As Leland Holt Vittert’s plane was taxiing at O’Hare International Airport in May 2021, a college friend, determined to find him a wife in Chicago, texted him.
“Thank you, but no,” replied Mr. Vittert, 42, who was then rebuilding his life in Chicago as a news anchor at NewsNation, then a start-up cable news channel. He had recently left Fox News as a Washington anchor and correspondent, became single and was hospitalized with Covid.
Mr. Vittert’s friend, undaunted by his lack of enthusiasm, sent him a photo of Rachel Ann Putnam the next day. His friend had teamed up with Ms. Putnam’s friend, also on a mission to find her a husband after she became single in October 2020.
“Most of my friends were married and had kids,” said Ms. Putnam, 38, who grew up in Kenilworth, Ill., and attended Lake Forest College in Illinois. She is an owner of OMG Accessories, popular with young girls and teens, which she started in 2010.
“She’s really beautiful,” Mr. Vittert recalled thinking when he saw the photo of her at a Chicago Blackhawks hockey game, and before he knew it, he introduced himself.
“Hi Rachel,” he texted. “Leland here. So I guess people think we should meet.”
Ten days later, they did at Avec River North, a Mediterranean restaurant with an extensive wine list. Mr. Vittert, who arrived early, texted her asking what she’d like to drink.
“I’ll take French sauvignon blanc,” she said, without being too specific. “I didn’t want to sound like a snob.” (Her father is a wine collector.)
His reply was music to her ears.
“You mean a Sancerre,” said Mr. Vittert, who then ordered a bottle.
Her first impression of him: “He had the best hair I’ve ever seen, and very handsome.”
Mr. Vittert, who grew up in St. Louis and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and economics from Northwestern, is now the chief Washington anchor and the host of “On Balance With Leland Vittert” at NewsNation.
His book “Born Lucky,” about his experience navigating autism and bullying with his father’s unwavering support, is set to be released in September.
“OK, you’re going to marry this girl,” he recalled thinking. “It wasn’t a lightning bolt, just a realization.”
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They kissed good night, and a few days later, he sent her flowers for her birthday.
“I was gaga over it,” she said, and the next week they celebrated her birthday at Le Bouchon, a French bistro in Chicago, which soon became their favorite restaurant. When his first show aired in mid-July, Ms Putnam, along with her roommate and her roommate’s golden retriever, tuned in from 6 to 7 p.m. and became instant fans.
In November, while Mr. Vittert was dog sitting for his colleague’s chocolate lab, Sage, Ms. Putnam, who grew up with boxers, instantly fell in love. (She was already in love with Mr. Vittert.)
Mr. Vittert, who grew up with Newfoundlands, knew what he had to do. In January 2022, he adopted Dutch, a Black lab from Sage’s breeder — insurance, he joked, so that Ms. Putnam would stick around.
It worked.
On Feb. 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Mr. Vittert called on Ms. Putnam to help care for Dutch at his apartment while he was working. He anchored through the night and then took on a 10 p.m. hourlong show for the next three months.
“If something is big in the news, it’s drop everything,” Ms. Putnam said.
On May 24, while getting ready for their trip to St. Barts, news unfolded about the Uvalde, Texas, school shootings.
When Mr. Vittert called minutes later, she knew they were not going.
Even with his 80-hour work weeks, they could count on Sundays as date night.
“He would even go straight to a restaurant from the airport,” she said.
In April 2023, she agreed to move to Washington.
During Labor Day weekend in 2023, Mr. Vittert, who shouted questions at American presidents and interviewed terrorists, was nearly speechless when he and Ms. Putnam, joined by her parents, visited his parents’ lake house in Northern Michigan.
“I was desperate for a teleprompter,” he said, as he asked her father for her hand in marriage while en route to play golf.
In September, he proposed at Adare Manor in Limerick, Ireland, during a golf trip, with a ring that Ms. Putnam had loved since childhood.
“My dad had mom’s engagement ring reset for their 25th anniversary,” she said.
On June 7, Thom Sehnert, a close friend of the groom’s family who became a Universal Life minister for the occasion, officiated before 65 guests outdoors at San Ysidro Ranch near Santa Barbara, Calif.
Dutch, wearing a flower-adorned collar, served as ring bearer with a needlepoint pillow tied to him made by Mr. Vittert’s maternal grandmother for his parents 53 years ago.
Mr. Vittert knew the top story of that day.
“This is the first time I’ve ever said in my career, ‘I’m unavailable,’” he said.
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