At the end of 2019, Frankie and Peter matched on Bumble, thanks to Frankie’s bold opener: "Were you arrested? Because it’s illegal to look that great." Peter was hooked. A few dates in, the world shut down due to COVID. Frankie moved back to her family’s place in the Chicago suburbs, and even though Peter was still working, he spent every possible moment with her. Days turned into weeks, then months—they were inseparable.

When Frankie moved back to the city, distance wasn’t about to slow them down. Peter hopped on early morning trains and took late-night ones back, just to squeeze in more time together.

Fast forward four and a half years, and they both knew it was time for the next step. On a quick Miami trip before a cruise to the Bahamas, Peter popped the question. The wind was howling so loud that Frankie could barely hear him say, “Will you marry me?”—but she didn’t need to. She already knew her answer. In that moment, with the ocean all around them, they knew this was just the beginning of forever.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lake Zurich-Barrington, an IHG Hotel