Shortly after her mother's death, in December 1920, Hadley visited her old roommate Kate Smith (who later married John Dos Passos) in Chicago, and through her met Hemingway, who was living with Smith's brother and was employed as an associate editor of the monthly journal Cooperative Commonwealth.
 When Hadley returned to St. Louis, Hemingway, who became infatuated with her, wrote "I knew she was the girl I was going to marry."
Hadley, eight years older than Hemingway, was red-haired, with a "nurturing instinct."
Bernice Kert, author of The Hemingway Women, claims Hadley was "evocative" of the woman whom Hemingway met and fell in love with during his recuperation from injuries during World War I, Agnes von Kurowsky, but in Hadley, Hemingway saw a childishness Agnes lacked.

During the winter of 1921, Hadley took up her music again and indulged in outdoor activities.
She and Hemingway corresponded during the winter.
When she expressed misgivings about their age difference, he "protested that it made no difference at all."
Hemingway visited her in St. Louis in March 1921, and two weeks later she visited him in Chicago.
Then, they did not see each other for two months until he returned to St. Louis in May. In their correspondence, she promised to buy him a Corona typewriter for his birthday.
In June, she announced her engagement despite objections to the marriage from his friends and her sister.
Hadley believed she knew what she was doing, and more importantly, she had an inheritance with which to support herself and a husband.
She believed in Hemingway's talent and believed "she was right for him."

They were married on September 3, 1921 in Bay Township, Michigan and spent their honeymoon at the Hemingway family summer cottage on Walloon Lake.
The weather was miserable, and both Hadley and Hemingway came down with fever, sore throat, and cough.
The couple returned to Chicago after their honeymoon, where they lived in a small apartment on North Dearborn Street.

The death of a hated uncle gave Hadley another inheritance and additional financial independence for the couple.
Initially, they intended to visit Rome, but Sherwood Anderson convinced them to visit Paris instead.
Anderson's advice to live in Paris interested her, and when two months later Hemingway was hired as foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star, the couple left for Paris.
Of Hemingway's marriage to Hadley, Hemingway biographer Jeffrey Meyers claims: "With Hadley, Hemingway achieved everything he had hoped for with Agnes: the love of a beautiful woman, a comfortable income, a life in Europe."
Shortly after her mother's death, in December 1920, Hadley visited her old roommate Kate Smith (who later married John Dos Passos) in Chicago, and through her met Hemingway, who was living with Smith's brother and was employed as an associate editor of the monthly journal Cooperative Commonwealth.  When Hadley returned to St. Louis, Hemingway, who became infatuated with her, wrote "I knew she was the girl I was going to marry." Hadley, eight years older than Hemingway, was red-haired, with a "nurturing instinct." Bernice Kert, author of The Hemingway Women, claims Hadley was "evocative" of the woman whom Hemingway met and fell in love with during his recuperation from injuries during World War I, Agnes von Kurowsky, but in Hadley, Hemingway saw a childishness Agnes lacked.
During the winter of 1921, Hadley took up her music again and indulged in outdoor activities. She and Hemingway corresponded during the winter. When she expressed misgivings about their age difference, he "protested that it made no difference at all." Hemingway visited her in St. Louis in March 1921, and two weeks later she visited him in Chicago. Then, they did not see each other for two months until he returned to St. Louis in May. In their correspondence, she promised to buy him a Corona typewriter for his birthday. In June, she announced her engagement despite objections to the marriage from his friends and her sister. Hadley believed she knew what she was doing, and more importantly, she had an inheritance with which to support herself and a husband. She believed in Hemingway's talent and believed "she was right for him."
They were married on September 3, 1921 in Bay Township, Michigan and spent their honeymoon at the Hemingway family summer cottage on Walloon Lake. The weather was miserable, and both Hadley and Hemingway came down with fever, sore throat, and cough. The couple returned to Chicago after their honeymoon, where they lived in a small apartment on North Dearborn Street.
The death of a hated uncle gave Hadley another inheritance and additional financial independence for the couple. Initially, they intended to visit Rome, but Sherwood Anderson convinced them to visit Paris instead. Anderson's advice to live in Paris interested her, and when two months later Hemingway was hired as foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star, the couple left for Paris. Of Hemingway's marriage to Hadley, Hemingway biographer Jeffrey Meyers claims: "With Hadley, Hemingway achieved everything he had hoped for with Agnes: the love of a beautiful woman, a comfortable income, a life in Europe."
Hadley Richardson