The bride grew up in rural Kendall County, outside of Minooka. She is the youngest child and only daughter of Henry and Sharon. Her older brothers, Mark and Jeff, are both groomsmen in the wedding.

Dawn attended Minooka schools from kindergarten through high school. She studied Multimedia at Lewis University and Digital Photography at Joliet Junior College.

The bride-to-be loves photography and art. She has been snapping photographs since she was ten-years-old, while she began designing computer art and digitally manipulating photos at age fifteen. She also likes singing, walking in nature, traveling, and trying different activities or visiting new places, such as eating at new restaurants.

The groom's hometown is Palos Hills. He lived in Lemont for the past 12 years before moving to La Grange. The son of Paul and Claire, he has an older sister (Amanda), a younger sister (Ellen), and a younger brother (Matt), who is his best man.

Joe attended Stagg High School, enlisting in the United States Navy upon graduation. He became the ship's photographer on his first submarine, the John Marshall. While enlisted, Joseph traveled the world, including Italy, Guam, and Cuba, as well as being stationed in Hawaii.

The future groom loves learning new things, especially about technology. He usually has a project going on involving how something works. Joe enjoys reading, cooking, watching YouTube videos, and debating politics.

Joe has worked in the photo industry since the 1990s, starting with Ritz Camera. He became the owner of Photographic Depot in December 2006 (ironically, his first business day was on Dawn's birthday). Working in the field so long, Joe acquired extensive skills in photofinishing and digital imaging. He develops black and white film by hand in the darkroom and operates all aspects of the photo lab by himself. His knowledge about film photography and vintage cameras enables him to identify the rarest of film types and recognize the quarks of individual cameras.

Dawn started working with Joe at the Photographic Depot in April 2008 as a Photoshop Artist, restoring old photographs and digital imaging photos and negatives, as well as designing graphics, advertisements, and Web content. She admired Joe's vast knowledge of historical photography and other media right from the start. Eager for him to share his expertise with her, Joe soon taught his future partner about film developing and fully operating the photo lab.

Working closely together, Joe and Dawn quickly became good friends, sharing stories of each others' weekends and offering advice. They knew enough about each other's lives to understand and genuinely care, but their paths were distant enough that it was safe to confide in each other. They enjoyed working together and had a lot of fun times. Each appreciated having the other to have in depth conversations with, including technical discussions about photography and computers. As Dawn continued to work more days at the shop over the years, the pair grew even closer.

In early 2015, their friendship blossomed into more. Both of them had been feeling the connection, but Dawn and Joe were both afraid to say anything and ruin their existing friendship. After continued comments from family, friends, and customers, the pair finally got nerve to talk about it and realized they felt the same. They both wanted more from their relationship and to be closer.

The couple started dating on April 24, 2015, both knowing from the beginning that their relationship would be forever.

Joe proposed on Sunday, November 15, 2015. His family had just finished moving the last of his furniture into the couple's new apartment when Joe took out a bottle of champagne and poured everyone a glass.

He looked at Dawn and said, "Well, I am officially moved out. I promised to ask you a question as soon as I had my own place."

Dawn replied, "Yes, you did, and you always keep your promises."

With family by his side, Joe pulled the ring out of his pocket and asked Dawn to marry him. She said yes!

"The ring was a gift to us from God."

"We have enough in common to be compatible yet enough differences to keep it interesting"

When they are not working at the photo shop, the couple love to explore different places and take photographs together. They are a great team. Dawn loves the artistic aspect, and Joe enjoys seeing the world through Dawn's eyes. Joe loves the technical aspect of trying different methods to capture a good image, and Dawn enjoys having someone to shoot with who has technical knowledge to discuss.

The future Mr. and Mrs. Cimino enjoy good conversation together about current events, psychology, politics, art, and photography. Joe likes cooking new dishes, and Dawn loves eating them! The bride-to-be has enjoyed decorating their apartment, and the future groom appreciates how Dawn has made their house a home.