We were living in Chicago when we first met in early November of 2019. We hit it off from our very first date which started with a quaint wine bar near the South Loop where we competed to see who could create the funniest snooty tasting notes for our wine. Most first dates start with a drink or two, but our empty wine stems seemed to multiply and we soon found ourselves at another establishment known for its tequila shots. The rest gets a little hazy, but we were both love struck from that first date.

We survived a few small hiccups in the early days, like Alex showing up to our second date almost an hour late. He’ll be eternally grateful that Sara was either too kind, or too stubborn to believe she had been stood up. Then there was the time that Sara’s choice of bargain bin lobster had us drafting emergency protocols for how we’d handle a double case of food poisoning in her one bathroom apartment, which luckily did not require deployment.

An early highlight that solidified our compatibility was Sara’s response when presented with two options for where to stay for our first weekend trip together: a luxury hotel, or a giant water park. Anyone who knows Sara will correctly guess that she enthusiastically endorsed the water park option, and we had a blast!

Even the onset of a global pandemic just a few months into dating couldn’t stand in our way. In those crazy lockdown days we found a shared love for escaping the city to explore nature hikes and rural breweries, meeting each other’s friends and families over zoom games, and perfecting homemade pizza together. As restrictions lifted we enjoyed road trips where we fell in love with each other’s families in Harbor Springs, Ann Arbor, and Minneapolis.

We found ourselves an awesome apartment in Lakeview, supported each other through job changes, adopted a snuggly and crazy puppy, and threw a few rocking Halloween parties.

Alex proposed midway through an incredible ski trip to Japan on top of the Happo-one mountain. Just weeks after returning home we purchased our first home in Ann Arbor Michigan.

Our love for family, friends, fun, food, fall foliage and alliteration will all come together at Bug Bee Hive and we could not be more grateful to have you there!

Get ready to boogie down and revisit the 1970s for an unforgettable weekend!

Love and endless gratitude <3

Alex and Sara