Editor’s note: The Evanston RoundTable is pleased to present “They Do,” a glimpse into the love stories and commitment celebrations of local readers and their relatives. Getting married? We want to hear all about your love story and share it with the community. This is a free service of storytelling by the RoundTable.
Maggie Krause and Connor Allen met as sophomores at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. Both were enrolled in a required math class and formed a friendship over finite equations and computations.
Krause is a 2013 graduate of Evanston Township High School. She is a daughter of Robert Krause and Nancy Anderson of Evanston, and the late Debbie McHolland Krause, who died in 1996. Allen is the son of Melissa Allen of Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, and Shar Allen of Los Angeles.
Krause and Allen remember their first date with a sense of humor. “We went to see the movie Annabelle, which was a horror movie. It was so bad that had it not been our first date, we would have left,” Allen said. The pair dated exclusively after that and continued dating after college graduation. In 2019, Krause and Allen moved in together in Oak Park. At the time, both were working in the suburbs of Chicago so ‘living in Oak Park made sense,” Allen said.
When the pandemic hit, Krause was already working remotely for Planet Pharma, where she is a recruiter in the biopharma industry. Allen now works for the sports media company Betsperts Media and Technology Group. He is a writer, primarily focused on the NFL.
Although they were quite young when they started dating, Krause and Allen knew early on that they were meant for each other. “We talked on and off about getting married once we moved in together,” she said. “We finally felt after so many years of dating that we were the appropriate age to get married because we had met so young.” Both are 27.
“We started dating at 19 and we melded into each other so nicely. We are always laughing,” Krause said about her relationship with Allen. “The love that I saw in other relationships in my family was what I wanted.” She knew, she said, that she “needed to be able to be doing nothing and be with that person and be completely happy.” She feels like she is always ”with my best friend” when the two are together, she said.
Allen echoes that sentiment. “I would say the best way to describe [the relationship] is we both get along so well and have similar lifestyles,” he said. “We like movies, activities, hanging out and still being adventurous. We’re both able to ebb and flow with each other.”
One of Krause’s traditions with her friends is a Christmas holiday gathering. In December of 2020, they had arranged to go see the festive lights at Lincoln Park Zoo. When her friends veered off the walking path near Fullerton, Allen was on the foot bridge waiting for her and proposed there.
“My family and Connor’s mom were literally down hiding in a bush off to the side,” she recalled. “Silly me, I didn’t even realize the sky wasn’t dark enough for zoo lights. It was only late afternoon and it was the golden hour. It was just gorgeous.” Needless to say, she was completely surprised. Allen had shared his proposal plan with Krause’s sister, Allie Kiboi, as well as with her parents. “I knew Maggie would be mad if I asked permission, so I called her parents to tell them my plan and that I wanted them to be part of the day. I knew she would be excited to have them there,” he said. “It was the most romantic thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
Following the proposal, family and friends went to Piccolo Sogno for dinner and then to The Dawson for drinks with family and friends. “I planned the party following the engagement,” Allen said. The bride quickly corrected him: “Don’t just credit yourself,” she joked, “my friends helped too!” While reflecting, she exclaimed, “It was such a good day.”
When it came time to plan for the wedding, the couple had decided on a long engagement. Krause’s family has had a home in Door County, Wis., since the 1970s and both she and Allen knew that was where they wanted to get married.
“I wanted to introduce other people to my favorite place” said Krause, when describing her affection for Door County. “And I think Connor likes it there, too!” she said.
When a new venue opened up in the area awhile ago, Krause looked at the website and knew she had found the perfect spot for their wedding, even though she was then still a few years from getting engaged. It was “airy, modern and woodsy,” she said.
Krause and Allen were married July 23 at Northern Haus in Sister Bay, Wis., in front of 140 guests, with Charlie Krause, Maggie’s brother, officiating. A welcome party the night before was held at Twelve Eleven Wine Bar and Provisions. The flowers for the wedding were provided by Evanston-based Paperwhite Florals, co-owned and operated by the bride’s aunt, Sarah McHolland.
Both Krause and Allen agree that “first of all, it was a perfect wedding,” Krause said. What they hadn’t noticed was the rain shower that occurred during the couple’s ceremony. At its conclusion, they walked outside and saw an amazing double rainbow. They quickly captured the special moment on film. For this blissful couple, dreams really do come true.
A honeymoon to Portugal and Barcelona followed the festivities.
Allen and Krause currently live in Wicker Park with their dog, Fawn.
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