Holy Name Cathedral

Church Rehearsal

The Night Before

Altezza Rooftop

Welcome Party

Holy Name Cathedral & Chateau Del Mar

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Chateau Del Mar

Reception

Summer

Our Wedding

Our story began at none other than at THE Ohio State University. It is tradition at Ohio State that sororities and fraternities partner together for a football season to “block” (tailgate) together prior to the home football games. Second semester of their freshman year, both Krystal and Peter joined Greek life. Because Peter’s fraternity planned on asking Krystal’s sorority to “block,” they started to have social events together in February 2017. At their first event together, Krystal was introduced to Peter. The funny thing is that Krystal swore that she had already met Peter before this, saying “I swear I see you all the time!” She was so certain they had a class or something together that she asked Peter to go through his entire schedule for her. Turns out, despite Krystal majoring in business/minoring in analytics and Peter majoring in analytics/minoring in business, their schedules did not cross anywhere. Fast forward 1-2 weeks and Krystal, alongside bridesmaids Hannah and Devin, ran into Peter at the dining hall, proving in Krystals mind that she had likely seen Peter on campus before actually meeting. That following fall semester was spent getting to know each other, talking at “block” every week, and attending each other’s date party events. However, a disappointing football season came to a close and Krystal and Peter went their separate ways, remaining just friends. By spring of 2018, the two reconnected as they looked forward to a new football season in the fall and they continued to keep in touch over the summer. Although no longer “block” partners that following fall, Krystal still made it a priority to go to Peter’s fraternity every football Saturday. A couple weeks into the swing of their junior year, Peter invited Krystal to a date party event. A few days later, they went on their first official date to see Maroon 5! Their relationship grew from there, making it official on November 2, 2018. Krystal and Peter spent their junior and senior years of college side by side, making countless memories, and trying to figure out their futures together. Unfortunately, Covid put an early end to their senior year festivities. They spent those last couple of weeks leading up to (virtual) graduation together in Columbus not knowing what would come next. They ultimately had to go their separate ways (Chicago and Syracuse), not knowing when they’d be able to see each other again. In July 2020, Peter made the ~12 hour drive to visit Krystal for the weekend before starting his job (temporarily remote) in August. After this weekend, they spent the next several months apart, only seeing each other on FaceTime a couple times a week. In February, Krystal decided it was time to move into the city and signed a lease. Two days later, Peter’s job sent an email saying they would not be returning to the office any time soon. Peter was still working remotely in Syracuse, but was expecting to begin his career in the DC area once the return to office happened. With this delay, Peter made the impromptu decision to move to Chicago instead. They both moved downtown in March 2021 and were finally reunited after months and months apart. The spoiler alert is Peter never had to move for his role and has been living in Chicago ever since! The two moved in together in 2022 and have had so much fun finding their favorite places and activities in the city. On June 14, 2024, at one of their favorite views, Peter knelt down on one knee and asked Krystal to marry him. Our journey here truly has been a long time coming and we can’t wait to get married and begin a new chapter of our lives together. It means so much to be able to tie the knot in front of all of you and celebrate together! We are so excited!

O-H!

Our Story

The best is yet to come :)

Through the Years

Bridesmaids

Buckeye, lived on the same floor freshman year, sophomore year roommate, and sorority sister

Hannah Everett

(New to Chicago) Buckeye and sorority sister

Carolyn Croke

Daniela Alvarez

Buckeye and lived on the same floor freshman year

Devin Foley

Elena Sofia

Giselle Alfaro

Katie King

(New to Chicago) Buckeye, introduced by Devin

Rachel Gurley

Groomsmen

John Schurman

Andrew Lorence

Dan Casey

Chicago Buckeye and junior year housemate

Haden Santefort

Jake Koldin

Cousin of the Groom, Buckeye, and fraternity brother

Jamie Schurman

(Former Chicago) Buckeye and fraternity brother

Kyle Laughlin

Niko Stamos

Padrinos de Iglesia

(Church Roles)

Miguel & Hilda Alvarez

Daniel & Mayra Nava

Vicente Nava Jr. & Karen Aguilar

Brother and future sister-in-law of the Bride

Alejandro Nava & Heydi Hernandez

Melanie Alvarez

Wedding Party

Accommodations 

We have reserved a block of rooms at the Residence Inn Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile - conveniently connected to The 101 Club and just a 6 minute walk away from the ceremony! Complimentary breakfast is offered at this hotel. Please note that the initial hotel agreement only provided a limited number of rooms, so we encourage you to book as soon as you know you will be utilizing this block. There is no guarantee beyond the current allotment. Reservations must be made by May 22, 2026. Please use the link below to book.

Residence Inn Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile

We have also reserved a block of rooms at the Courtyard Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile - just a 4 min walk from the Residence Inn/The 101 Club and a 10 minute walk away from the ceremony! We encourage you to book as soon as you are able. Reservations must be made by May 20, 2026. Please use the link below to book.

Courtyard Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile

Flights ✈︎

If you are flying in for our wedding, there are two options: Midway or O'Hare. Downtown is easily accessible from either airport. Fun fact: Despite living nearly her whole life in Chicago, Peter has been to O'Hare many more times than Krystal. However, one of Peter's favorite parts about living in Chicago means there is no longer a need for connecting flights. As a result, Krystal has successfully converted Peter (or as Peter would say, “forced”) to Southwest.

CTA - Airport to the Hotel

Midway: We encourage you to take the Orange Line from Midway to Roosevelt and transfer to the Red Line and take that to Grand. O'Hare: We encourage you to take the Blue Line from O'Hare to Washington and transfer to the Red Line (Lake) and take that to Grand. Google Maps will try to take you on a bus, but we recommend this route instead.

Overnight Parking

For those driving in for the wedding, we highly recommend finding an overnight garage on the Spot Hero app. The hotels also offer parking of course, but Spot Hero will offer less expensive options nearby. Spot Hero does not offer in and out privileges, but you shouldn't need your car if you're staying downtown!

Transportation to/from the Reception

There will be buses traveling from the Residence Inn to the reception venue that will return to the hotel at the end of the night. Our out of town hotel guests and friends who live nearby will have the option of choosing this transportation on their RSVP. Buses are currently scheduled to leave the Residence Inn at 5:00pm.

Travel

Dress Code

Activities

Our favorite tourist activity! Despite living here permanently, we do this tour at least once every year. We recommend the 90-min Lake &amp; River Architecture Tour.

Wendella Tours & Cruises

The Cubs are scheduled to face the Blue Jays June 19-21. We highly recommend catching a game - there's nothing like a summer Friday 1:20 at The Friendly Confines! They will also face the Rockies June 15-17 if you happen to be in town early.

Wrigley Field

The largest Starbucks location in the world and latest roastery to be built - located directly behind the Residence Inn!

Starbucks Reserve Roastery

Walk, run, bike, or just sit and enjoy the views of this 18-mile path that runs along Lake Michigan. Krystal and Peter live between the Oak and Division entrances and love going here on summer nights! This entrance is a 15 min walk from the hotels and is next to Navy Pier.

Lakefront Trail - Ohio Street Beach

Walk along the river and stop for a drink, food, or gelato!

Riverwalk

Located between the Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium is a great view of the city and where Krystal and Peter got engaged!

Museum Campus

Looking for an indoor activity? Catch a comedy show!

The Second City

Food

Our favorite brewery and just a 4 min walk from either hotel! We love watching a movie at the AMC and then getting dinner &amp; drinks here. The waiters are always impressed with how many rewards we have from our frequent visits. You can't go wrong on this menu, but the buffalo cauliflower and curds are a must.

Crushed By Giants Brewing Company

Our favorite place to get a breakfast sandwich! Our go-to is a bacon, egg, and cheese on asiago. This location is just a 4 min walk from the hotels. Order ahead online only.

Gotham Bagels - Magnificent Mile

Fan of The Bear? The show films at and was heavily inspired by Mr. Beef! This is a 15 min walk from the hotels. Note that they close at 4:00pm, so we also recommend Al's Beef nearby.

Mr. Beef

A Chicago classic! Krystal and Peter's favorites are the Italian Beef sandwich topped with giardiniera and cheese, the Maxwell Street Polish Sausage, and fries. This is a 15 min walk from the hotels.

Al's #1 Italian Beef

Our favorite deep dish and certainly worth the Uber. Reservations must be made at least a few weeks in advance.

Pequod's Pizza

The birthplace of deep dish pizza! Just a 4 min walk from the hotels, Pizzeria Uno and Pizzeria Due were the first and second deep dish restaurants in Chicago. We recommend going over to Due as Uno tends to have more of a wait.

Pizzeria Uno

The best steakhouse in Chicago and where we celebrate every anniversary! Although the steak is incredible, the Chocolate Mousse Pie is Krystal’s favorite part. This is under a 15 min walk from the hotels.

Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse

A celebrity and local favorite, this is an old-school Italian restaurant we love. The Penne Alla Vodka is Krystal's favorite. Call a few weeks ahead for reservations.

La Scarola

Bars

One of Krystal and Peter's favorite lowkey bars. There is complimentary popcorn and a beer garden in the back with TVs. This is under a 15 min walk from the hotels.

Clark Street Ale House

A block away from Krystal and Peter's apartment in the Gold Coast. Our favorites are The Lodge, Hopsmith, and Butch McGuire's.

Division Street 

The Old Town neighborhood also has a strip of bars. Our favorite is Declan's Irish Pub!

Wells Street 

Things to Do

Instructions to Enter The Parking Garage

You will enter the two-way driveway on Superior on your left and then turn left at the end of the driveway to proceed down the ramp. The entrance gate will be directly in front of you (do not enter through the entrance gates on your right – they are for the One Chicago Square valet parking staff). Just pull a parking ticket and the entrance gates will open. You may park in any non-reserved open space on Lower Level One (LL1) or Lower Level Two (LL2). Parking tickets can only be validated for free parking on the Cathedral Campus.

Through the Years

September 17, 2017

September 30, 2017

November 17, 2017

September 21, 2018

September 25, 2018

December 01, 2018

April 12, 2019

May 13, 2019

July 05, 2019

August 31, 2019

November 23, 2019

November 30, 2019

December 07, 2019

January 18, 2020

February 22, 2020

May 01, 2020

November 22, 2020

April 10, 2021

May 21, 2021

November 02, 2021

December 16, 2021

May 10, 2022

July 09, 2022

August 06, 2022

September 23, 2022

March 11, 2023

April 14, 2023

June 04, 2023

July 29, 2023

August 25, 2023

September 16, 2023

December 31, 2023

April 12, 2024

May 10, 2024

June 14, 2024

June 15, 2024

October 31, 2024

November 16, 2024

February 21, 2025

April 12, 2025

May 16, 2025

May 22, 2025

July 18, 2025

August 16, 2025

August 30, 2025

October 04, 2025

The best is yet to come :)