Just Married: Max and Genevieve Niemann

Quincy native Genevieve Niemann and Max Miller, born and raised in the Chicagoland area, tied the knot on Friday, April 8, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois, at St. Mary of the Angels Church, which claims one of the longest aisles in all of the Cook County at nearly 230 feet. St. Mary of the Angels (1850 N. Hermitage Ave.) is nestled away in the quaint neighborhood of Bucktown and also located blocks from the bride and groom’s first shared apartment. In the 1830s, many people fled war-torn Poland and settled in the open fields of Bucktown to pasture bucks, male goats.

Two city blocks (96 lots) were purchased for $60,000, and Chicago-based architectural firm Worthmann & Steinbach broke ground on St. Mary of the Angels in 1911 and continued its Roman Renaissance-inspired design for almost nine years The project was delayed numerous times due to World War I and shortages of building material. By 1912, St. Mary of the Angels was one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese. Today, St. Mary of the Angels stands proud at 125 feet of terracotta with a majestic dome resembling St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Max asked his high school parish priest, Father Jim Murphy from St. Frances in Wheaten, Illinois, to preside over the ceremony.

The couple’s anticipation of their wedding day felt as long as their church’s aisle. This was Genevieve and Max’s third wedding date due to escalating COVID cases so third “time’s-the-charm” for these patient newlyweds! They planned three different wedding dates in one and a half years; they were practically pros by springtime of 2022! They had a Great Gatsby and 1920s-themed reception punctuated with black and gold everything at Salvage One – a prominent 60,000 square foot antique warehouse shop in Chicago. Guests were encouraged to dress accordingly with feathers, fringe, and pearls!

During cocktail hour, guests mingled amongst many eclectic, original items such a grand old-fashioned horse sleigh, a plethora of vintage furniture, and two regal, gold 10-foot elephant statutes that were admired by all. Guests feasted on hors d’oeuvres and sipped on the signature cocktail, The Bee’s Knees, as they contemplated making impulse-buys from the one-of-a-kind Salvage One collection.

The newly Millers’ Vizsla puppy, named Huxley, even attended the formal affair’s cocktail hour. Huxley was dressed to the nines in his black tux! Another personal touch was the bride’s “something borrowed” – an authentic white fur stole passed down from her Niemann aunts who wore it at the Beaux Arts Ball many years ago in Quincy.

Cue the start of the plated dinner reception. The wedding party’s grand entrance into the evening reception was accompanied by AC/DC’s “Back in Black” per the groom’s request because it is the University of Iowa’s football pregame anthem in Kinnick Stadium. Genevieve, Max and Max’s family never miss the Hawkeyes’ homecoming festivities. Perhaps the “old sport” had ulterior motives, beyond Gatsby, for the black and gold décor than Max originally disclosed….

Post dinner, guests rocked out to Within Four Days a local Chicago band, who learned the newlywed’s first dance song “La Vie En Rose” by Louis Armstrong which means “when I am with you, I see the world through rose colored glasses”. An assortment of Thai finger foods was served as late-night snacks.

What started out as a young couple’s blissful wedding-day dreams, turned 1,080 degrees, spanning three separate wedding dates, finally ended in two confident “I Do’s” – full of hope that the new Mr. and Mrs. Miller will journey into smoother sailing post their wedding.