Nothing brings love together quite like a 4 am bar in Wrigleyville. Kirsten + Ed met at only the classiest bar Wrigley has to offer, Trace. Ah yes, those sticky floors really do have a way of bringing people together.

It was April of 2017 when Kirsten had been out + about one night with Megan + Rachel. When she wasn't quite ready to call it a night, the girls made their way to Trace since it was pretty much the only bar still open at that hour. Upon entering the bar, Kirsten + Rachel happened to notice a group of men towards the end of the bar. Ed + his buddies were in town for a bachelor party that weekend (a bachelor party Ed almost didn’t go on) + also weren’t ready to call it a night. After strategically moseying their way through the crowd to get to the bathroom, Ed caught Kirsten's eye.

Kirsten didn’t typically have a habit of being forward, but something in her that night told her to go for it. Kirsten asked Ed if she could buy him + his friends a drink + when Ed first said no, Kirsten insisted. The night went on while they bonded over their love for Labatt Blue. After the weekend, Ed went back to Michigan + they maintained a friendship. It was in December of 2017 that they decided they needed to see each other again. Kirsten somehow convinced Ed to drive to Edison Park to meet after her holiday party + stay the weekend. The two reconnected + shared their first kiss under the Edison Park Inn sign *Romance*. Who would have thought that Ed would propose in that very spot five years later!

That weekend visit would begin four years of long distance, Ed in Michigan + Kirsten in Illinois. The couple stuck it out with frequent visits to each other, many facetime dates, + phone calls while Kirsten finished up school to be a Teacher of the Blind + Visually Impaired, + Ed started his career as a Financial Analyst. Fast forward to September of 2021 + Kirsten had finally managed to convince Ed to come live in Illinois with her. About a little more than a year after living together in Illinois, Ed proposed back where they had their first kiss + now they can’t wait to celebrate with you all on July 5th, 2024.

Registry