Motor Row Brewing

Engagement Party

Carnivale

Rehearsal Dinner

Welcome Reception

St. Germaine Catholic Church

Wedding Day

Wedding

Pinstripes

Reception

Bowling After Party

Sheraton Grand Chicago

Post Wedding Get Together

Our Wedding

Love is an uncertain venture, a game where one survives by boldness and faith, the kind of faith exhibited by our protagonist, Mr. James Organ, when, wearing Cleveland Browns pajamas, he proposed to Ms. Colleen Trant. Nobody expects you to win when you're wearing the orange and brown of the NFL's most hapless franchise, but that's what love does that "hopes all things, endures all things." On that icy January day, Jim and Colleen won big, but winning was never a foregone conclusion.


Our story begins as all great love stories do— with the cancellation of a first date. Colleen cancelled her first date with Jim. Fortunately, for their putative children and grandchildren, the two rescheduled for brunch. Colleen was immediately impressed by Jim's feat of strength as he downed prodigious amounts of breakfast meats. This author, too, has witnessed Jim's passion for breakfast meat— an awesome sight, indeed. Having proven his might, Jim was granted a second date. Colleen took Jim, a novice in all things Chicago, on a virtual magic carpet ride, taking him wonder by wonder through the mean streets of his new city. Conversation flowed; Jim was impressed by Colleen's kindness, and Colleen was impressed by Jim's warmth and intelligence. Later on, Jim would realize that this sweet woman could become a monster when behind the wheel of a car or deprived of food. Colleen would realize that this man, with a college degree and an MBA, was completely incapable of stringing together an English sentence when deprived of coffee. 


Time passed and their relationship grew as they celebrated Christmas together, met the parents (Jim and Patti, John and Mary), travelled to San Diego, hosted game nights with friends, made lists, played beach volleyball, ran marathons, cheered the other one on in marathons, stayed in to watch marathons of How I Met Your Mother and the Walking Dead. And as we gather in a bowling alley* to celebrate the nuptials of these two outstanding people we will celebrate their new life together and that they will continue to explore their city and their world together, that their lives will be full of friends and family, marathons of life experiences and quality television, and everything else that is good and noble in life.


Please join us to celebrate: 


*I am informed that there will also be a church service.


Author: Kevin Trant

The Love Story of Jim and Colleen

Our Story

Rules of Bocce

Bocce is played with eight large balls and one smaller target or object ball called a pallina. There are four balls per team and they are made of a different color or pattern to distinguish the balls of one team from those of the other team. The game is played with two teams, with each team having one, two, or four players. For four player teams, each player throws one ball. For two player teams, each player throws two balls. For one player teams, each player throws four balls. When there are multiple players on a team, a playing rotation is determined at the start of a game and is maintained throughout the entire game. A game begins with the toss of a coin. The team that wins the coin toss can choose to either have first toss of the pallina or the color of the balls they will use. To start a game, the pallina is rolled or tossed by a member of the team having won the coin toss. A player can toss the pallina any distance as long as it passes the center line of the court and stays within the boundaries of the court. If the player fails to toss the ball properly into play, a member of the opposing team will toss the ball into play. If the opposing team fails to properly toss the pallina into play, the toss reverts to a member of the original team. The player tossing the pallina must deliver the first ball. If the ball lands outside of the boundaries of the court, that team must roll again until the first ball is put into play. Otherwise, that player steps aside and the opposing team will then deliver their balls until one of its Bocce balls is closer to the pallina or has thrown all its balls. The "nearest ball" rule governs the sequence of thrown balls. The side whose ball is closest to the pallina is called the "in" ball and the opposing side the "out" ball. Whenever a team gets "in", it steps aside and allows the "out" team to deliver. The other team throws until it gets its ball closer (not ties) to the pallina. This continues until both teams have thrown all their Bocce balls. After both teams have exhausted all their balls, a frame is over and points are awarded. The game resumes by teams throwing from the opposite end of the court. The team that was awarded points in the previous frame begins the next frame by tossing the pallina into play. All balls must be thrown underhanded. A team has the option of rolling, tossing, bouncing, etc. its ball down the court provided it does not go outdide the boundaries of the court or the player does not violate the foul line. The foul line is used to deliver all balls down the court with the intent of getting a ball closer to the pallina, knocking the opponent's ball away from the pallina, or hitting the pallina so that it ends up closer to your team's ball. A player should not step on or over the foul line before releasing any ball. If a player steps over the foul line, the player will receive one warning. For a player that commits a second foul line infraction, the team fouled against will be awarded points as they were immediately proceeding the foul and the frame will end. The team committing the foul will be awarded no points for the frame. Or, the fouled against team may have the option of declining the penalty and completing the frame. Any ball that goes outside the boundaries of the court is considered a dead ball and is removed immediately from play until the end of a frame. At the end of each frame, points will be awarded. Only one team scores in a frame. One point is awarded for each ball that is closer to the pallina than the closest ball of the opposing team. In the event that the closest ball of each team is the same distance from the pallina, no points will be awarded and the pallina returns to the team that delivered it. Only balls which are distinguishably closer to the pallina than any of the opponent's balls are awarded points. All measurements should be made from the center of the pallina to the edge of a Bocce ball. Games are played to 16 points with the first team reaching 16 points being the winner of a game. http://www.backyardbocce.com/basic-rules/

Details

Photos

When Trevor and Jim sat down next to each other in freshman physics all those years ago, they had no idea it was the beginning of an era.  In the following years through teamwork and sheer determination, they survived a grueling ChemE schedule  and the highs and lows of the fraternity social calendar.   The friendship and epic adventures carried on despite moving on to different jobs in different states after college.   Now Trevor will be there as the best man when Jim starts the greatest adventure yet.

Trevor Ilse

Nora and Colleen: Established 1988Whether it's running around the city with a giant Miss Pacman sign or encouraging her to keep her chin up when she was down, Nora has always been Colleen's best cheerleader.  Together they have survived bad early 90s outfits, crazy family shennanigans, terrible scotch tape bang trim jobs from nana,  hard times and happy times, and now  Colleen couldn't imagine having anyone but her sister-cousin cheering her down the aisle as her Maid Of Honor.

Nora Murphy

Bridget and Colleen: Established 1991Despite Colleen's horror at being forced to wear the same outfit as her "baby" cousin, Colleen eventually overcame the trauma of that experience and realized she was incredibly lucky to have such an amazing cousin and friend in Bridget.  After 24 years of celebrating birthdays, Thanksgivings, Christmases, Easters, graduations, and some epic 4th of Julys, Colleen is thrilled the have Bridget as part of this celebration!

Bridget Neylon

When he was a young lad growing up, Adam used to rely on his older brother to keep him out of trouble after school and shuttle him to soccer practice from time to time.  Since those formative days, Adam has grown a couple inches taller, developed a keen wit and learned how to focus on and achieve his goals.  Adam will now be supporting Jim as one of his groomsman.

Adam Organ

As the youngest of three boys, Bryan quickly learned to live with disappointment.  This lesson has served him well in life and as a Browns fan, an interest he shares with Jim (unfortunately).  Through it all Bryan kept a positive attitude and has grown into a consummate go getter.   Jim is honored to have him as a groomsman.

Bryan Organ

Kristine and Colleen: Established 2005Luckily living with Mary and John Trant for a few months during PT school didn't scare Kristine away from taking another Trant as a roommate (or maybe she just figured she couldn't turn away her "foster sister"). Kristine and Colleen got their first big girl apartment in the city, and with frequent reminders from mom/foster mom to "act like ladies" they got to enjoy Chicago, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Key West,  Cozumel, and the Bahamas. A lot has changed since those adventures, but Colleen is so happy to have Kristine by her side for this next adventure.

Kristine Henninger

Nicole and Colleen: Established 2005Although Nicole and Colleen were never officially roommates, Nicole helped rescue Colleen from a less than ideal roommate situation during their last year of PT school. Nicole offered up her living room "couch-bed," which Colleen took advantage of frequently. Thanks to Nicole, Colleen maintained her sanity and was able to graduate PT school. Since their days at Marquette, Colleen has been able to count on Nicole as a partner in crime  for afternoons at North Avenue Beach, Saturdays watching Marquette basketball at the Schoolyard, and nights out around the city; now Colleen couldn't be happier to have Nicole as part of her big day.

Nicole Tatje

Kevin is the brother of the bride and Jim's future brother in law.  He has played an important role helping Jim experience many of the best parts of city life such as playing kickball and volleyball by the lake shore, singing karaoke at one of the many neighborhood bars or going out for one of Chicago's most famous chocolate shakes.  Jim is honored to have him join the wedding party as a groomsman.

Kevin Trant

Together Andrew and Jim form an unstoppable duo at tailgate games.  They realized that they were a fantastic team early on in college when they were pack-mates in the fraternity house.  While Andrew moved on after school to start a wonderful family, he and Jim reunite at least once a year to relive the glory days at the Indy 500.  Jim is excited to have Andrew as a groomsman on his wedding day.

Andrew Mathewson

Maribeth and Colleen: Established 2008Maribeth and Colleen got their start as a scared PT student and an even more terrified new grad at Christ Hospital. After living a few block away from each other in Wicker Park and going on frequent Starfruit dates, they decided they would make excellent roommates. Despite a discouraging apartment hunt, Maribeth and Colleen found the perfect Lincoln Park apartment (a success they attribute to the good karma generated when they helped a little old lady up off the ground in front of a church).  After three years it was time to move on from that apartment, but Colleen had made a lifelong friend and can't wait to have Maribeth stand with her on her wedding day.

Maribeth Colander

Kara and Colleen: Established 2012.When Colleen first heard Kevin (Kara's now husband) talking about the new girl (Kara) he was dating, Colleen thought she sounded like a pretty great girl. Little did Colleen know that she and Kara would soon get to share some crazy adventures, girls night sleepovers, heart to heart talks, and tons of fun. Colleen was honored to be one of Kara's bridesmaids this past July and is so excited to have Kara playing the same role in her wedding!

Kara Paterson

Wedding Party

Q + A

Registry

Unbeknownst to Jim and Colleen, they chose to celebrate their marriage on the weekend of a very large packing and shipping expo in Chicago, making it quite difficult to find hotels that would give room blocks at reasonable rates. After calling 43 hotels, Colleen was able to find 2 hotels to accommodate guests. You may be able to to find individual room deals for less using an online travel service, but book it quickly because this is the second busiest weekend of the year for Chicago hotels. Colleen and Jim will be staying at the Sheraton where they have a 20 room block reserved for $189 per night. Book a room as quickly as possible because the rooms are only reserved until October 5. The hotel is a short walk from the reception. You can call 888-627-7106 and mention the Trant-Organ Wedding Block or use this address to get the group rate:<a>https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/TO</a>

Parking at the Sheraton is $63 per day for valet and $53 per day for self-parking and includes in and out privileges. Parking at the Red Roof Inn is $48 per day and includes in and out privileges.There are also several parking structures in the area that may have lower rates.

Arriving by Car

O'Hare: Take the blue line train to the Clark/Lake stop. From there it is a 0.9 mile walk or a short cab ride to the Sheraton or the Red Roof Inn.Midway: Take the orange line to the State/Lake stop. From there it is a 0.7 mile walk or a short cab ride to the Sheraton or the Red Roof Inn. You can also rent a car, take a cab or call an Uber if the CTA makes you nervous (or you are not on a budget).

Arriving by Plane

If you are looking for a slightly more economical option Colleen and Jim reserved 10 rooms at the Red Roof Inn. It is also a short walk to/from the venue. Red Roof Inn rooms are reserved until Oct. 4.Refer to the Trant/Organ Wedding; $165/night

Red Roof Inn Chicago Downtown - Magnificent Mile

A 56 seat shuttle will depart the Sheraton at 12:45 PM to transport guest to St. Germaine in Oak Lawn and will return to the hotel after the ceremony.The church also has a large parking lot if you prefer to drive.

Transportation to the Wedding Ceremony

Pinstripes has all day valet parking for $20 or $16 for four hours.

Driving to the Reception

Travel

If you want to stay closer to the hotel and downtown area, we recommend Quartino Ristorante for small plate Italian food, Frontera Grill for delicious, upscale Mexican food or Jake Melnick's Corner Tap for the best wings in the city.Randolph Street in the West Loop has many of the new, trendy restaurants in the city. We recommend Haymarket Pub &amp; Brewery for a more casual atmosphere, Au Cheval for their nationally recognized thick-cut bacon burger or the ever popular Little Goat Diner. There is frequently a two to three hour wait to get into Au Cheval (worth it), so plan ahead. West Loop restaurants are also a convenient option if you are planning on joining us for out post rehearsal dinner welcome reception, as they are within walking distance or a very short cab ride from Carnivale.Chicago has some of the best restaurants anywhere in the world. So if you would like to explore your options, Yelp is usually a reliable guide.

Lunch & Dinner Options

Yolk and Wildberry Pancakes &amp; Cafe are two tasty options for the best meal of the day. They both frequently have waits, but you can beat the crowd by downloading the Nowait app. You can put your name on the list remotely so that you do not waste any time sitting in line.Our favorite brunch spot is Eleven City Diner.

Brunch Options

There are plenty of options if you have some extra time to explore our beautiful city. The hotel is not too far from the museum campus and you can't go wrong with a day spent at the Field Museum or the Shedd Aquarium. If you are looking for a day of shopping you can head to the Magnificent Mile and maybe stop along the way at Millenium Park to take your obligatory tourist picture at the Bean. For the best view of the entire city we would recommend going for a drink at the Signature Lounge at the top of the John Hancock building (this is also the location of our 2nd date). If you would like to venture a little farther north you can visit Colleen's favorite place in the city, the Lincoln Park Zoo (which is free). Finally, if you are looking to be a little more active in preparation for all the delicious food and adult beverages you will be consuming at the wedding, a walk, run, or bike ride along the lakefront path would be a good option. Bikes are available to rent at several locations.

Jim & Colleen

Jim & Colleen

Registry