, on the 13th. We loved the idea of honoring their marriage while starting our own.

There was something incredibly romantic about leaning into Valentine’s Day, especially during one of Chicago’s colder months, and creating a warm, love-filled celebration that everyone could be part of. Choosing University Club of Chicago as our venue brought that vision to life perfectly for our winter, Valentine’s-inspired aesthetic.

How many guests did you have?

We had 222 guests — Anna’s family’s lucky number! While it was definitely a larger celebration, it meant everything to us to have all the people we love most in one place.

Although we both come from smaller, close-knit immediate families, we’re also surrounded by big extended families who made our childhoods so much fun, along with family friends who helped raise us and friends from every chapter of our lives. Bringing all of those people together in one room felt incredibly special.

One of the most unexpected joys was watching people connect across different parts of our lives. Seeing new friendships form and worlds blend together was so meaningful.

Our family and friends filled the entire weekend with so much love, joy, and energy. It truly made the celebration what it was and it’s a feeling we’ll never forget.

Tell us about your outfits.

The outfits were such a fun part of our wedding, and for Anna, it all began with her mom’s veil — a stunning Belgian lace piece with a beaded cap that she wore on her wedding day. It was important to Anna to incorporate, so finding a dress that complemented it became the focus. She found her gown at Mira Couture: a romantic yet unique Marchesa mermaid dress with a delicate floral detail, inspired by Anne Hathaway’s iconic wedding look from Bride Wars.

The Mira team also reimagined her mom’s original dress for the rehearsal dinner, which made it even more special as it fell on her parents’ anniversary. Anna paired both looks with sparkly Gucci heels she had saved on Pinterest for years.

Connor wore a custom suit from Daniel George with a subtle Valentine’s-inspired brooch found on Etsy. For the reception, we both changed into red looks — Connor into a Daniel George maroon dinner jacket and Anna into a beaded dress from Poshmark, paired with vintage red Jimmy Choo heels from The RealReal.

Our dress code was “Festive Formal,” and we encouraged guests to have fun with it! With the Valentine’s Day theme as inspiration, everyone leaned in beautifully. Seeing our family and friends show up in reds, pinks, hearts, and sparkle added so much personality and energy to the celebration. A special highlight was Anna’s sister’s MOH dress from Found by Steph, a local Chicago curated vintage shop.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

The most important part of planning our wedding was making sure we truly enjoyed the process together. And while, yes, we cared about the aesthetics, we spent just as much time thinking about how we wanted the day to feel, not only for us, but for everyone there. It was important that our wedding reflected not only who we are as a couple but also the love and support we’ve been surrounded by throughout our lives.

We wanted our family and friends to do more than just witness the day — we wanted them to feel part of it. Creating an atmosphere where everyone felt included, celebrated, and genuinely joyful was at the center of every decision we made.

And because our wedding fell on Valentine’s Day, we also gave ourselves permission to let go of the idea of making everything feel “timeless.” Instead, we embraced it as a moment in time and fully leaned into the fun, festive energy of the day.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

So many elements were important to us, but everything came back to embracing the spirit of Valentine’s Day. It guided both the aesthetic and the feeling of the day from vintage Valentine greeting cards and abundant roses to a pink aisle and a high-energy dance floor.

One of our favorite details was a custom sign that read, “You Are Entering the Land of Love”, created by Life In Bloom. It perfectly set the tone and invited guests to step into that mindset from the moment they arrived.

While we’re lucky to have an incredible group of friends, we chose to keep our wedding party intimate with just Anna’s sister and Connor’s brother, but we set aside some time to have a “pre-ceremony toast” with our closest friends. We shared a moment to tell them how much they mean to us before they sent us down the aisle!

The ceremony itself was one of the most special parts of the entire day. One of our best friends officiated and two others gave deeply personal readings. It was filled with so much joy, laughter, tears, cheers, and an overwhelming sense of love.

Speeches were another highlight. Our siblings and parents delivered the most meaningful and unforgettable toasts. We also took time to speak throughout the weekend — Anna gave a welcome toast and honored her parents’ anniversary at the welcome party and Connor shared our grateful remarks during the reception. It’s so rare to have everyone you love in one room, and we wanted to fully acknowledge how much those relationships have shaped us and our story.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Our biggest piece of advice is to hold onto just how special it is to have everyone you love in one place, celebrating something so meaningful.

You truly set the tone for the day, so lean into it! If you allow yourselves to be present, have fun, and embrace the joy of it all, your guests will follow. When you open the door to laughter and love, everyone around you will step right into it with you.

At the end of the day, your wedding will be special and unique no matter what because it’s yours. The connection you share as a couple is what makes the day unforgettable.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

We truly had a dream team of vendors, and we feel so lucky to have worked with each of them. The entire planning process felt seamless and genuinely enjoyable, and on the wedding day, we were able to be fully present knowing everything was in the best hands.

Our photographer, Alisha Tova, was incredible. We had long admired her work, so we were so excited to work with her. She captured the emotion and beauty of the day so effortlessly, and every photo brings us right back.

Our videographer, Caleb from Sowle Film Studio, was such an amazing addition and worked so seamlessly alongside Alisha, quietly capturing moments we didn’t even realize were happening. Being able to relive the day through film has been so special.

Life in Bloom completely brought our vision to life in the most creative and thoughtful way. Planning a Valentine’s Day wedding came with so much inspiration, and Erin and Mari exceeded all expectations with each intentional and standout detail. They were able to magically make centrepieces with six-foot roses!

Music was incredibly important to us, and our band, BeatMix Music, set the tone for the entire day. We loved collaborating with Mike and Gabe on the playlists, and seeing it all come to life was so special. One of our favorite moments was during dinner when they played an instrumental version of “Wonderwall,” and our family and friends spontaneously started singing along. It was such a joyful and unforgettable moment.

Joey Claeyssen (Makeup) and Megan Schnell (Hair) made Anna feel her absolute best and brought such a fun, calming energy to the morning. It was the perfect way to start the day.

And none of this would have been possible without our planner, Samantha from Shannon Gail Events. She not only curated this incredible team, but made the entire process feel collaborative, seamless, and fun. We’re so grateful not just for her work, but for the friendship we built along the way.

We’re left feeling so much gratitude for everyone who played a part in creating a day that we and our guests will never forget.

Photographer: Alisha Tova @alishatova | Planning: Shannon Gail Events @shannongailevents | Styling: Life In Bloom @lifeinbloom | Flora: Life In Bloom @lifeinbloom | Videographer: Sowle Film Studio @sowlefilmstudio | Ceremony Location: University Club of Chicago @universityclubofchicago | Reception Location: University Club of Chicago @universityclubofchicago | Celebrant:  | Hire/Rentals:  | Ceremony Space:  | Makeup/Grooming: Joey Claeyssen @joeysoluvly | Hair: Megan Schnell @meganschnellhair | Catering & Beverages: University Club of Chicago @universityclubofchicago | Cake: University Club of Chicago @universityclubofchicago | Stationery: By Betsy Pippen @bybetsypippen | Entertainment: BeatMix Music @beatmixchicago | Anything else:  | Dress/es: Mira Couture @mira_couture | Suit/s: Daniel George @dgcustomsuits | Veil/s: Vintage from Bride’s mother | Other Outfit Details:  | Engagement Ring/s: Highland Diamond @highlanddiamond | Wedding Rings: Highland Diamond @highlanddiamond | Shoes: Gucci @gucci | Other Jewellery / Accessories or anything else unique:  | Wedding Party Attire: MOH Dress: Found by Steph @foundbysteph