Cucina Paradiso

Rehearsal Dinner

Room 1520

Wedding

Doors Open

Ceremony

Cocktail Hour

Dinner and Reception

Our Wedding

We met at Washington University in St. Louis in 2011 when Lauren moved onto Pat's floor halfway through freshman year. We grew closer that summer over multiple trips between Chicago and Milwaukee.

Our Beginning

We continued dating long distance after college. Lauren jumped from state to state as an environmental engineer, and Pat started medical school at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

After College

Even while long distance, we still kept close by adopting our cat Cyndaquil. She has brought much joy (and chaos) to our lives.

Cindy

After five years of long distance, we finally moved in together after Pat matched into residency at the University of Chicago. Lauren was able start working remotely out of the Sears Tower. We lived downtown close to lots of restaurants, the museum campus, and Lake Michigan.

Chicago

Pat finally proposed just before Christmas of 2019. Lauren turned on the Christmas tree lights and turned around to find Pat on one knee with a ring! We excitedly told family that night (then Pat had to work a 28 hour ICU shift).

Engagement

Surprise! We actually got married last year on May 8, 2021 in a small backyard ceremony with immediate family present.

Wedding!

We most recently moved to Madison after Pat matched at the University of Wisconsin for Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship. We bought our first house and are enjoying this next chapter in our lives!

Wisconsin

Our Story

Block Rates held until April 8, 2022 3 minutes from the Chicago Riverwalk! Amenities include:*Complimentary Wi-Fi*24-hour fitness center Parking:*$69 Valet parking with in/out privileges*Numerous self-park options within walking distance, prices vary Public Transportation:*~55 minutes to O'Hare via the Blue Line (7 minutes of walking)*~40 minutes to Midway via the Orange Line (4 minutes of walking) Public Transportation to the Room 1520:*~15 minutes via Pink or Green Line (7 minutes of walking)

Hilton Garden Inn Chicago Downtown Riverwalk

Block Rates held until March 18, 2022 Near the Sears Tower (aka Willis Tower)! Amenities:*Complimentary Wi-Fi*Breakfast Included*Fitness Center Parking:*$50 self-park with in/out privileges Public Transportation to Airports:*~55 minutes from O'Hare via Blue Line (13 minutes of walking)*~35 minutes from Midway via Orange Line (8 minutes of walking) Public Transportation to Room 1520:*~20 minutes via the Pink Line (5 minutes of walking)*~15 minutes via the Green Line (11 minutes of walking)*~20 minutes via Bus 20 (11 minutes of walking)

Hyatt Place Chicago/Downtown - The Loop

Block Rates held until April 8, 2022 Amenities:*Complimentary Wi-Fi*Free Breakfast*Fitness Center Parking:*$55 Self-parking with in/out privileges Public Transportation to Airports:*~55 minutes to O'Hare via Blue Line (15 minutes of walking)*~45 minutes to Midway via Orange Line (13 minutes of walking) Public Transportation to Room 1520:*~15 minutes via Green or Pink Line (9 minutes of walking)

Springhill Suites by Marriott Chicago Downtown/ River North

Block Rates held until April 1, 2022 Amenities:*Complimentary Wi-Fi*Free Breakfast*Pet Friendly (per website, please verify if bringing a pet) Parking:*Public parking is available within walking distance, prices vary Public Transportation to Airports:*~1 hr 5 minutes to O'Hare via Blue Line (11 minutes of walking)*~50 minutes with at least one bus or EL transfer (minimum of 12 minutes walking) Public Transportation to Room 1520:*~12 minutes via the Pink Line (9 minutes of walking)*~15 minutes via Bus 9 (9 minutes of walking)

Hyatt Place Chicago – Medical / University District

Block Rates held until March 30, 2022 Amenities:*Complimentary Wi-Fi*Pet Friendly for Double and Queen Rooms (per website, please verify if bringing a pet) Parking:*$25 limited parking*Public parking is available within walking distance, prices vary Public Transportation to Airports:*~1 hour to O'Hare via the Blue Line (13 minutes of walking)*~45 minutes - 1 hour to Midway with at least one bus or EL train transfer (minimum of 10 minutes of walking) Public Transportation to Room 1520:*~16 minute walk!*~8 minutes via Bus 9 (4 minutes of walking)

Hotel Chicago West Loop

Hotel Blocks

Chicago Architecture Foundation Center River Cruise

Lincoln Park Zoo

Field Museum

Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago

Cloud Gate

Skydeck Chicago

Things to Do

Lizzie Heeg

Chris Nemeh

Becca Benakis

Grant Schmadeke

Caitlin Li

Ed Li

June Naureckas

Chuck Marcus

Colleen Smith

Adam Green

Maureen Devereaux

Shikhar Shah

Wedding Party

Photos

Registry

Health and Safety at our wedding

We delayed our wedding a year to make sure we could celebrate safely with you all. This page is where we will keep up to date requirements for our wedding. We will also email any updates if you provide an email address with your RSVP.

Safety Protocols

Vaccination Requirement

We are requiring guests to be fully vaccinated. For the purpose of our wedding, we consider fully vaccinated to mean completion of a primary vaccination series (2 doses of Pfizer or Moderna, or 1 dose of J&amp;J) and a booster shot (Moderna or Pfizer 5 months after an mRNA vaccine, or 2 months after J&amp;J) if eligible. Per current CDC guidance, everyone above age 5 is eligible for vaccination, and above age 12 is eligible for a booster. More information about vaccines can be found <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/your-vaccination.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.

Testing

CDC guidance recommends PCR testing within 72 hours or antigen testing within 24 hours of an event. Antigen tests such as BinaxNOW are available from most commercial pharmacies, and should be covered at no cost by your insurance. We are requesting that you test as close to the wedding as possible (within 48 hours) with either type of test. Let us know if you have any trouble finding or scheduling a test.

Masks

We are currently not planning on requiring masks at our wedding. This guidance may change depending on case numbers or other unforeseen circumstances. Masks remain an effective way to slow the spread of COVID-19, especially higher quality masks such as KN95s or N95s. More information on types of masks can be found <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/types-of-masks.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.

Chicago Ordinances

We and our venue will be following Chicago ordinances. As of now, venues including Room 1520 are not requiring proof of vaccination or masks. The most up to date information on Chicago's COVID-19 response can be found <a href="https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.

Do I need to show proof of vaccination?

By RSVPing, you confirmed that you have been vaccinated against COVID. Our venue currently does not require proof of vaccination prior to entry, but policies may change leading up to the wedding. If needed, the easiest way to show proof of vaccination is with the CDC issued card you received with your first dose. Many phones also can store vaccination records in a digital wallet, or through healthcare applications such as MyChart.

Are there vaccine exemptions?

We do not have any vaccine exemptions, including previous COVID infection.

Antigen vs. PCR Tests

PCR tests amplify genetic material. In the case of COVID, they are looking for RNA. By comparison, antigen tests look for components of the virus. Practically, this means that antigen tests may correlate more with infectiousness, since enough virus has to replicate for the test to be positive. PCR tests may be positive both before or after an infectious period, due to picking up small amounts of RNA from an exposure, or from dead virus.

What if I test positive before the wedding?

Experts agree that a positive test indicates infection regardless of symptoms. While guidance has varied significantly over time and between institutions, we request that anyone who tests positive for COVID does not attend the wedding unless they: 1) Are 5 days from the onset of symptoms or a positive test,2) Are currently asymptomatic and not immunocompromised, and3) Test negative on an antigen test. More information about testing can be found in <a href="https://news.uchicago.edu/story/when-should-i-use-rapid-covid-test-and-how-accurate-are-they" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">this article</a>.

Where can I find more information?

<a href="https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chicago COVID-19 response and ordinances</a> <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CDC COVID-19 information and guidelines</a> Any question not answered here? Email us at <a href="mailto:naureckaswedding@gmail.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">naureckaswedding@gmail.com</a>

Lauren & Patrick

Lauren & Patrick

Registry