Let's rewind back to March 2020: Chicago begins to shut down, workers are sent home for a “brief” remote work period, curfews are in effect, and the uncertainty of what the heck is going on is at an all time high. Obviously, it was the perfect time to dive into the local dating pool.

It all started on the popular dating app, Hinge. Chayce came across Lisa’s profile and was immediately drawn to her. Lisa had something that Chayce refers to as the “it factor”.. she was everything he ever wanted in a partner, and he knew it.

Chayce saw that beautiful smile that she is ALWAYS showing off to the world. He saw that Lisa’s family was having so much fun together, entertaining themselves during lockdown and embracing the craziness that the world was experiencing. Chayce found it hilarious and endearing that they would coordinated different themes during the Covid days, cooking meals together and having dinner parties, one of them being Tiger King night; with costumes, face paint, wigs, and whole lot of wine. He remembers thinking to himself how amazing it would be to be to have memories like that. Chayce also saw that Lisa was close to 6 ft tall, and he immediately began envisioning those genes contributing to their children being 6’5 quarterbacks suiting up for the “Fighting Illini”, and throwing touchdowns all over Memorial Stadium.

But what Chayce really saw was a woman and a life that he wanted to be a part of. So, after a few days of witty banter and eventually a text exchange, Chayce asked Lisa to go out on a date. To his surprise, Lisa not only declined the date- but proceeded to decline the following 3 attempts as well. For those reading this, if you know Chayce, you know he doesn't give up on a goal of his until it is accomplished and chases his passions with a relentless pursuit (no pun intended).

Four months went by of minimal contact and brief Instagram messaging, and on July 5th, 2020 Lisa received a birthday message from Chayce that she describes as “heart-felt and really genuine”. Chayce decided to give a solid attempt at communicating that he would love to meet and thought that Lisa was someone really special. This led to Lisa agreeing to go on their first date to Swift & Sons in the West Loop, in Chicago. Leading up to the date Chayce and Lisa were texting and facetiming almost every night, there came a point it felt like they were already dating yet they hadn't even met in person yet! They were able to build the foundation of their relationship on really getting to know each other and speak candidly about their hopes and dreams, and what they wanted in life in a partner. By the time their first date rolled around in August of 2020 it was truly love at first sight. They laughed and joked for 3 hours straight feeling as if they had known eachother for years. They connected over their combined 30 years of Catholic education, the Fay family’s German and Irish heritage, and all of the local bars in Chicago that both of them loved and frequented. And as they say.. the rest is history.

Since that first date, Chayce and Lisa have moved all over the country to pursue both personal and professional goals together. From Chicago to Fort Lauderdale to Santa Monica and now Scottsdale- we have stood by each other’s side making leaps of faith that have led to the most memorable times of our lives. Taking this next step and deciding to get married was the easiest decision either of us have ever made, and there’s a chance we sprint down that aisle to finally be able to call ourselves husband and wife.

Photos