Romance blossomed in Schaumburg for couple with first wedding license
A romance that blossomed out of an act of chivalry involving co-workers at a Comcast call center in Schaumburg produced Cook County's first marriage license of 2012.
After lining up at 2:30 a.m. at the Daley Center in Chicago to be the first to tie the knot, Diana Basner and Jeremy Nichols were wed Tuesday morning by County Clerk David Orr.
The couple, who live in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood, first met five years ago when Basner watched as Nichols intervened when a rude bus driver was berating a female passenger.
“I knew then he was something special,” said Basner, a 27-year-old preschool teacher.
Basner stayed to make sure Nichols wouldn't get arrested. They started talking and learned they had both just finished the midnight shift at a Comcast call center in Schaumburg. Their first date was a few days later.
“On the second date, I proposed,” Nichols, 26, said. “Marriage is something I definitely saw in our future. I'm a little disappointed it took so long but glad the time finally came.”
As the first newlyweds of the year, the couple received prizes that include a weekend for two at the Palmer House Hilton; two tickets to “Green Day's American Idiot,” courtesy of Broadway in Chicago; dinner for two at Scoozi!, a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant; and flowers provided by La Salle Flowers. The clerk's office also paid the couple's marriage license fee of $60.
Last year, the couple gained full custody of Nichols' two children — Joaquyn, 7 and Jayla, 5 — and they knew marriage was the next step.
“We wanted to bring in the new year with love by completing our family and making it official,” Basner said.
Basner is earning a psychology degree from DePaul University. Nichols owns Nichols Technology Consulting Services.
The clerk's Bureau of Vital Records issues all marriage licenses in Chicago and suburban Cook County. The office issued 32,191 marriage licenses in 2011; 32,289 in 2010; 32,369 in 2009; 33,529 in 2008; and 33,853 in 2007.