We are so excited to celebrate with you!

Kathleen and Tommy met in Dr. Koz's first year seminar class, Simple Living while at Elizabethtown College. Tommy, an incoming engineering student was initially unsure about being in a living-learning community outside of his engineering cohort, but our Peer Mentor provided some thoughtful insight... live on a floor filled with nerdy engineers (who are predominately all guys) or share a floor with people you might not otherwise get a chance to meet (including a much better girl to guy ratio). It didn't take long for Kathleen and Tommy to become fast friends, along with many other "Simple Livers" we spent many late nights hanging out in mutual rooms singing, watching movies, playing games. Their connection was clear and it was at that time that our friends started giving us a hard time and dropping hints that Kathleen and Tommy belonged together. At the start of their sophomore year, Kathleen and Tommy decided it was time to finally give it a shot and Tommy asked Kathleen on a date on September 20, 2013. Prior to the date, Kathleen's friends helped her to get ready including singing Kumbaya in a circle to calm her nerves and they were off. They went to dinner to get Kathleen's favorite food, eggplant parm. After dinner, he took her to the stage of the Dell at Etown college, danced to some of their favorite songs, and asked Kathleen to be his girlfriend and that was the first time Kathleen got to say "YES!" to Tommy.

Tommy and Kathleen quickly became pros at navigating the challenges of a long distance relationships they also learned very quickly to find the little blessings along the way and cherish the time they had together. Less than a year into dating, Kathleen decided to study abroad in Ireland. Tommy planned an incredible surprise to visit her. Throughout their 6 years long distance outside of the time they spent together at Elizabethtown college, they planned numerous trips together, including road trips to and from each others families homes, a cruise to the Bahamas and small day trips to cities to meet in the middle. They finally said goodbye to long distance in March of 2019 and started their home together in York, Pennsylvania.

After seven years together, Kathleen began to leave some not-so-subtle hints that she was ready to be engaged. Tommy picked out the perfect ring for Kathleen, after being gifted the diamond that his dad used to propose to his mom. In the few months before proposing, Tommy asked Kathleen's parents for their blessing and the Wilkinson family could not have been more overjoyed. It was then time for Tommy to plan the proposal. He knew that Kathleen would want both of our families there to celebrate, he created a plan to propose and in typical Tommy fashion, he created a PowerPoint that included photoshopped photos, timelines, and detailed maps. The morning of the proposal Kathleen was coaxed to Elizabethtown, with the promise of visiting her favorite coffee shop, Folklore, and the chance to enjoy her favorite local lunch spot Good Burrito. After a stressful week at work, it was not hard to convince Kathleen, although there is still question of brainwash as somehow Kathleen ended up being ready for the day with her nails painted. Even in the middle of December it was a perfect day, so they went for a walk around the scenic Lake Placida on Etown campus. As they edged around the curve of the lake, Tommy guided Kathleen into the snow and got down on one knee, giving their families the perfect view to watch this special moment unfold. After Kathleen said YES (well more so snuggled into Tommy with complete shock and lots of tears) they were greeted by both of their families including her greatest companion, her family dog Lily. Even after many years, Tommy pulled off the perfect surprise proposal for Kathleen.