A Valentine’s Day tradition … 1,300 feet in the sky

CHICAGO — On a week dedicated to love, why not tie the knot 1,300 feet in the sky?

On Sunday, Skydeck Chicago hosted four couples on the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower, two getting married and two renewing their vows, just before Valentine’s Day. Each couple was picked after sharing their love stories in Skydeck’s “Love on The Ledge” social media contest.

One of the couples selected was Marie and Alek Slobidsky, who’ve been married 50 years.

For reference, they were married the same year the building they renewed their vows in Sunday first opened. Of course, it was called the Sears Tower back then.

And Marie and Alek are apparently a great case of “opposites attract.”

“We are the most mismatched couple that walks the face of the earth,” Marie says. “And I think that’s what kept us going all these years. We’ve had to make a lot of compromises over the last 50 years, five months and three days, and I think that got us through the 50 years.”

And the secret from Alek’s perspective?

“As you can tell, I’m quieter than she is,” he said.

On Sunday, Marie and Alek’s friends and family gathered 1,353 feet in the air, on Skydeck’s The Ledge, to celebrate the longstanding couple and the city they call home.

“This city is phenomenal, and to look out there and pick out the different neighborhoods is really cool,” Marie said.

This year’s “Love on The Ledge” event comes as Skydeck also celebrates its 50th anniversary. According to a news release, over the years, Skydeck has hosted more 1,300 proposals, weddings and vow renewals, plus tens of thousands of romantic dates.

“Really, we’re about making memories at Skydeck, and I think we did that (Sunday) with ‘Love on The Ledge,'” Randy Stancik, Skydeck general manager, said.

This year’s “Love on The Ledge” contest opened in October, and Stancik said Skydeck received about 40 submissions for a wedding or vow removal. The winning couples each received a night’s stay at Swissotel Chicago, right in the heart of the city at 323 East Wacker Drive, on Saturday night.

“We provide everything, we provide the officiant, to the music, to the champagne, to the hotel night the night before,” Stancik said. “It’s an opportunity to celebrate love, with Skydeck being a very romantic place.”

Whether you’ve been together 50 days or 50 years.

As the famous songs says, “Love lifts us up where we belong.” On Sunday, that was way above the Loop.