Sam and Klaire are getting married!!

Saturday, September 27, 2025

Sarabande
2726 W Roscoe St
Chicago, IL 60618

The ceremony will begin promptly at 5:30 PM

We're so freakin' excited celebrate with you!

Our Story

“DePaul Dodgeball. Mondays and Thursdays at 9PM. Headshots allowed.”

It was these words that first brought us together, all the way back in 2011.

We were both college freshmen, both far from home, and both looking for an on-campus activity that would occupy our time and maybe lead to a new friend or two. Finding the love of our lives was definitely not on either of our agendas, but sometimes freshman year is weird like that.

It started off slow. Sam complimented Klaire’s shirt. Klaire assumed Sam was a senior (because of the beard) and offered a nervous “thanks” in response, but not much else. It took a few months worth of dodgeball practices before we considered each other friends and almost a year and a half worth of friendship for Sam to finally invite Klaire out on a date.

We kept our relationship a secret at first, worried about the relentless teasing we'd inevitably get from their dodgeball teammates, but word eventually got out. The teasing was brutal, as expected. But 12 years later, we both agree it was so, so worth it.

In December 2023, we went to pick out our Christmas tree (yes, a real one) from our favorite plant nursery in the city, Gethsemane Garden Center. After a short stroll through the aisles of pine, we found the perfect little Douglas Fir. Sam insisted that he needed to check out the bottom of the tree to ensure it was "all filled out."

Already bending down, he used the opportunity to get on one knee, pull a small box out of his pocket, and present Klaire with not a ring, but a solid gold grill for her front teeth. The "yes!" was immediate, but it took a few minutes for us to compose ourselves enough to actually buy the tree.

Who's Who?

Say hello to our party people!

Klaire's sister and best friend for the past 31 years. Enough said.

Both assigned to the same dorm building, Sam and Lexxi met during their first week of college and struck up a quick friendship — which can almost definitely be attributed to their shared golden retriever energy. Over the years, Lexxi has played a monumental role in Sam’s life as a friend, roommate, confidant, co-conspirator, and an all out beacon of positivity.

Fun fact: Lexxi holds the important distinction of being the 1st person to know about Klaire and Sam’s relationship and has been a champion of us as a couple ever since.

Klaire and Danny met at a pop-punk concert at the Mad Hatter, a (now-defunct) music venue in Northern Kentucky, in 2010. Unfortunately, they've been friends ever since.

A day one ride-or-die since the 1st grade, Tommy and Sam spent the better part of elementary, middle, and high school as classmates, teammates, and best friends.

Together, the two have traversed the waters, woods and mountains of Maine, with varying results. Life doesn’t always prepare you to canoe across a lake at Midnight, but with Tommy, it's always about the journey, not the destination.

Klaire and Mert’s friendship ignited inside a dingy, yet cozy, Chicago apartment lovingly referred to as ✨Sparkle Motion Manor✨. Mert lived there. Klaire didn’t— but she spent enough time hanging out there hanging out to earn the title of “honorary resident”.

From the very beginning, they just understood each other. Maybe it was their shared love of dive bar lemon drop shots or maybe it was the fact that they’re both copywriters at Chicago ad agencies. Either way, they clicked.

Sam and Livy’s friendship began in the third grade when they were paired up to write a presentation on Martin Luther King Jr and has continued to be a delicate balance of learning and horsing around since then.

While they don’t always see eye-to-eye on some very crucial issues, like which hot celebrities are actually hot (sorry Patrick Dempsey 🤷‍♂️) or pretty much the entirety of Russian history, they continue to love and support one another through all of life’s growing pains.

Another friendship kindled at ✨Sparkle Motion Manor✨! Although Klaire and Joie’s story really could’ve started earlier.

Klaire and Joie both grew up in Cincinnati, went to the same summer camp, and had heaps of mutual friends as teenagers. And yet, somehow, their paths didn’t cross until one of those mutual friends (s/o Mallary!) introduced the pair at a Jamba Juice in Chicago in 2013. Now, Klaire and Joie are making up for lost time with a friendship fueled by their shared loves of punk rock, karaoke, and kitty cats.

It was the first day of 4th grade. Alex, the new kid at school, showed up to homeroom with a baggie of M&Ms and gave a few to Sam in hopes of winning over his friendship. It worked. There’s a sucker born every day.

One of Klaire and Sam's best friends / Sam's old roommate / Boxcar and Dirtbike's godfather

The idea of Michael officiating our wedding first came about years ago, as an inside joke between the three of us. As time passed, the line between joke and reality got a little blurry and, well, here we are.

Adam is one of Sam and Klaire’s best friends from DePaul, despite the fact that Adam didn’t go to Depaul and had graduated college well before our freshman year. Oh well. We’ll still count it.

Both Klaire and Sam have shared apartments with Adam (separately, oddly enough) and consider themselves blessed that he was able to see through their messiness enough to continue their friendship afterwards. Our big day wouldn’t be complete without him.

Meow meow meow.

Purr purr purr.

Wedding Weekend

The run of show, for your viewing pleasure.

Let's get this wedding weekend started right! Join us upstairs at Tied House for a casual get-together before the big day.

Tied House - 3157 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60657

Street parking is available, but limited. We recommend a getting a rideshare or using public transit if possible.

Ceremony will begin on time.
Please arrive 15-20 minutes early to find a seat and get settled before the ceremony begins.

2726 West Roscoe Street, Chicago, IL 60618

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Where to Stay

For your convenience, we've amassed a list of our top choices for accommodations in the city.

Just FYI — Chicago has hundreds of hotels with constantly fluctuating room rates. While we tried to secure the best prices possible, you may be able to find more budget-friendly options via your own independent search.

A luxury, resort-like hotel attached to one of Chicago's most impressive fitness centers, Midtown Athletic Club. Hotel guests can access all of the club's amenities including group fitness classes, golf simulators, and the outdoor pool (weather permitting).

This is the closest hotel to our wedding venue.

NOTE: This room block rate is only available for those who book before July 26th.

Klaire's mom and stepdad's favorite hotel in downtown Chicago!

While they don't offer traditional room blocks, you can use the link above to get 20% off their regular room rates.

If you're traveling with a group or just want more space to yourself, there are tons of great options on Airbnb and VRBO.

Looking to stay near the wedding venue? We'd recommend looking for spaces around Avondale, Logan Square, Bucktown or Roscoe Village.

If you have any questions about locations, please feel free to reach out to Klaire or Sam.

Chicago

New in town? We've got some recommendations for ya.

While we are both die hard White Sox fans, our beloved southsiders are out of town this weekend, but we still have love for the Cubs who are in town the 23rd-28th.

Catch a game, take a trip through Wrigleyville, and soak up the sun at one of baseball's most hallowed grounds!

You'll find the best deep dish in the city at Pequod's Pizza (2207 N Clybourn Ave). Pizza this good comes with a wait so we highly recommend getting a reservation!

For very-good-but-not-quite-the-best deep dish and almost no wait time, try our adored date night spot Easy Street Pizza (3 locations).

We LOVE the Chicago Architecture Boat Tour, so much so that we've taken it about 10 times between the two of us. It might sound a little hokey, but there's absolutely no better way to see the city!

Note: there are several companies that offer similar boat tours. We linked our favorite above, but it's hard to go wrong with any of them.

There's no such thing as a bad show at Second City, but we highly recommend buying your tickets well in advance, especially if you plan to attend on Friday night.

For those who like their comedy more out of the box iO Theater is as good as it gets and features a variety of shows for all humor types!

Lula Cafe - funky-yet-sophisticated spot open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (reservations recommended)

Chief O'Neills - one of the best Irish pubs in the city

Red Hot Ranch - lowkey Chicago-style hotdog stand

Chef's Special - upscale Chinese food and cocktails (reservations recommended)

Kitsch'n on Roscoe - cute lil brunch spot with a patio

The Gage - our top-pick for dining on the Mag Mile

Chicago is chock-full of great museums. Here are a few we can personally vouch for the greatness of:

FOR ART
The Museum of Contemporary Art

The Art Institute

National Museum of Mexican Art

FOR FUN
Museum of Science and Industry

The Shedd Aquarium

The Adler Planetarium

Queen Mary - tiny spot for oysters and unbelievably good martinis

The Native - punky neighborhood dive (cash only)

Split Milk - classic cocktails with a twist

Alice's Lounge - karaoke bar open until 4am

Literally any local brewery - Revolution, Begyle, Off Color (aka Mousetrap), Half Acre and Hopewell are some of our favorites

FAQs

You have questions! We have answers!

Our dress code is "creative cocktail".
Think normal cocktail attire, just less stuffy.

You're welcome — but certainly not required — to use vivid colors, bold patterns, fun accessories and more to show off your personal style. Drama is encouraged!

As much as we love your kids, this is an adults-only event (with limited exceptions for Sam's nibblings).

If a guest is listed on the address line of your invitation, then of course!
Otherwise, we're unfortunately unable to welcome extra guests due to venue capacity limits.

The ceremony and reception will both be held indoors.

If the weather is nice, we'll open the patio doors for a hybrid inside/outside cocktail hour.

Our venue is located directly across from a large parking lot that you're welcome to use for free.

That being said, we highly encourage you to use Uber, Lyft, or public transportation if you plan on imbibing. Safety first!

There is! Please check out the "Where to Stay" page above for more info.

Registry

We're just excited to celebrate with you!
But if you insist, you can find our registries at the links below.

(registry hosted by Joy)

View registry

(registry hosted by Crate & Barrel)

View registry