With Love from Andersonville
Photo by Michelle Lytle Photography at The Lytle House
These love stories were collected from couples who live and love in Andersonville.
Walk by Simon’s Tavern and you might have seen a couple sitting at the bar, meeting in person for the first time. Just up the street you might have spotted a young family giggling over their newly found treasures at Andersonville Galleria. Cross the street and from Lady Gregory’s you might have heard newlyweds and their guests celebrating. Keep walking north and you could have crossed paths with a couple saying goodnight outside Andersonville Brewing. If you were to stroll east, you would see the Dolly Parton and Everything Will Be Okay murals and you might notice a couple, still in their wedding clothes, walking arm in arm from The Lytle House to Pasteur.
Allison & John
Our love story all started on the internet. One new message in my OKCupid inbox! John commented on how high of a compatibility percentage match we were (99%). After a few digital exchanges, we were both equally intrigued by what the algorithm had predicted. We talked about music, travel, and our shared love of dive-bars. We wanted to meet and agreed on a good halfway point between my apartment in Ravenswood and his place in Edgewater: Simon's Tavern.
We spent the whole night talking and further solidified how accurate our algorithmic match-maker had been. I was pretty head-over-heels. Andersonville was formative to our early dating as we'd meet in the middle and try to impress each other at our local favorites like Big Jones, Hopleaf, and Little Bad Wolf.
Fast forward five years, too many backpacking/camping/outdoor adventures to count, plus some trying experiences like my cancer diagnosis--John made sure that we got through it all, laughing, and in one piece, of course. He proposed to me at our favorite national park: Isle Royale. We made plans to get married in August 2020 with 120 of our closest friends and family... but we all know how that ended. As we reframed our expectations (and lives, let's be honest) during the pandemic, it allowed us to reconsider a venue that we had to rule out during our early wedding planning due to size constraints: the Lytle House.
Only a block from our home, we were excited to support a local business. The afternoon of our elopement was dreamy, with the help of our wonderful local officiant Rebecca Pope and the Lytles. It was the biggest tiny celebration of our lives. I feel so lucky to have had all of these experiences with Andersonville being the backdrop. Each night we walk around the neighborhood, continuing to dream about the future. Even during this challenging period of human history, possibilities feel so infinite and wonderful with my love by my side.
Robert & Chris
When it comes to the story of how Robert and Chris met, Robert tends to tell people a different story than what actually happened--he always says "We met through mutual friends..." but in actuality, Robert and Chris met online through an app.
One night, Robert and Chris happened to be online at the same time when their paths crossed. Robert noticed a super handsome gentleman and initiated the hello. They chatted back and forth for a bit, and then Robert asked for Chris's number. Days went by and they texted nonstop, getting to know each other. Robert was ready to meet Chris, but Chris was playing hard to get! Finally, after some determination, Chris gave in and decided to finally meet up.
Getting up the courage to meet a stranger, Robert met Chris for a beer down the street one night at Andersonville Brewing. As Robert approached the pub, he could see Chris standing outside--all that Robert saw was a beam of light shining down on him and the song "Dream Weaver" started playing in his head (like the scene from Wayne's World). They said hello, went inside, and felt an instant connection.
After they hung out for a bit, it was time to head home as it was getting late. As they left, they both gave each other a hug and went in opposite directions... as they walked away, Robert looked back to see if Chris had turned around, but he hadn't... then Chris did the same thing, but Robert was walking down the street--HOWEVER, each of them that night say they had turned around at some point to check, in hopes of getting one last look at each other for the night.
So, the rest is history. To this day, they both still say to each other, "Did you ever think we would end up getting married after meeting that one night?" And each time, they both always laugh, and say, "yes".
Shelly & Eric
About 7 years ago, Eric and I had our second date in Andersonville, beginning with a stroll through the Andersonville Galleria followed by beers at Jerry’s. Following that second date, we saw each other the next day, and the next, and the rest was history.
On the night Eric proposed, a stop at the Andersonville Galleria was part of a short tour of important places in our journey together in Chicago. Fast forward a few years, we welcomed our daughter while living in Edgewater and were so grateful to spend our first summer as a family on countless walks around Andersonville and the Lakewood Balmoral neighborhood.
We bought our first home in Edgewater last Spring and are so proud to be raising our daughter in this neighborhood. She (and her very thoughtful father) bought me a handmade mug and hot chocolate from the Galleria for my recent birthday.
Colleen & Jenny
Andersonville plays a pretty huge role in our story. Essentially, my entire relationship with my wife circles back to Andersonville. We met 10 years ago and recently celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. My wife and I finally met in person, after connecting on an online dating site, at T’s Bar and Restaurant. I still remember nervously waiting in my car parked on Winnemac.
Then several years later, when we went to surprise our parents with the news of our engagement, because T’s was gone, we decided to do it at Cantina 1910, which took over T’s. Halfway through dinner we snuck our engagement rings on and waited for them to notice!
Then, because we wanted to get married before 45 became President, we did a courthouse wedding with our immediate family (followed 6 months later by a full ceremony). After the courthouse, we had our reception in the private room at Lady Gregory’s.
But a few months before that, we bought our home, in the 4800 block of Clark St, just a little bit down the street from all our favorite spots. Some of our best pals now live in Andersonville. My parents would drive in from the suburbs just to get Bar Roma takeout or my mom’s favorite Colectivo coffee — sometimes without even stopping by our place! We love our neighborhood.
Marissa & Patrick
We have spent many evenings celebrating birthdays and anniversaries in the Andersonville neighborhood (Vincent is our favorite) and Patrick is an active member of the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce through First Midwest Bank.
Due to Covid-19 we had to push our wedding date up considerably but we did not want to put anyone in the awkward position of deciding to attend (or not) despite a global pandemic. It was tough, we mulled it over for several weeks, and finally decided on a secret ceremony at the courthouse. We went and got our license, then called to get on the schedule for a court ceremony and found out they were booked out through 2020. We set a date anyway, we had no choice? Right?
Wrong, Patrick remembered that he had met Rebecca Pope with Something Profound Weddings (formerly RMP Chicago Events) at an Andersonville Chamber networking event. He reached out to her and we were not only able to wed earlier than we expected, but she introduced us to The Lytle House and the package they were promoting. They offered Rebecca's superb planning skills, the beautiful space, a photography package, floral, cake, and even a champagne toast.
The whole thing went off without a hitch and we could not have been more grateful. It was a magical ceremony. We had dinner at Pasteur next door afterwards and then headed to the Guesthouse Hotel for a romantic end to the evening. What made this event in our lives so special is that despite the absence of our friends and family we were still able to create a memory just the two of us with the help of the Andersonville community.
We now have another connection, the Lytle House. Pre-COVID we passed the Dolly Parton mural each morning on the way to work and I always admired it from the window. I wanted to know the story behind it, what was that intriguing building with all the colorful kites behind the fence? I don't have to wonder anymore, now I know. It's where I married the love of my life. We plan on using the space again once we can finally invite more than just ourselves to the wedding so they can enjoy it too. We made both a promise to spend the rest of our lives together and a memory that will live on even longer.
