Star Crossed Regulars Wed Where Everybody Knows Their Names

In 1957 a little tavern called The Lodge first opened its doors in what would become Chicago's famous Rush and Division district of pubs and clubs. In 2003 two strangers walked into The Lodge after their respective long work days, and they have been together ever since. In 2006 (Sunday, April 2nd to be precise) those two people, once strangers now married, tied the knot right where it all began, at The Lodge. With their friends and family at their side and peanut shells beneath their feet it's all come full circle for David Benner and Kim Nolan, who are proud to be the first couple to ever be wed at the landmark tavern.

Like a Rube Goldberg invention all the pieces of this story just sort of fell into place as if by some glorious design, and it worked. David was in town from Michigan for a convention, after a long day of work he wasn't much up for going to a bar, but his friends insisted. Kim faced a similar situation on her end, tired from working all day in a restaurant near Division Street, but again fate (and party happy friends) intervened and they both went to The Lodge that night. She wasn't all dolled up, not out to impress anybody and certainly not expecting to meet the man of her dreams; just out in a sweatshirt and a baseball hat. As it turns out David thinks girls in baseball hats are cute and asked he her to dance, they hit it off immediately. At the end of the evening she gave him her business card and told him to drop by at her restaurant sometime. He did. The very next day he came in for lunch. "I saw that he had several bags from American Girl Place full of dolls for his daughters, I thought to myself: any man who can buy and walk around with all those dolls must be a keeper." Over the next few years they fell in love and got engaged, but that isn't where this story ends.

David and Kim are from different religious backgrounds, and were finding it hard to decide on a place to be wed. Many options were discussed over drinks at what has become their regular hang out, The Lodge. "I wanted to be married somewhere that was important to me." Kim reflects on the day they made their choice. "It was becoming very complicated. We were talking to Jimmy (Jim Borchers) and some guy at the bar about it. When the guy left, Jimmy asked me if I could believe that that guy was a priest! So I met the priest that performed the ceremony at The Lodge too!" Now that is fate! Kim decided right then and there she would have her wedding right were she was, where everybody knows her name, and they're always glad she came. "My mom keeps calling it the church, 'what time am I supposed to be at the church honey?' It's quite amusing."

The marriage of Kim Nolan and David Benner Sunday, April 2nd was the first wedding to take place inside the longstanding place-to-be Lodge Tavern. After fifty years of meetings and greetings over libations and cocktail peanuts frankly it's surprising that it's taken this long to happen. We couldn't be happier for our star crossed regulars. Cheers David and Kim, may the years together be happy healthy, many, and FUN!