Rachel + Patrick first connected on the dating app Bumble in the fall of 2021. Rachel immediately noticed Patrick's interests included bars, dogs + travel-3 of her favorite things. Tired of crafting pithy openers, Rachel sent Patrick a waving hand emoji, and to her surprise he responded right away. Patrick was struck by her friendly smile + hilarious answers to the various prompts, but what really sealed the deal was the photos of her pug Teddy. In fact, they often joke about their third date being Patrick + Teddy's "first date", and they have had a strong bromance ever since. However, Rachel + Patrick's first date was at a local cocktail bar downtown called The Mirror. Rachel + Patrick had an eventful 18 months of dating, including many sporting events, comedy shows, international travel, holidays + meeting each other's close friends and family. Patrick discovered Rachel's love of leftovers, matching athleisure sets, Iliza Schlesinger's comedy, online pugs videos, + 90 Day Fiancé. Rachel learned all about Patrick's undying loyalty to mediocre Chicago sports teams, cannolis, a good comedy + falling asleep before the movie ends. Rachel + Patrick lived on opposite sides of the city before moving in together in the NoMa neighborhood of DC in April 2023. In May of 2024, while on vacation at Palm Heights in the Grand Caymans, Patrick surprised Rachel with an epic charcuterie board-one of her favorite things-and a ring. And the rest is history...