Laura and Alex’s perfect wedding at The Armour House  has set a whole new standard for 2020 intimate weddings! These two first met in 2015, when he was starting his career as a high school special-education teacher, and she was working for a social services agency in Chicago. After a series of dates that took them to some of the most popular locales around the city, they became an official couple on August 21—which would become their wedding date five years later!

“We were supposed to get married on May 23, 2020, in Quincy, Illinois, which is my hometown,” explains Laura. “Our plan was a backyard ceremony at my parents’ home and a reception at the country club where my grandparents and many family members have been married.” As it became apparent that their May nuptials in front of 200 loved ones would have to be postponed indefinitely, the pair wasn’t sure about the best way to move forward. “In such uncertain times, we realized that we wanted to get married soon, but we also wanted to be COVID cautious and reduce risk as much as possible,” shares Laura.

That’s when Petite Fête, my sister company partnering with Sara Elizabeth Weddings, stepped in! Laura and Alex ultimately decided on a micro wedding closer to their Chicago home. With safety protocols in mind, Laura and Alex decided to limit the event to just their immediate families plus the bride’s paternal grandmother. One of the dates that worked with their schedules happened to fall on the pair’s five-year anniversary. “We got married at The Armour House at Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois,” shares Laura. “Our planner Sara knew my love for architecture and old buildings and found this location for us. As it turns out, my grandfather attended Lake Forest Academy for a time in high school, which I thought was a fun family connection. We were just thrilled with it.”