Despite belonging to the same church, growing up 3.8 miles away from each other, going to the same supermarket, college, and many other crossed paths; it didn't start out that simple. In fact, it began with a competition between Emily and her roommate Chiara, during their sophomore year at TCNJ. The two went head to head trying to get the cute, tall baseball player to talk to them first. While in Spanish class (note that these two are EXTREMELY competitive girls), Emily and Chiara made it their mission to find Pat's social media pages, and hoped that by following these accounts, he would decide the winner of the competition by reaching out to one of them. Eventually, Pat messaged Em: "so I guess we're friends on every social media possible now", and the rest is history!

Emily's favorite place in the world is Lavallette, NJ - where her grandparents had a beach house that the Kulpas and Kratzs spent each summer. Pat joined their family often, and also found this quieter beach town to be a special place. Although she was suspicious, there were many reasons Emily believed the proposal would not happen on this day, mainly the fact that Emily made the plan to go to Lavallette and made reservations for her and her sister, until last minute when Pat suggested that he join. The whole day, Emily THOUGHT she was in control. After a brunch at Charlie's with Megan and Pat, Emily wanted to shop the post-Christmas sales in her favorite stores. Megan suggested that they walk off some of the food, so the three walked on the boardwalk toward Philadelphia Ave (the beach street Emily's family always went to). At that moment, Pat took her hand, they walked up the ramp to the top of the dunes, and Em saw two engagement balloons swaying in the wind. He proposed, and Megan, her mom Sue, and sister Katie joined in on the celebration. For a girl who was on his trail for months, and typically figures out everything, this was a beautiful and unforgettable surprise.

For his whole life, Patrick has been a member of Saint John the Baptist Roman Catholic Parish in his hometown of Allentown, NJ. He served as an altar boy for 4 years along with his brother Tommy, his sisters Maggie and Kerri sang in the choir, his mom Meg taught CCD classes and volunteers often, and his father Tom is a Knight of Columbus and an usher. Masses were frequented with the McCarthy and Wargins family members on special holidays - it's safe to say his family is very involved with this church! Emily has been a member of Saint Gregory the Great’s Parish in Robbinsville, NJ and Saint John’s as well. The Kratz family started attending Saint John’s during the construction of the large addition at Saint Greg’s, and because they needed the 'crying room' in the back of Saint John's when Katie (Emily's sister) was little. Sue’s brother’s family, the Kulpa’s, are also members of Saint John's, so the families often attend mass together. Before she had even met Pat at TCNJ, Emily vividly remembers seeing Pat and his family, sitting a few rows from the back of the church from her family. Since we began dating five years ago, this church has been an important part of our relationship - it is where our families have interacted many times, holidays have been shared, and our value and love of faith has grown together. We are so excited to include this Parish on our special day!