CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Sources close to Rachel Steinkeler and Jason Wright have confirmed that the couple is to be married on May 7, 2005, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Insiders report that the planned wedding day is the anniversary of their first date.

A Chicago spokesperson for the couple states that the two are overjoyed while Mr. Wright was most relieved after hearing the answer "Of course!" in response to his proposal.

The engagement occurred in Lincoln Park, Chicago, just outside of the Lincoln Park Conservatory on a beautiful starry night. Eyewitnesses reported seeing Mr. Wright on bended knee at approximately 7:30 p.m. Following the proposal it is rumored the couple dined at the exclusive French restaurant Ambria. A member of the staff, who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity, is quoted as saying "The couple shared a chilled bottle of champagne then moved onto a delectable, though petite, sampling of varied seafood dishes."

On news of the couple's engagement, Ms. Steinkeler's parents are quoted as saying "Yeah! We couldn't be more happy for them." Mr. Wright's parents, who knew of the engagement and are rumored to have accompanied him on an early engagement ring shopping trip in Chicago, Illinois, were elated upon hearing the news.

The couple first met while attending Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. A mutual friend, Regan Reidel, also rumored to be a bridesmaid in the upcoming nuptials, introduced them during their senior year. At the time, neither of them gave the other much thought as they reportedly mingled in vastly different social circles. Former college friend to Mr. Wright, Todd Beeson, also rumored to be a member of the wedding party, is reported as referring to him as a "frat guy extraordinaire" while sources close to Ms. Steinkeler described her as a "crunchy, liberal, tree-hugger" rumored to recycle any and everything in sight.

Following their initial introduction, the couple's paths continued to cross on numerous occasions. A long time friend and confidant of Mr. Wright's, Aaron Jones, remembers seeing Ms. Steinkeler at a party the two hosted while living in Indianapolis. Ms. Reidel also recollects sharing aperitifs and hors d'oeuvres with the now happy couple in Indianapolis during Ms. Steinkeler's sojourn between her year abroad in Israel and graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

In the spring of 2001, Ms. Steinkeler moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she took a position as a birth parent counselor with the Cradle, an adoption agency in Evanston, Illinois. Mr. Wright, who was finishing his second year of law school, was already living in Chicago. Ms. Reidel, upon hearing of Ms. Steinkeler's migration to Chicago, suggested she contact Mr. Wright as he was knowledgeable on the city having lived there for two years prior. A brief exchange of emails and phone calls established the couple's first contact at Big Bowl, a Pan-Asian restaurant in Chicago's Gold Coast.

A series of phone calls, nights out on the town and, what some close to the couple call "pseudo-dates," progressively resulted in an official date on May 7, 2002. The rest, as they say, is history...