Alexa & Robert in South Bend, IN

Robert first met Alexa when she was working at a scotch bar in Chicago, and although they eventually moved to California together, they chose the bride’s hometown in the heart of the Midwest as the setting for their September wedding. The Bride Alexa Hilal, 29, senior strategic planner The Groom Robert Calabro, 29, copywriter The Date September 20 While relaxing in their cozy bungalow in Venice Beach after the holidays, Robert surprised Alexa with a belated Christmas tree. Decorated with 100 Post-it notes, each one was inscribed with a different reason why he loved her. As she read the last note, Robert disappeared into the bedroom, and when he returned, he dropped to one knee and proposed with a gorgeous ring. With a shared vision of a celebration filled with personal, heartfelt details, the couple began planning an inspired wedding back in the bride’s native state of Indiana.