Jill & Mike in St. Paul, MN
Though the Jill and Mike live in Chicago, Jill was raised in St. Paul and wanted to show off the city's charms to the many out-of-town guests. They did just that with their Irish-themed, springtime celebration at 317 on Rice Park. THE BRIDE Jill Thompson, 33, vice president at a securities firm THE GROOM Michael Lane, 33, a high school basketball coach THE DATE April 17 After seven years of dating, Jill didn't think her boyfriend Michael could surprise her. But one regular Saturday evening, he arrived at her place with a CD of At Last by Etta James and popped it into the stereo. Without pause, he got down on one knee and proposed. It turns out it wasn't just a regular Saturday evening after all, but the anniversary of the wedding where the pair decided to start dating (they’'d known each other in college). They celebrated with champagne and Mike shared the details of the day. He actually bought the ring, asked my parents for my hand, and proposed -- all on the same day! she says.