Bridal Bliss: Taaj And Jeremy Were Surrounded By Love — And Priceless Art — At Their Chic Chicago Wedding

By Victoria Uwumarogie · Updated December 22, 2021

Great things do come from Tinder. Taaj and Jeremy can attest to that.

The newlyweds first found each other through the dating app in April 2016, Taaj then a graduate student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Jeremy, a recent transplant from Texas who had just started a gig at Northwestern Medicine in IT. A week into their online correspondence, they decided to meet in person at Le Pain Quotidien near downtown Chicago. A simple first date in a luxurious area. They were inseparable after that. “From the moment I met Taaj, she spoke with stature, a sense of certainty that I appreciated and wanted to experience more of,” Jeremy recalls. “After many dates, I just knew we were embarking on our journey as soulmates.”

The pair’s relationship would grow from there. They were taking trips together, meeting each other’s family, and seeing each through all four seasons year after year, not tiring of the other’s presence, but rather, appreciating it more and more. “God knows I hoped for a kind man and a love that would last beyond the spring,” Taaj says. “Jeremy stayed through all seasons and would get more excited about my accomplishments than I did myself.”

He would go on to propose to her in 2019, getting down on one knee, to her surprise, at a fancy French restaurant in the city (more on that later), asking if they could make their love a “Forever thing.” And while there were roadblocks on the way to making that happen, from having to reschedule their wedding twice to having to knock more than 100 people off of their guest list because of COVID, they would finally become husband and wife, in front of close family and friends, more than two years later on July 3, 2021. They tied the knot surrounded by artwork and greenery at the Zhou B Art Center. Every detail, big and small, was a dream come true. When asked what he loved most about the big day, Jeremy says, “Finally being married and getting to experience the wedding that was 2+ years in the making. The entire wedding was perfect and well worth the wait!”

Learn more about their love story, what went into planning the big day and their memories from it below in this week’s Bridal Bliss.

Photos Shot by Mack Julion, M28 Photography

01

How the Bride Knew She’d Found the One

“Summer 2016 is when I fell in love with Jeremy,” Taaj recalls. “I knew I found my person by the way I felt the first time Jeremy called me his ‘lucky ladybug.'”

02

How the Groom Knew He’d Found the One

“My love for Taaj was growing while we dated, but was solidified when we began to travel with one another,” Jeremy says. “The trip when I knew that I found my person was when we went to Texas for New Years. We went on a tour across the state, being hosted by all of my family and friends. Taaj got to meet so many new faces at such a rapid pace, but she was present and poised through every aspect of the trip. We made memories that we’ll cherish forever. As we brought in the new year, the inner voice began to appear…’SHE IS THE ONE!'”

03

The Proposal

“February 16, 2019 was the fateful day we got engaged,” Taaj recalls. “For a spontaneous date, we shared a romantic dinner at Marchesa in downtown Chicago. The entire staff was in on the proposal, helping to coordinate some private time upstairs to ‘see the artwork’ and pop the question. Making our way to the second floor, Jeremy tried to walk slowly behind so that he could maneuver the ring box out of his pocket without being noticed. Somehow he was able to pull it off without me noticing and when I turned around, Jeremy was kneeling. He asked if we could make this a ‘Forever Thing’ and I said ‘yes!'”

04

The Venue

“We found Zhou B Art Center listed on a Chicago Wedding Venue Site,” Taaj says. “I had been there once before when working for a catering company. I remember it being beautiful and it ended up being the first venue we toured during our search. We went with my mother and all three of us loved everything about it – it was very spacious with indoor and outdoor space, it was full of art, and a perfect location near downtown. We realized that no other venue compared and we couldn’t see ourselves getting married anywhere else.” She adds, “The walls of Zhou B Art Center were full of modern original paintings, complemented by artistic sculptures, but the venue allowed us to make it a blank canvas and make it our own. We knew we would be hosting Jeremy’s family from Texas, visiting Chicago for the first time and it was the perfect location to show off the city.”

05

The Theme

Taaj says, “I wanted a simple, romantic, and elegant theme, with white roses and rose gold accents. The tall ceilings in the Spirit Room for the ceremony space allowed for a candle-lit ceremony with an ivory aisle runner, a dramatic ivory voile backdrop, and a crystal chandelier that complimented the crystal wedding guest chairs. The off-site green garden, just walking distance from the venue, was beautiful and perfect for our formal wedding party photos. The reception space gave us a perfect size dance floor, decorated with romantic cafe globe light and round tables with ivory floral and candle-lit centerpieces. Every detail set the tone for an elegant, celebratory night.”

06

The Bride’s Tribe

Gorgeous gals!

07

The Groom and His Guys

Dapper dudes!

08

Planning During a Pandemic

“Our original date was June 27th, 2020. We had to reschedule our date twice,” Taaj says. “COVID had a ripple effect on the wedding because we had to coordinate all of the changes with vendors and had to abide by the new venue restrictions for guests, which made things complicated. We initially were planning a 250+ guest wedding but even a year later, we knew we had to reduce the size significantly to create safe conditions for our family members. We made some difficult decisions and ended up with 160 guests and we felt grateful to have had our final wedding date in a ‘sweet spot’ of the pandemic that allowed our vaccinated guests to participate with no mask and no major restrictions.”

09

The Upside to Waiting

“During our long wait, after postponing our wedding date, we bought a house in the Old Irving Park, Chicago neighborhood and Jeremy left his corporate job to follow his passions and set out on his entrepreneurial journey, running and growing his window service business full-time [called] Window Maestros,” Taaj says. “While COVID brought us some setbacks, we counted many unexpected blessings along the way.”

10

Her Favorite Memory

“The day felt long but flew by at the same time. I appreciated the priceless time I had with my mother, sisters, and father before walking down the aisle. We exchanged sentimental gifts and letters and my heart couldn’t have felt more full,” she says. “Another favorite moment was at the very end of the night, once our guests had made it out of the reception space to prepare our sparkler send-off, Jeremy and I had a final dance together without the cameras or audience. It felt like time had stopped and all that mattered was our love. It was one of my favorite moments of the day and the intimacy we needed after all the hosting and hustling of the entire weekend.”

11

His Favorite Memory

“My favorite moment was getting to celebrate with all of the family from both sides that traveled to be there — lots of my family from Texas that had never been to Chicago. That was a great experience for me, that they were able to come and enjoy Chicago,” he says. “My friends from Texas were in town and we got to spend two to three days together just having fun and catching up prior to the big day. I rarely see all of these people since they’re in Texas and having my friends and family here to witness my marriage was the best moment.”

12

A Toast to the Future

“We are enjoying settling into our new home, decorating the house with wedding memories, and continuing to strive for balance and wellness,” Taaj says. “We are building a beautiful life together and seeing some of our biggest dreams come true!”

13

An Extra Special Guest

The couple are already preparing for the arrival of someone very special — a baby. “We could not be more excited and blessed to be expecting our first child, due in May 2022.”