Katherine & Pat

Feb 20

How and where did you meet?: Pat and I first met at Bar Louie to watch the Blackhawks play in Stanley cup finals in the summer of 2015 when we were both completing our summer internships. Pat became good friends with Rohan (one of the groomsmen) that summer while interning who is also very good family friend of mine who I grew up with in Arizona and he introduced us to each other at Bar Louie. We both went back to finish our senior year at Notre Dame and Saint Mary's but did not really see each other or hangout that year. We both accepted jobs in Chicago after graduating college and Rohan also moved to Chicago. Pat had his friend group of Notre Dame people he hung out with in Chicago and I had my friends. Rohan would bring Pat around and our friend groups combined and we started to hang out all the time. We were good friends before officially dating in 2020 right before the COVID pandemic hit.

What was your first impression of each other?: My first impression of Pat was that he was quirky, very disciplined, and reliable. One of the first times I really hung out with Pat was at a Notre Dame football game in fall of 2017 when we all went back to South Bend and our friends shared an Airbnb for the weekend. Friday night we all went out and stayed out very late visiting all the college spots we missed after recently graduating. All of us were very slow to wake up and get around the next morning to get ready for the game but Pat comes in the kitchen sweating because he just ran 4 miles outside and woke up early to do this. Therefore, my first impression of him was that he must be a very disciplined person (and also a little crazy). My first impression of Katherine was that she was very cute, funny, and had a spunky energy to her. I remember seeing her at Bar Louie in her nursing scrubs and thinking this is someone I really want to get to know because everyone likes to be around her and the energy in the room changes when she enters it.

When did you know your partner was the one?: I knew Pat was the one when we were on one of our many walks outside in Chicago during the COVID pandemic because everything in the city was shut down and the only activity we could do was walk outside. Pat and I went from friends to starting to officially going on dates in February of 2020. The pandemic hit and 2 months into our relationship everything in Chicago shut down and the 3 girls that I was living with at the time all moved home to work from home and leave the city. As a nurse I was obviously not allowed to leave town or work from home so I stayed and was alone and working through some rough months of the pandemic. When everyone else was leaving town, Pat stayed in Chicago and was there for me through it all. Pat would always suggest going on a walk just to see me and hangout even though it was freezing cold outside and I remember thinking if this guy is willing to stay with me during a global pandemic and will walk miles outside in 30 degree weather just to spend time with me then he is definitely going to be my person. I knew Katherine was the one in May of 2020 when we decided to mix up our new COVID routine of long walks and Uber Eats to take a trip to South Bend and the Indiana Dunes. We were lucky to retreat to Katherine's parents home where we spent the weekend grilling steaks, enjoying the warmer weather, and loving the time outside of the city. It was the first trip that we ever took together, and it remains one of my favorite. She was such a fun person to be around and I knew then that if I could just be with her doing really nothing then this is the girl I want to spend the rest of my life with.

Tell us about your engagement moment.: I had 2 weeks off around Christmas time where I took PTO from my job as a nurse and then had a 2 week break from grad school. Pat planned a trip to Jamaica for my 30th birthday then we went to my home in Phoenix to celebrate my birthday with my family on Dec 22. I had a feeling it was going to happen sometime during those 2 weeks but he didn't do it in Jamaica or when I was home with my family. We flew back to Chicago to celebrate NYE with our friends. We had plans to go to our friends house before ringing in the new years at Tao. On the morning of NYE Pat told me he happened to get a free hotel room at the Park Hyatt that night and suggested we go downtown for a drink before meeting up with our friends at their house. I started to get suspicious since we lived right next to our friends and going downtown was the total opposite direction. We checked in and got ready for the night. Pat suggested we walk to the Drake hotel to get a drink and on our walk he stopped me right in front of the big christmas tree in front of Water Tower Place and asked me to marry him. My roommate Maggie (MOH) was across the street in a car trying to take photos and came and joined us. Pat then suggested we go to another hotel to get a drink with just me, him, Maggie, and Maggie's boyfriend to celebrate. When we walked in to the hotel bar both my parents and Pat's parents were sitting there waiting for us. It was such a surprise for both sets of parents to fly in from Arizona and New York and to be there with us to celebrate. All of us went to our friends house like we originally planned and they had a surprise engagement party planned for us. Pat got a table for all of us at Tao and we rang in the new year as a newly engaged couple with all our closest friends.

Katherine and Pat both attended college in South Bend, Indiana. Pat studied at Notre Dame, while Katherine pursued her education at St. Mary's College. Despite their proximity, they didn’t actually meet each other in South Bend. Instead, they first made each other's acquaintance at Bar Louie, where they were excitedly watching the Chicago Blackhawks secure their third Stanley Cup victory in just six years. Katherine had always dreamed of having a New Year’s Eve wedding since she was young, envisioning a celebration filled with joy and festivity. It was during one of their many outdoor walks together during the COVID pandemic that she realized Pat was truly the one for her. Read about their incredible story here.

Photography: Arielle Peters

Planning: One Fine Day Special Events - Elena Adams

Photography: Arielle Peters

Church: St Michaels Old Town

Reception: The Chicago Hilton

Tablescapes: BBJ La Tavola

Rentals: Nuage Design Inc

Hair: Elegance by Kim

Makeup: Rare Bird Beauties

Band: Arlen Music Productions

Florals: HMR - Staci Miller

Catering: Hilton Chicago