Barcocina West Town

Welcome Dinner

Stan Mansion

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Cocktail Hour

Mary Nora's Home

Zafe

Our Wedding

All in all to thee

Our Story

Photos

Mary Nora's big sister and number one since day one. Katie (Sissy) gave the bride the greatest gift of all, the nickname Bear and THREE perfect nephews: Rhys, Hayes, and Cade. As you may know, there is nothing like the bond between sisters, and that is true for this pair. Bear has always looked up to her big sister, who came to Cleveland from Denver every summer and holiday of her childhood, AND lived in Cleveland for the bride's senior year of high school, and she especially looks up to her now as an amazing mom. Katie has been attempting to get Bear to move to Denver since 2010, but for now the two have to be contented with regular birthday and holiday trips and Saturday FaceTime calls. 

Katie Perkins

Juliet and the bride met in 2016 while working at LUSH and have been making jokes and memories together ever since. Juliet initiated their friendship SOLELY to get a ride to Detroit and has been continuing the Long Con ever since...who knows how long it will go on! (; In all seriousness, Juliet is Mary Nora's rock and was with Juliet when Laney (Juliet's canine daughter) was adopted. 

Juliet Yvonne Harvey

Bridget (Bridgey) and Mary Nora met and fell in love in Fall of 2011 during Musical Theatre Connections at Columbia College Chicago. A few weeks later, the bride moved dorms and the pair became suite mates, later moving into an apartment together. Bridgey is the bride's ride or die and used to take care of the bride's former rabbit, Gunter. 

Bridget O'Connor

Brooke (Brookie) and Mary Nora started working at LUSH together in 2015. Their shared love of literally everything, but especially comedy solidified their bond and Mary Nora would gladly rescue Brookie from any situation to watch Sex and The City and eat pizza instead.

Brooke Natal

Dana and Mary Nora met before the first day of kindergarten in the late 1900s at a Daisy Scout meeting. They were best friends K through 9 and reconnected after college graduation. Their shared love of crafting and puzzles, as well as similar levels of competitiveness and general distraction make them an ideal team.

Dana Schwartz

From the moment that the bride met her sister-in-law Katie (Katie Kakes), they immediately were on the same wave length. The bride is so thrilled that her baby brother has her in his life and was so honored to gain another sister (another Katie Wolf) to spend time with yapping.

Katie Wolf

Katya and Mary Nora met in the 2016 production of Princess Ida with GSOC where they have created many hilarious moments on stage and off. The bride would describe Katya as her longest, most consistent creative partner in crime and show wife. Katya earned her stars in the 2024 production of Ruddigore as MNs Squire, when she had to adorn a real suit of armor in Act II.

Katya Bakas

Natasha and Mary Nora met in 2007 before a mixer at St. Ignatius through their mutual friend, Lindsey. In High School and beyond, Natasha and the Bride have been through nearly 20 years together. Much like the Bride's other younger high school friends, Natasha joined St. Ed's Marching Band at the bride's suggestion. The entire Corrigan family has been like an additional family to Mary Nora since the two became friends. The two share a love of Chicago, hosting, good food, second hand goods, cute puppies, and good deals. 

Natasha Corrigan

Nicole and Mary Nora either met in stage crew for Grease, or during a Chemistry Club party after school in 2008, but either way, once they met, the two became instant friends. The Sattler family was another secondary family to Mary Nora, taking care of her in Cleveland AND Charleston. The bride fondly remembers trying to get Nicole to join concert band and marching band at St. Ed's (a success!) and spent many weeks and nights at the Sattler home(s) across two states and 3 cities. Mary Nora is honored to see Nicole blossom as an artist and mom and see her baby doll come so far since high school. The bride wants to acknowledge that Nicole's late father, Jack, will be greatly missed at this wedding as she felt like an additional daughter to him. 

Nicole Sattler Rourke

Russell (Russie) and the bride became dear friends when she began working at LUSH in 2014, but the pair soon found out that they had met before! Through the power of deduction as well as photos from College events, it was discovered that the pair had crossed paths quite a bit at Columbia College Chicago. Russie was in Common Grounds at CCC and Mary Nora was in Muggles. Both were headquartered at The Loft on Columbia's campus and the two clubs had actually collaborated on the school's Halloween party, Dumbledore's Coming Out Party, in Russie's graduation year! The pair share a love of sewing and fashion and creating and are both easily the others most trusted artistic partner. Over the past few years, Russie has been assisting the bride in her costuming gigs and the two plan to open a costume rental company someday. Mary Nora, Juliet, and Russell can be found together most often.

Russell Yost

Michelle (Mila) and Mary Nora met when the bride was doing her floor trial at LUSH. They spent a part of the trial doing the actual interview and spent the rest yapping and laughing. Mila and the bride shared a history of opera and comedy, and lived together on Olive, the bride would refer to their riffing as M&M in the morning, and would like everyone to take part in their laughter together. 

Michelle Mestas Wittneben

Ben and the groom met Fall of 2014 in their High School production of Treasure Island, where Ben played Squire Trelawny and Noah, George Merry. Ben and Noah both attended University of Chicago and Noah is thrilled that Ben has returned to Chicagoland to complete his PhD at Northwestern. 

Ben Miller

Dorian and Noah (and Mary Nora!) met performing in the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company in Merrie England in 2019, and have performed together many times since! Dorian, who has the most gorgeous bass-baritone, is also Noah's voice teacher.

Dorian McCall

Ethan Schondorf

Rafael Friedlander

Ruthie and the groom did University Theatre (UT) at UChicago together, first meeting in 2019. The couple would also like to thank Ruthie for bringing them to Mishkan, the Synagogue at which they are now Builders and where they met Rabbi Steven, who is performing the ceremony.

Ruthie Dworin

Billy is the Bride's baby brother, but Noah is honored to be able to call him his *big* brother very soon. 

William (Bill) Wolf

Wedding Party

Friday, September 4, 2026

Welcome Shabbat Reception/Laylieh for family and out-of-town guests. This will be held at:BarCocina West Town1814 W Chicago AvenueChicago, IL 606226-9 PM

Saturday, September 5, 2026

During the day, we hope you get to enjoy the city we love so dear. In the evening, we welcome you to join us for a casual drink somewhere closer to the hotels, details forthcoming.

Sunday, September 6, 2026

The Zaffe at the Bride's homeTime TBA: Family and friends of the bride come take photos with her, celebrate, and share in blessings and joy before the groom and his family join us to be escorted by the Zaffe band to the Ceremony. The Wedding at Stan Mansion!3 PM: CeremonyDoors will open at 2:30 PM, we request that you please plan to arrive by 2:45 PM to allow for socializing and finding your seat before the ceremony. ~3:45-5:00 PM: Cocktail Hour5:00 PM - 10:00 PM: Reception

Monday, September 7, 2026

Weekend Events

Dress Code

The booking deadline at The Courtyard has been moved up to Monday, August 24th! 

The Ceremony and Reception will be at Stan Mansion in Logan Square. Chicago hotels are largely in Gold Coast, with some smaller hotels in surrounding neighborhoods, but accessing the venue from hotels will be super simple (Mary Nora does it on her commute every day).

We have arranged a room block at the following hotels:

<a href="https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1781112001541&amp;key=GRP&amp;app=resvlink&amp;_branch_match_id=1594096187700249221&amp;_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXTywo0MtNLCrKzC8p0UvOz9UvSi0uy0wtN7IHytiCODmZedlqmSm2huYWhoaGRgYGhqYmhmrZqZW27kEBanVFqWmpQO156fFJRfnlxalFts4ZRfm5qQCtYUcFYQAAAA%3D%3D" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Courtyard by Marriott River North</a>30 East Hubbard Chicago, IL, 60611$199.00 per nightMust book by: 8/24/2026Notes:- Guests cannot use hotel loyalty points to book within your group block.- Valet Parking is $75.00 per night <a href="https://book.passkey.com/event/51287158/owner/23768/home" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Double Tree by Hilton - Magnificent Mile</a>300 East Ohio St Chicago, IL 60611$249.00 per nightMust book by: 8/5/2026Notes:- Guests cannot use hotel loyalty points to book within your group block.

Travel

It's Chicago! Eat! Look at our beautiful architecture! Go shopping! Go to the Lake! Celebrate the Bride and Groom! The Logan Square Farmer's Market is every Sunday on the square from 8:30am - 3:00pm and is just outside of the venue. So if you plan to attend the Farmer's Market, make sure you make time to come back or are comfortable bringing your items to the wedding with you :)

Things to Do

Zaffe

The zaffe is a group celebration that begins at both the bride and groom’s homes. There is dancing, shouting and celebration. The zaffe can include professional dancers and even the occasional belly dancer. The groom is then escorted by the zaffe celebration to his bride where the family showers them with blessings and flower petals, then they are escorted to the ceremony to officially wed.

Laylieh

Lebanese couples take part in a pre-wedding celebration called a “laylieh,” which can be similar to a bachelor/bachelorette party. The groom’s family throws a party for the groom, and the bride’s family does the same for her. Eventually, the groom, along with his friends and family, will crash the bride’s party, signifying him “stealing her away.” For a more intimate celebration, the bride and groom’s families can host it at their respective homes, or at a venue. You can expect lots of food, drinks, dancing, and zalghouta (ululating).

Stefana Crowns

As a knod to the tradition of crowns used during the wedding ceremonies of every wedding the bride grew up going to and to the Byzantine tradition she was raised in, the couple is incorporating stefana (Greek wedding crowns). The tradition of using stefana is over 2,000 years old. It began in ancient Greece. Couples wore natural wreaths of olive or laurel branches to symbolize victory, honor, and the start of a new family. Over time, the church adopted this custom. In modern Greek Orthodox weddings, stefana are symbolic crowns tied together by a ribbon. The ribbon represents the unity of the couple.

Lebanese Wedding Customs

Jewish weddings are rich in symbolism and meaning, drawn from centuries of tradition. We wanted to give you an overview of the major elements you'll see during the ceremony and throughout the day. ChuppahThe chuppah, or wedding canopy, is the symbol of a Jewish home. It is open on all four sides, reminding us of Abraham's tent, into which he welcomed guests from all directions. KetubahThe ketubah is the Jewish marriage contract that has been in use for over 2000 years. It is written in Aramaic, the everyday language of the Israelites (Hebrew was the holy language, used only for prayer). Our ketubah is written in Aramaic and English so that its terms may be clearly understood by us and our witnesses.The two witnesses who sign the ketubah must fulfill three duties: observing as the groom gives a ring to the bride and as the bride accepts the ketubah from the groom and guarding yichud (see below). BedekenThe bedeken is the veiling of the bride by the groom. This is an ancient custom of Biblical origin, recalling the story of Jacob who thought he was marrying Rachel, but married Leah instead because she was heavily veiled and he could not see who she was. In order to prevent this, it is the groom who places the veil over his bride's face, so he will be sure he is marrying his beloved. Kiddushin (Betrothal)During this first part of the ceremony, blessings are said over the first cup of wine, followed by the couple drinking from the cup. These acts sanctify the wine and the marriage. The ring ceremony then takes place. The groom places the ring on the bride's right forefinger, due to the ancient belief that this finger has a special path going directly to the heart. He recites, "Be consecrated to me according to the laws of Moses and Israel." The bride, in turn, places a ring on the groom's finger and recites the same text. Seven BlessingsThe seven blessings, or sheva brachot, are praise to God for the joy that surrounds a wedding and for happiness, love, contentment, and fruitfulness in marriage. See below for a full translation of the Seven Blessings. Breaking of the GlassThis well-known act in a Jewish wedding reminds us of sadness even at times of greatest happiness. It is a symbol of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem 2000 years ago and a reminder of other instances of Jewish oppression throughout history. We remember briefly, and then we can rejoice with a free heart. The breaking of the glass marks the end of the ceremony and is greeted with cries of "Mazel Tov!" from the congregation. YichudImmediately after the ceremony, the bride and groom seclude themselves for yichud, an eighteen minute period of time alone. Traditionally, the bride and groom break their wedding-day fast by feeding each other their first meal as husband and wife. In ancient times, this would be the time when the marriage was consummated.After yichud, we will join our guests at the cocktail hour. Seven Blessings Translation 1. Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. 2. Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who created everything for Your glory. 3. Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who created humanity. 4. Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who created humanity in Your image, in the image of the likeness of your form, and made for them an everlasting establishment. Blessed are you, Lord, who created humanity. 5. May the barren one (Jerusalem) rejoice greatly and delight in the ingathering of her children within her in joy. Blessed are you, Lord, who causes Zion to rejoice with her children. 6. The loving partners shall rejoice as You caused your creatures to delight in the Garden of Eden of old. Blessed are you, Lord, who causes the groom and bride to rejoice. 7. Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who creates happiness and joy, groom and bride, exultation, delight, amusement and pleasure, love and brotherhood, peace and friendship. Soon, Lord our God, may the sound of happiness and the sound of joy and the voice of the bride and groom be heard in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, the rejoicing of grooms from their huppahs and youths from their singing banquets. Blessed are you, Lord, who makes the groom rejoice with the bride.

Jewish Wedding Customs

Try to outdress us!

Formal eclectic. A lookbook will be added shortly. We want you to join our elevated disco and end the late Summer in style!

Mary Nora & Noah

Mary Nora & Noah

M&N