Rehearsal Dinner (Invitation Only)

Ogden Gardens Park

Wedding Day

Wedding

The Market

Reception

Our Wedding

It all started nearly decade ago (?!) at Valparaiso University’s Union Cafe&nbsp;pizza station. From the beginning, we could tell that we had a special connection. We were fast friends who often ran into each other at our favorite fraternity: Phi Mu Alpha. After over a year of deliberation and back and forth on the nature of our relationship, we decided that it was time to call each other “boyfriend and girlfriend.” I (Michelle) had no idea that Dave would turn out to be my first and last boyfriend, especially after he broke up with me one month into our relationship and two days before my biggest final of the semester. (I still hold a small grudge for that one!) Nevertheless, we remained friends even after the breakup. This wasn’t hard for us, as we’ve always had easy, meaningful conversations no matter the medium. As we grew into young adults, we saw each other go through break ups, &nbsp;start careers, and adjust to life outside of college.&nbsp; Then, going into 2017, on New Year’s Eve, we struck up a conversation over Snap Chat (duh) and realized that we had both recently moved to Chicago. After this discovery, we began spending a lot of time together: meeting up to talk, seeing the occasional movie, and just hanging out over David’s Korean food creations.&nbsp; We got along famously but were unsure about taking the next step. The now familiar subject of dating had returned. Did we want to lose our friendship and give up the freedom of dating?&nbsp; These questions remained between us, until one night we were hit with the truth: we had been dating each other for over 6 months without truly realizing it! It was time to make things official. We knew very quickly that we were going to get married. In fact, David knew so strongly that he proposed to Michelle several times (maybe&nbsp;3 or 4?) over the course of our relationship before popping the question for real.&nbsp; As too many of you know, he even did a fake proposal at the Winter Olympics in South Korea last year. It was a pretty smart move on David’s part as we got free tickets to the Olympic Plaza with VIP treatment. Unfortunately, I (David) may have given my best man a touch of PTSD. He was with us for the fake proposal, which he thought was real, and he had trouble making heads or tails of what happened, what didn’t happen, and why the hell we would get “fake” engaged. I figure this is as good as any time to set the record straight.To everyone who thinks that the Korean proposal was the real proposal, I’m sorry you had to find out this way. In the end, we are beyond excited that things have turned out the way they have for us.&nbsp;Here’s to sharing our step into marriage with all of you! - D & M

Our Story

Details

Photos

Armand Gagne

Jackie Nagel

Amelia Cyze

Sean Zolfo

Lena Walsh

Xiaolang Wang

Pat Slattery

Jeanine Cyze

Rachel Zolfo

James Nowell

Claire Sereiko

Will Scupham

Wedding Party

Q + A

Registry

This is the closest hotel to The Market - it only takes a couple of minutes to walk there! We have a discounted block of hotel rooms. Click the link for details.

Hampton Inn

Travel

The bride’s favorite spot in Valpo!&nbsp;Blackbird Cafe is a true local coffee shop, the kind of place where the baristas know your name and remember your order. They pride themselves on serving amazing food from scratch daily using locally-grown produce. They offer one of the best selection of fresh coffees, teas, and espresso drinks in Valparaiso.&nbsp;Michelle’s top&nbsp;food pick:&nbsp;vegan BLT with a bite

Blackbird Cafe

Cozy library-themed restaurant serving updated comfort classics, plus craft beer, wine & cocktails.&nbsp;You'll find a wonderful selection of drinks from this restaurant's full bar to top off your meal.&nbsp;Stacks Bar & Grill also&nbsp;offers an affordable happy hour.&nbsp;Open air seating is ready for diners&nbsp;when the weather is warm.

If you plan to hit the restaurant on a Friday or Saturday, it's best to fend off the crowds by calling ahead for a reservation.



At Stacks, diners should plan to park on the street. Bike parking is also available outside the restaurant.

Stacks Bar and Grill

Come to the Valparaiso Market weekly to shop for fresh local produce, handmade products, and beautiful plants and flowers. The fresh produce will liven up even your favorite recipes or grab lunch on the go from one of the wonderful food vendors. Beautiful plants and flowers make great gifts for friends or just to enjoy at home! The Valparaiso Market is located at the William E. Urschel Pavilion at Central Park Plaza, 63 Lafayette Street in Valparaiso. Visit with local growers and craftsmen to buy plants in early summer and the freshest vegetables from summer through fall.Open 8am-2pm on Saturdays.

Valparaiso Market

There are TONS of other&nbsp;food options in Valpo. See our list below. You can always head to valparaisoevents.com for maps, events, and restaurant lists in this quaint college town.&nbsp;

Roots Organic Juice Cafe:&nbsp;Founded in 2012, Roots is the&nbsp;only&nbsp;gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, meat-free, guilt-free café in Valparaiso, Indiana. Best known for the more than two dozen hand-crafted juices and smoothies they&nbsp;make. They&nbsp;also feature baked goods, dairy-free parfaits, raw truffles, vegan-soups, salads, wraps, and quinoa bowls made in-house daily.













Figure 8 Brewery:&nbsp;A family friendly restaurant and brewery, locally owned and operated since 2010.













Pikks&nbsp;Tavern:&nbsp;Since opening in June 2007, Pikk’s Tavern is made to&nbsp;resemble a 1940s themed Chicago steakhouse with fine food and drinks. You will feel right at home in this comfortable and casual atmosphere. They also have great brunch options!











Main + Lincoln:&nbsp;A&nbsp;neighborhood restaurant and bar featuring approachable classics in a casual family-friendly environment. They&nbsp;are open Monday through Saturday for dinner starting at 5pm.













Don Quijote:&nbsp;Explore the tastes of Spain at Don Quijote restaurant. This established Spanish restaurant serves&nbsp;classic entrees & tapas in a traditional, candlelit setting.



Designer Desserts:&nbsp;In this gourmet sweets&nbsp;bakery, you will find glass cases FULL of Jumbo cupcakes, cookies, cannolis, brownies, decadent bar desserts, and more sweet treats. They&nbsp;also offer sugar free, gluten free, and dairy free products upon request.

Valpo Velvet:&nbsp;Come on in and enjoy an old-fashioned ice cream. This long-standing&nbsp;&nbsp;ice cream parlor consists of an old-fashioned soda fountain where they&nbsp;specialize in old fashioned ice cream treats.&nbsp;They have roughly 50 flavors of ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, and sorbet to choose from, all made fresh weekly on site!

Explore More.... 

Things to Do

Michelle & David

The Proposal

Michelle & David

Michelle & David

M&D

Rehearsal Dinner (Invitation Only)

Wedding Day

3:00 PM

Wedding

3:00 PM

Reception