Wedding Day

Ceremony

Cocktail Hour

Reception

Our Wedding

Our story starts in the summer of 2022. Katie was in the height of her dating app season, praying she would soon meet the man God had picked out for her. Brendyn just moved back to NW Indiana a few months prior and decided to download the dating app Hinge for the first time. Katie was one of the first girls that Brendyn matched with and his first comment on one of her photos was “Are you real?!” :) Brendyn took Katie on their first date to Sunda, an Asian fusion restaurant, in the neighborhood River North. We hit it off so well that we didn’t want the date to end so we went to Flight Club after dinner, which is a darts bar in the Loop (Katie won hehe). Afterwards, we walked along the Chicago Riverwalk, grabbed a brewski and chatted about our hopes and dreams. Safe to say we had lots of fun together and it was just the beginning! In the Fall of 2022, Brendyn moved to Chicago for a year to be closer to Katie and continue growing the relationship <3 We had so many fun memories and late nights out bar-hopping on Wells St. Brendyn proposed on 6/5/24 while we were on a two and a half week long roadtrip in California and he popped the question at a gorgeous winery in Sonoma! The proposal was absolutely beautiful, Brendyn did the perfect job planning out all the details! Now here we are GETTING MARRIED!!!! What a blessing it is to love and be loved!

Our Love Story

Our Story

Photos

Blood sister of the bride & SUPERmama to 5 kiddos! Built in bestie, the absolute sweetest sis with the biggest heart and radiant soul, truly salt of the earth <3

Elizabeth Decker

Best friend of the groom since elementary school, and he is currently living out in sunny Las Vegas with his wife Mackenzie!

Rory Packard

Soul sister of the bride & next-door neighbor growing up, fashionista bestie, spunky & oldie soul with such a beautiful heart, mama to the coolest Scottish fold kitty Ollie (KT's prior roomies)

Jenny Vliet

Best friend of the groom since high school, and is currently living in Louisiana where he is a football coach for the Rajin Cajuns!

Connor Andras

Sister-in-law of the bride, Katie Shew 2.0, mama to 2 precious kiddos, truly the kindest soul with the most genuine and selfless heart!

Katie Shewmon

Brother of the bride, father to 2 cutie kiddos, big tall guy ya can't miss him, fitness guru, expecting him to do the worm on the dance floor!

Scott Shewmon

Sister of the groom, poppin' out a kiddo one month before our big day & no doubt will be showing you up on the dance floor!

Kayla Davis

Brother-in-law of the groom, soon to be a father, and supposedly has a fun party side we hope to see the night of our wedding! 

Mike Davis

Sweet dear friend of the bride, met in college at SLU through Jackie and Jenny (bball team), closely grew to be a soul sissy, salt of the earth kinda gal!

Olivia Sentovich

Brother-in-law of the bride, father to 5 cutie kiddos, loves to have a good time & get the party going!

Kevin Decker

Bestie of the bride since elementary school, went to the same school up through college, one of the biggest hype girls, can always count on her to shotgun with us!

Jackie Kemph

Cousin of the groom, currently living in Chicago with his Belgian Malinois named Hawk, and knows all of the best bars to go to in the city!

Josh Howe

Bestie of the bride since pre-K, the sweetest soul, Ohio stole her from us but distance can't break up this friendship! #womb2tomb

Emily Gruettner

Cousin of the groom, currently living in Chicago with his girlfriend Nikki, and gives the best restaurant recommendations! 

Danny Howe

Wedding Party

Q + A

Online Booking Link:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hyatt.com/shop/rooms/chixl?location=Hyatt%20House%20Chicago%20%2F%20West%20Loop-Fulton%20Market&amp;checkinDate=2025-06-26&amp;checkoutDate=2025-06-28&amp;rooms=1&amp;adults=1&amp;kids=0&amp;corp_id=g-SHMC" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Booking Link</a>Reservations #:&nbsp;866-974-9288&nbsp;&nbsp; You can book a room by using the link above or by booking directly through the website using the Group Code:&nbsp;G-SHMC or call the phone number listed and reference Shewmon McKinnon Wedding Room Block&nbsp;in order to receive the group rate. The special room rate will be available until&nbsp;May 16th, 2025&nbsp;or until the group block is sold-out, whichever comes first!

Hyatt House Chicago West Loop/Fulton Market 

The Hoxton is a happening place! There are a few restaurants and bars within the building. Some of these spots include Cabra, a Peruvian-style rooftop restaurant, Cira, a Mediterranean restaurant, and Lazy Bird is a viby cocktail bar on the lower level. Use our discount code HITCHED625 when you book!

The Hoxton, Chicago

Booking link is below:<a href="https://www.crowneplaza.com/redirect?path=asearch&amp;brandCode=CP&amp;localeCode=en&amp;regionCode=1&amp;hotelCode=CHISH&amp;checkInDate=26&amp;checkInMonthYear=052025&amp;checkOutDate=29&amp;checkOutMonthYear=052025&amp;rateCode=6CBARC&amp;_PMID=99801505&amp;GPC=SW5&amp;cn=no&amp;viewfullsite=true" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shewmon &amp; McKinnon Wedding</a>Reservations #: 800-972-2494 Nestled between West Loop &amp; Greek Town, the Crowne-Plaza is walking distance from tons of fun restaurants! Be sure to use our Group Code SW5 when you book! The special room rate will be available until May 27th, 2025.

CROWNE PLAZA CHICAGO WEST LOOP

Travel

West Loop is a happening area with tons of restaurants and shopping just steps away from your hotel! Some of our favorite spots are The Oakville Grill &amp; Cellar, Trivoli Tavern, The Allis, Rose Mary, Beatrix, PB&amp;J (Pizza, beer, &amp; jukebox), Time Out Market, Green Street Smoked Meats, and Parlor Pizza.

West Loop/Fulton Market District

We highly recommend stoping by two of our favorite breweries in the city! Midwest Coast brewing Co is right next door to Walden and Goose Island is 0.5 miles away from Walden! Both are great options to go for drinks in between our ceremony and cocktail hour!

Goose Island Taproom & Midwest Coast Brewery

Go see where Katie and Brendyn spent some time on their first date! The river walk is a great place to get your steps in and take in some breathtaking views of the city. There are tons of fun outdoor stops for food and drinks along the way! If you're ubering there, 151 W Riverwalk South is a good drop off spot.

Chicago Riverwalk

The Lakefront trail is an absolute MUST if you are visiting Chicago! A beautiful spot to take a walk, go for a bike ride, have a picnic, sit and lookout to the gorgeous lake. A great starting point is Fullerton Avenue or North Avenue - head south for the best views of the city.

Lakefront Trail

Go explore Katie and Brendyn's old stomping grounds! Some of our favorite restaurants are Topo Gigio (the BEST espresso martini's), The Vig (great food &amp; drinks), Happy Camper (amazing pizza), &amp; Small Cheval which is walk up only &amp; has the best burger in town! Lots of fun bars to go bar hoppin' :P

Wells Street

The Nature Boardwalk is a very pretty area to take a walk where you can enjoy both wild life and city scapes all at the same time. It has one of the coolest views of the city! Be sure to pop into the zoo while you're there, entry is free!

Lincoln Park Zoo & Nature Boardwalk

Sight see, sip on a cocktail, and learn about the city's history aboard an architecture tour. Purchase tickets ahead of time through the link below! Nothing like taking in the breathtaking views of the city from the water!

Chicago River Boat Architecture Tours

Located right on Lake Michigan, this is where you will find the Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, and the Shedd Aquarium if any suit your fancy! Be sure to buy tickets ahead of time.

The Museum Campus

Navy Pier is a fun Chicago attraction right on Lake Michigan that is home to many restaurants and bars, offering incredible sights of the city and lake! It is easy to access via the lakefront trail or car. There are even dining cruise boats that you can buy tickets to on the pier!

Katie & Brendyn

Katie & Brendyn

Travel

Hyatt House Chicago West Loop/Fulton Market

The Hoxton, Chicago

CROWNE PLAZA CHICAGO WEST LOOP