Big Horse Vineyards

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Summer

Our Wedding

Meant to Be

Sara's Version

It all began when the Kortz family started grade school at St Mark's. Mariana Kortz and Neela Montgomery were in the same grade and became good friends. Mariana had a sister close to Sara's age, so they had double playdates. Sara and Neela would go over to the Kortz household; there she met Thomas. He was an awkward type. But it was love at first sight for Sara. He had a pet lizard that he wanted to show off-like it was some kind of trophy. He would show Sara how the lizard could crawl up the stairs and chase her around to pet the lizard. This would become one of Sara's key memories of Thomas. A few years went by, and they started altar serving together. Sara wanted to try to strike up conversations, but Thomas gave her short responses. He was focused on the job at hand. That didn't stop Sara from trying to make herself noticed. Thomas became more aware of Sara, but continued to go about his life. Fast forward to October 2022 when Mariana Kortz hosted a Halloween party and Sara and Thomas crossed paths again. Thomas learned that Sara lived in the same apartment complex. After the party, Thomas followed Sara on Instagram. That next February, Sara reached out to Thomas asking to carpool to his sister's Super Bowl party. Unfortunately, Thomas was traveling for work. He was in multiple exotic locations, which stirred up conversation through DMs on Instagram. Sara invited Thomas out when he was in town between trips. It started with going to the pool and walks around the apartment complex. Thomas became more interested an invited Sara out to Barnes &amp; Noble and a walk in the park. His sister was hosting a Lord of the Rings movie night that August. Sara cleverly mentioned that she had not seen the first Lord of the Rings movie, giving Thomas the opportunity to watch it with her. He invited her over to watch the movie, and they shared their first kiss. Thomas immediately took her out to dinner that week. Thomas asked the waiter if he could take. a picture of him with his girlfriend. Sara overheard 'girlfriend' and clung to that title. They have spent every day together since. Their love is full of laughter and energy.

Thomas's Version

I had just finished my traveling internship when Sara and I started to see each other more frequently. We had meetups at the apartment pool, Sommer park, Barnes and Noble, and walks around the neighborhood. My heart warmed to Sara very quickly in our time together and the chemistry was perfect and natural. I realized quickly how in tune we were to each other. In my view, finding real love is about meeting a person who has genuine care for the other, and we had that from the start. There was so much to explore and build upon in our early talks, and I enjoyed being in the presence of Sara's light-hearted soul. When I eventually had her over to my apartment for our "first date" watching Fellowship of the Ring, I felt very comfortable being close and felt in that moment that we belonged together. Our first kiss permanently fixed my heart to hers. And between that night and our next dinner date, I lost sleep thinking about how happy I was. We spend every day together living the best life, and I'm happy to call Sara my closest friend. She is the best person to share laughs with, discuss life goals, plan road trips, watch tv shows, and share a meal anywhere from a nice restauraunt to a fast food drive through. I'm so lucky to have found my soul mate, and I know we are going to have a beautiful life together. What I have with Sara is more than good chemistry, we think alike and we can feel each other on a deep level. I adore Sara, and I smile every time I see her walk into a room. What she's best at is winning over my heart just by being herself. It feels like we've been a couple for many years.

Our Story

About Us

Photos

Bridesmaids

Cayce was Sara's first friend at college. They've had many traveling adventures together. Cayce is always the first phone call whenever Sara has something to share.

Cayce Sowa

Emily and Sara met in college while studying education. Their friendship grew during their study abroad trip to Costa Rica. Emily always has Sara's back even when Sara spills milk in her purse...with her laptop in it... before finals. Hehehe

Emily Diedrich

Victoria Schnieder

Sophia Kortz

Neela is Sara's sister. Growing up together, they shared their love for cats, musical soundtracks, and all the sisterly things.

Neela Montgomery

Clare Kortz

Groomsmen

Nate is Sara’s cousin. They are the same age and grew up as together as you can get being states apart. Nate and Sara share not only share being accident prone in common, but also being the life of the party.

Nate Widman

Noah Schnieder

Mariana Nenonen 

Parker Nenonen

Wedding Party

Q + A

Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino

Heritage Grand Inn - Canton, IL

Pere Marquette

Holiday Inn & Suites

Travel

Enjoy coffee while sharing love with some kitties!

River Kitty Cafe

Zion Coffee Bar

Hidden Gem cafe. Highly recommend this location but there are others in the area as well!

Leaves 'n Beans Coffee

Best spot for a brunch! There's multiple locations in the area.

Childers Eatery - War Memorial (Grand Prairie)

Brienzo's Pizza + Bar Peoria Heights

Looking for something crafty? We highly recommend pottery painting. We can pick it up and ship it for you when its ready!

Fired Up

Take a nice scenic drive or walk. This is the best view in town.

Grand View Drive

Best frozen yogurt. Very unique layout where you get to add your own toppings. Take a cup to go so you can walk around Grand View Drive

Sweet CeCe's

Northwoods Mall

Outdoor shopping center. Fun Fact: Sara was an event manager here!

The Shoppes at Grand Prairie

Take a look at their exhibits or just enjoy a walk along the river!

Peoria Riverfront Museum

Catch a movie while you're here and treat yourself to a dinner. I recommend Avanti's and Olive Garden.

GQT Willow Knolls 14

Looking for the perfect pair of polarized sunglasses? Or need a Maui Jim pair repaired? Stop by the retail department to try on some new looks. (If you coordinate with Thomas, he can come with you to get his employee discount!)

Maui Jim Sunglasses

Things to Do

Registry

<a href="https://www.amazon.com/wedding/share/sarathomaskortz" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Link to Amazon Registry </a>

Gift Card Ideas

• Amazon • Home Goods • Bath & Body Works • Lowes  • Target •Petsmart • Chick-fil-a • Culver’s • Starbucks • DoorDash •Uber

Sara & Thomas