our story

Jared and Renata first met in the spring of 2012 at Tulane University. Jared was fast friends with her sister, Francesca, (and played basketball annually with her father!) before she had even enrolled.  Despite sharing many friends and crossing paths on and off campus, it wasn't until the summer of 2014 that the pair clicked.

Jared and Renata bonded over soccer during the men's World Cup, memorably watching games together. But as luck would have it, their romance began two weeks before Renata moved to Italy and they parted without any expectations. Across time and distance they built a strong foundation of friendship that very quickly turned to love and they reunited six months later in Chicago as partners for the first time.

On December 9th, 2019 -- five years of distance, four cities, three big moves, two countries, and one apartment later -- Jared and Renata committed to spending the rest of their lives together. Ever in sync, Renata happened upon the perfect ring while Jared was putting together the proposal. They told their families, set the date, and started making plans!

And then it was 2020... enough said. Jared and Renata decided to quietly marry on their 6th anniversary (because who doesn't love health insurance during a pandemic), choosing to wait to tell their families so they could give Renata's grandmother, Rose, a celebration to look forward to. While she did not live to see their wedding, she reveled in planning all the details with the couple before joining Jerry, the love of her long, beautiful life, in eternal peace this past January. 

Renata and Jared are proud to have weathered the challenges of the pandemic, the loss of both of Renata's beloved grandparents, and major job and life changes together as a strong, loving, and resilient team. Jared flourished in his tech career while Renata launched hers in photography. They canceled all their plans, raised a lot of plants together, and pushed their long-awaited wedding one more year so they could celebrate with their family and friends as originally intended... ten years after first meeting, in the city where it all began.