Rachel and Patrick met in February 2007 and went on their first date on April 14, 2007. Patrick then proceeded to ask Rachel to be his girl friend in the most romantic way possible... via-AIM (AOL Instant Messenger, for those who have already forgotten). Both of them were just 16 years old at the time, but after just 13 days Patrick told Rachel he was in love with her (yes, really). They were Sophomores in high school, and 2 years later in 2009 Rachel graduated from Archbishop John Carroll High School, and Patrick from La Salle College High School. Both attended college in Connecticut, with Rachel studying Interior Design at the University of New Haven, where she was a cheerleader. Meanwhile, Patrick studied English and History at the University of Connecticut, working as an RA for his last year and a half. They kept their relationship together by taking buses and taxis across the state on the weekends. Patrick took a graduate assistantship and grad school at Towson University, in Towson, Maryland, where Rachel joined him when they moved in together. In July 2016 they moved to West Virginia so Patrick could continue his work full-time at West Virginia University. They have been living there since then, joined in November 2016 by their first cat, Maya Hart-Hunter O'Donnell, and their second cat in June 2017, Riley Belle Matthews O'Donnell.

After almost 10 years of being together, Patrick finally was in a job that could pay him well enough to actually afford the ring (and wedding) that Rachel deserved. So in March 2017, Patrick began to secretly save money and plan the surprise of a lifetime. With help of their close friends, Laura Valle and Morgan Caswell, Patrick began to plot a trip to Disneyland in California in summer 2018. The "plot" worked flawlessly, to the point where Rachel was convinced that she had planned the whole Disneyland trip all by herself. Patrick proposed in front of the the Disneyland castle on July 9, 2018, after over 11 years together, leading Rachel to famously proclaim, "OH MY GOD, SHUT UP!" Now, they look forward to meeting at the altar at Mendenhall Inn, on December 14, 2019.