At the end of a recent meeting at the Naperville Municipal Center, Mayor Scott Wehrli looked out the conference room window and spotted an engagement proposal in the Riverwalk Labyrinth.
“I was trying to reach for my camera. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Wehrli said. “All of Naperville life was happening around us, and we got to see a couple’s beginning right here in front of our eyes. It just became a very special moment for us.”
Naperville celebrates the ‘mystery couple’
Wehrli snapped a photo and shared the news on Facebook. Two weeks after the proposal, the “mystery couple” was identified as Wyatt Gotter and Molly Klessig.
“My little sister actually ended up sending the post in the family group chat and was like, ‘That’s you!’” Gotter said. “And we were getting ice cream at the time, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, it is us!’ That was absolutely out of this world.”
Gotter continued, “My mom ended up posting, ‘That’s my boy!’ And the mayor got into contact with my mom, and my mom passed my info along to him, and now we’re standing right here. I just can’t believe it.”
Mayor meets with the couple for a surprise
Once the mayor saw the reaction to his online post, he knew he had to reach out…inviting the couple to meet him back near the scene of the proposal.
“I don’t think we’ve ever gotten so much response — and positive response — to something before,” Wehrli said. “And part of the excitement was people trying to figure out who the mystery couple was. But I think it’s important for them to know that they made a moment in their life — a very personal moment in their life — it gave a lot of hope and happiness to a whole lot of strangers in their community. And that’s what Naperville’s all about.”
“It means the world to us, you know, that somebody cares,” Klessig said. “We’ve gotten lots of support from our family and friends, but it’s nice to know the community backs you up in things like this, it’s very nice.”
At the mayoral meetup, Wyatt and Molly were presented with treats and gift cards donated by businesses in Downtown Naperville. The couple plans to make a few date night trips to Everdine’s.
As for whether the mayor will be coming to the wedding…
“I do think the mayor can expect an invite,” Klessig said. “I think he can keep the mailbox open.”
Photo courtesy: Scott Wehrli
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