Chicago Fire's Kara Killmer Opens Up About the Brettsey Wedding and Saying Goodbye to Sylvie (Exclusive)

Sylvie Brett is “getting everything she always wanted,” the actress tells PEOPLE

Chicago Fire he said goodbye on one of his Wednesday nights – in the most joyous way possible.

Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) and Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) tied the knot in a surprisingly beautiful fish market wedding, followed by a reception at Molly’s, of course. Soon after, they headed to Portland together.

Which means, yes, it was Killmer’s last episode 10 years after her first. And for the actress, leaving on that beautiful note was a full-circle journey.

When Sylvie Brett became a paramedic at Firehouse 51 in 2014, she was a bride who had just been dumped by her high school sweetheart. “Then we end with her standing up against the love of her life, getting married and finally getting everything she’s ever wanted,” Killmer, 35, tells PEOPLE. “I couldn’t ask for a better conclusion for Sylvie.”

Chicago FireBrett and Casey tied the knot in a fish market wedding: Get an exclusive first look

You are my port in the storm, Casey said in his vow. “The most generous, caring person I’ve ever known – and sometimes the most stubborn… This, the two of us together, is a fire that will never go out.”

As their Firehouse 51 family laughed, Matt added, “I had to kind of bring in the fire metaphor.”

Kara Killmer and Jesse Spencer in Chicago Fire.

Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC

Sylvia’s vows began: “Here’s why I wanted to get married in an aquarium: Years ago, you and I took Amelia to see the fish there, remember? What you don’t know is that I realized then that you were the only man for me… I knew you were born to be a father. And when you decided to be a father to the Darden boys, I only loved you even more, even though I tried so hard to let you go. And I couldn’t. Like you said: we were meant to be is to be. We are meant to be a family.”

Below, Killmer shares all the details about shopping for Sylvie’s wedding dress, her last moments on set, and the advice she’d give to the next actor walking into Ambo 61.

PEOPLE: How does it make you feel knowing your last moments Chicago Fire will you broadcast?

KARA KILLMER: Honestly, it was a lot of fun. It’s probably two weeks since my last day Fireand I just connected with Hanako [Greensmith, who plays Violet Mikami] and Miranda [Rae Mayo, who plays Stella Kidd] watch episode 5, and we still talk often. So, bitter is sweet, but it’s more sweet than bitter.

Let’s talk about the wedding itself. What was your first thought when you saw the fish market?

I walked in and said, “Yeah, they’ve got a lot going on. It’s uphill.” It’s a beautiful store and all the fish are so beautiful, but it’s kind of the perfect challenge for 51. I mean, this is the main thing about our show: someone has a problem, and 51 connects and pulls all the way to coming up with a solution.

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And when did you see it decorated for the ceremony?

It looked like a different place, for sure. It was very interesting to see how they made everything look like a space. I said to the owner of Tank It Easy, which is the real name of the aquarium, “You’re probably going to get requests to be a wedding venue after this, so don’t forget how you rearrange things.”

Hanako Greensmith, Kara Killmer and Miranda Rae Mayo in Chicago Fire.

Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC

Tell me about finding Sylvie’s dress. What was that experience like?

So much fun. The wardrobe director, Sue Kaufmann, and I actually went on four dates around town to different bridal shops. I probably tried on about 50 dresses. We found five of them that were our top picks, and then she brought them into the studio and we actually had a little bridal party. Hanako and Miranda, my makeup artist Karen, entered [Brody] came, I tried on all the dresses and got all their ratings. It was like Say yes to the dress. The resounding feedback was to pick the one we landed on. It’s very Sylvie. It is very wistful and romantic, and the flowers are very spring-like. I wore pale pink shoes underneath. I had a Barbie moment.

So is the wedding itself your last days on set?

My last day on set was actually Molly’s reception, so it was one big party. I kind of love that. The last scene I shot, I was wearing a wedding dress. It was like, “Well, I couldn’t feel more beautiful than this.” It was a lot of fun. It was the perfect way to end my experience and complete Sylvie’s story.

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Were there tears when you heard, “That’s Kara Killmer’s finish”? How did that feel?

It was kind of surreal. There is so much build up. We were coming off this long strike and coming back for six episodes, so I had a lot of time to process it, and I’d say I spent more time enjoying it than grieving. Ten years is a long time, and I just had the best time I could. I broke down at one point when our paramedic, Michelle Martinez, a real paramedic for the Chicago Fire Department who has been consulting on the series since season one, gave me a necklace with a replica of the Chicago Fire Department badge, which is Sylvie’s badge number on it and her badge number on him. She gave it to me with an emergency prayer, and it was incredibly thoughtful.

Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) proposes to Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) in the season 11 finale of Chicago Fire.

Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC/Getty

That’s really cool. Tell me about your decision to leave. Did you know when the proposal happened at the end of last season?

The writing has been on the wall for a long time. Sylvie and Matt, their saga, that relationship was built for three years, and then Jesse leaves the show [in 2021]. She tries to drive long distance and tries to let go of Matt, and briefly dates Dylan. And then at the end of last season she apparently very suddenly became an adoptive mother, and [she and Matt becoming a family] is surely the most natural, inevitable conclusion to her character’s arc.

So what’s next for you?

Next, I’ll just run headlong to the audition, and I know there are many interesting projects. I’m excited to try something new. It’s been so humbling and so satisfying to play First Aid for 10 years, but I’m excited to try something different. Time to see what else is out there, but I’ll definitely take some of the magic I learned on Chicago Fire and through Wolf Films with me to whatever set I step on next.

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Brettsey’s departure will leave a void for their shippers. Who do you think is the next big ship of the series?

Oh my God. I mean, I feel like I’m leaving as the captain of the ship Mikarver. You just never know what could happen with Violet and Carver [Jake Lockett]. But I would like Hanako to play a great romance.

Miranda Rae Mayo, Kara Killmer and Hanako Greensmith in Chicago Fire.

Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC

What advice do you have for someone joining you and joining Ambo 61?

My advice would be that you have to fall in love with the first responders. You have to pay attention to all the real first responders we work with every day. If you can’t get excited about playing an everyday hero, then it’s just not going to work. But if you can really appreciate and admire what these servicemen and women do every day, then there is a place for you.

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Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9pm ET/PT on NBC.

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