Courtney and Patrick’s story began during their freshman year at Indiana University in 2013, when Patrick lived on the floor below Courtney in the Briscoe dorms. They became fast friends, though Patrick spent most of that year asking Courtney out on dates, and Courtney spent most of that year saying no. For the next seven years, they lived separate lives through college and post-grad, Courtney in Chicago and Patrick in New York City, but stayed friends along the way. In December 2019, Patrick moved closer to home, and 6 months later they finally reconnected again at a friend’s lake house in Michigan that summer (shoutout to our groomsman, Kyle Turner). What started as catching up, quickly turned into something more. Over the next eight months, they spent time together in Chicago getting to know each other again, starting with their first official date over Lou Malnati’s pizza, wine and catching up on the last seven years. In February 2021, Patrick officially asked Courtney to be his girlfriend in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, a place that quickly became one of their favorites. Now living together in Chicago, Courtney and Patrick love spending their days walking the lakefront, exploring new restaurants around the city, attending spontaneous Cubs games, and spending (probably too much) time at their favorite neighborhood bar, Jefferson Tap, alongside their best friends, Sydney and Ricky. They’ve also had the best time celebrating the love of their friends and family, attending over 30 weddings together, traveling across the country and abroad, making annual trips to Lake Geneva, cheering at countless Notre Dame and Indiana football games (and IU basketball games) and bringing home their sweet, energetic puppy, Ellie. (Patrick has also successfully turned Courtney, and her family, into Notre Dame fans) In November 2024, during what Courtney thought was their usual Lake Geneva trip, Patrick planned the perfect surprise. He proposed on the very same beach where he had asked her to be his girlfriend three and a half years earlier. They spent the rest of the day celebrating (yes, even while Indiana lost to Ohio State) because nothing could have made that day more perfect. This is just the beginning of our next chapter, more life, more love, and a lot more fun memories together. From our wedding and honeymoon to cozy nights in with Ellie, and making memories with our favorite people, we can’t wait for it all. Thank you for being part of our journey, we’re so excited to celebrate this next chapter with you!!