Emily Chapman and Jon Marks first hit it off in the fifth grade, when they had a whirlwind romance at a Lake Forest summer camp. Their parents loved it — they were friends through a bowling league — but the kids called it quits just a week later, after Marks turned down a kiss from Chapman. But Marks changed his attitude about a decade later, reconnecting with Chapman in 2005 while both attended the University of Michigan. In November 2012, Chapman, an account executive at Edelman, and Marks, a national customer marketing analyst at Wrigley, tied the knot — and of course, their parents were thrilled. The families’ connections to The Standard Club (both sets of parents are members and Chapman’s parents were married there) made it a significant venue for the occasion. The bride walked down the aisle to a live piano-and-violin rendition of “She’s Got a Way” by Billy Joel. Once she reached Marks, “our rabbi told us to look around, and that’s when we noticed our 150 guests,” he laughs. Despite the abundance of attendees, the couple says the traditional Jewish ceremony and chuppah — which Chapman designed — gave the evening an intimate vibe. The pair kept things personal by kicking off the reception with their alma mater’s fight song. “That made it feel like our party,” says Marks. Even more intimate was the fact that they spent the entire celebration at each other’s sides. “We were together the whole night. We made a conscious effort to breathe in every second together, and that’s something I’ll never forget,” says Chapman.
Story by Katerina Bizios | Photos by Kevin Weinstein Photography
