The Hose Tower

Bridal Shower

Chestnut Mountain Resort

Wedding Day

Wedding

Reception

Our Wedding

So, after Alli moved to Milwaukee to start school, she began looking for a job. Since all she knew was lifeguarding and teaching people how to swim (literally, she could teach almost anyone), she decided to try the local YMCA. After getting hired in the spring of 2011, she decided to work at the Schroeder pool next door. Since they were guarded by the same group of people, she got to know a lot of the employees in the building (and a lot of the regular patrons as well). One night, Alli was closing up both pools. Usually, she would close Schroeder first, since the hours were shorter. On this particular night, the head coach was still in the locker room, and had asked Alli if she could lock up but leave the lights on. You know, so he wasn't showering in the dark. Anyways, Alli did just that. She locked ALL of the doors, turned off the side lights, and left. Not even thirty minutes later, some scraggly looking guy came down to the YMCA deck. Here's how their conversation went...Him: "Uh, is there a reason that the lights are still on over in Schroeder?"Her: "Yeah, the coach told me to leave them on. He said he would turn them off before he left but obviously he didn't."I knew I had to learn his name.

It's fun to stay at the YMCA (her version of their first encounter)

Our Story

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Wedding Party

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Registry

Q + A

Boasting an impressive array of amenities, accommodations, comforts and activities, Chestnut Mountain is the choice Illinois travel destination. Conveniently located near historic Galena, nestled neatly amongst the hills overlooking the Mississippi, it's the perfect base for exploring all the greater tri-state region has to offer.

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The Bridal Entourage

Maid of Honor: Sara

Alli met Sara in her freshman year at Cardinal Stritch University. Their ex boyfriends, Zach and Mike, had lived together and gone to school at a neighboring public university. When they first met, Sara thought that Alli was truly crazy...going out all hours of the night, bouncing around from guy to guy, and dressing like a hippie most of the time. Over the course of their friendship, they lived together with the groom for two years and only had a couple of arguments (over really stupid stuff). Through everything, Sara has been a huge support system for Alli and Alli has always been there for Sara, even when it meant saying things that she didn't want to hear. There's never a dull moment with these two!

Bridesmaid: Ashley 

Ashley is the little sister in every sense of the word. Growing up, Ashley was always the baby. When Alli would get into trouble in high school, she would be grounded and severely punished. But not Ashley! She would get a slap on the wrist and a 'don't do that again please!' from mom and dad. The girls weren't super close growing up, but spent a lot of time terrorizing each other when they were home alone, but they still loved each other (and still do). Ashley always loved her big sister, even when she was going through some really rough stuff. Now that they are grown up, Alli is always there for Ashley and tries to lead her in the right direction. They love drinking wine and bonding over their crazy but adorable lil mama.

Bridesmaid: Hope

Hope and Alli met at the YMCA. They didn't have much in common at first, besides their long brown hair and love for tattoos and swimming. Over time, they began to realize that they enjoyed a lot of the same things: animals, getting into trouble, and booze. They also loved to bother Hope's dad when the two were together. Even though Alli ended up leaving the YMCA for her full-time teaching career, they still keep in contact and try to get a drink at least once a week. Alli even puppy sits Hope's pets every now and then.

Bridesmaid: Kate

So Kate came into Alli's life quietly and over the course of a few months. Working together, Alli and Kate saw each other on a daily basis and ate lunch together almost every day. When Kate asked Alli if she wanted to get a gym membership with her, Alli's heart melted...she had read her mind! Even though Kate's level of friendship isn't quite as ridiculous as Alli's, they still manage to compromise and compliment each other.

Bridesmaid: Roslyn

Roslyn and Alli met through Cookie when they were both in high school. Alli hated Rosyln when they first met. Like, I know that hate is a really strong word, but she HATED her. Of course, it was because of a boy (and a couple of other small reasons). Over the years, Alli grew to really like Roslyn and visited her in the hospital when she got sick. She brought her blankets and helped steal flowers from the hospital vending machine. They partied together and hung out more and more as they got older. When Roslyn moved to Wisconsin in the fall, they became even closer and went on many double dates with their nerdy men. They have a mutual love for cats and all things related to food.

The Groom Squad

Best Man: Andrew

Andrew crash landed on this planet approximately two years before my birth. After he ceased glowing green, he was immediately adopted and taught the ways of the human race. He has acclimated to our species' ways but is still quite perplexed as to why "abbreviation" is such a long word. Like, c'mon, who thought that was a good idea? Was this meant to be some kind of sick joke? Irony much? Anyways, you'll be happy to know he has been politely encouraged to keep his extra four arms contained during the ceremony and reception.

Groomsman: Chuck

Chuck, as he asked us to call us after returning from his 28 year spirit walk, has been a friend and co-worker for the past few years. He has shown the wisdom he has gained from his time roaming the Earth with nothing more than the close on his back and the beard on his face. The Zen Buddhist monks passed on their wisdom of tranquility, he learned how to appreciate a good television game show from kind Japanese business men and women, and it is a rare treat to see him dance the traditional Ukrainian Hopak. Whatever you do though, do not ask what happened in Finland. You've been warned.

Groomsman: Jake

Jake is rarely caught without his extreme sports gear. When I met him in High School he was shredding rails, and doing 720 kickflips in the quad. He's so rad he once did a backflip with a bicycle while surfing on a surfboard. Tony Hawk actually had a minor panic attack and had to be hospitalized overnight after witnessing the stunt. X-treme!

Groomsman: Kevin

Kevin is a professional bear wrestler who has competed globally in ESPN-8 Bear Wrestling Competitions. He has come in 2nd place at a regional level and has ranked 3rd nationally. He loves regionals. Kevin has got a low center of gravity, which is good for wrestling bears, but a little tricky when he needs something from the top shelf in Walmart (where they notoriously keep the best stuff). When I first met him in 6th grade, he tried to pin me into submission assuming I was some type of hairless bear. After clearing up this case of mistaken identity, we have created a friendship that lasts to this day.

Groomsman: Steve

I'm not entirely sure who Steve is or why he's here. And why does he smell vaguely of beef jerky and Coca-Cola? Did you hear the Dawson's Creek theme song or am I imagining things?

Our Bridal Party

Things to Do

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Google form - Song Request

Use this link to request a song: <a href="http://bit.do/housereq">http://bit.do/housereq</a>

Alli & Chris

Alli & Chris

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Chestnut Mountain Resort