Angelica Rodriguez and Alfonzo Arroyo Jr. met nearly six years ago waiting to catch a CTA bus headed for Navy Pier.
They struck up a conversation about how the tracker for the bus at the stop is never accurate. While they don’t remember who made the first move, Arroyo can still describe the zebra print dress Rodriguez was wearing that day.
They’ll never forget instantly being attracted to each other and chatting the whole ride to Navy Pier on the No. 29 bus.
“We pretty much just hit it off waiting there for the bus,” Arroyo said. “We got drinks and hit it off from there.”
And on Tuesday, they became the first couple to be officially married in Cook County in the new year.
With tears in their eyes and grins on their faces, Arroyo and Rodriguez were married in under five minutes in front of their family, TV cameras and reporters at the Cook County clerk’s office in the Loop. The ceremony was officiated by Travis Richardson, a former Cook County judge and now chief legal counsel for the clerk’s office.
They found out they were the lucky couple less than a week ago when they were picked in a lottery with more than 200 others hoping to get the first Cook County marriage license of 2024.
“This was so unexpected,” Rodriguez said. “I never win anything, so I thought I might as well try.”
The two shared a toast of sparkling grape juice provided by the clerk’s office. It was all so last-minute they weren’t sure where they’d go for lunch after the ceremony.
“This was a great experience,” Arroyo said. “There’s no one else I’d rather be with, and I’m really happy to be married to her.”
The couple got engaged last summer on a Ferris wheel in Orlando, Florida. They initially planned on having a wedding, and then Rodriguez saw an ad for the lottery on Facebook.
She was shocked to get the call that they won the coveted spot on Dec. 27.
“I didn’t believe it at first; it took me a while to process it,” Rodriguez said.
Since last Wednesday, “We had to be in a hurry, and I had to get a dress, and he had to get an outfit. This was just such a great opportunity,” Rodriguez said.
Arroyo’s three cousins and his dad, Alfonso Arroyo Sr., and his wife attended the ceremony. The elder Arroyo said he was happy and excited for his son and new daughter-in-law.
Rodriguez and Arroyo are still figuring out their honeymoon and hope to have a bigger celebration with friends and family later this year.
The couple live in Pilsen with their 2-month-old son and Rodriguez’s 11-year-old daughter. Rodriguez, 30, is a line cook at Au Cheval, and Arroyo, 28, works as a technician for Walmart.
After the ceremony, they received gifts from Chicago businesses, including tickets to a Laugh Factory show, an Eli’s Cheesecake gift certificate and filet mignon, strip steaks and lobster tails from Whittingham Meats.
County Clerk Karen Yarbrough normally officiates the ceremony, but she couldn’t make it this year. Each year, Yarbrough has carried on the tradition that started during David Orr’s time as county clerk.
Editor’s note: Alfonzo Arroyo Jr.’s first name was misspelled in an previous version of this story.
