Sometimes you meet your future spouse while at college and sometimes you meet your future spouse while working in campus ministry after you’ve finished college. The latter happened to be the case for Catie and Patrick.

When Catie and Patrick both decided to work for St. Paul’s Outreach after graduating from their respective universities, they had no idea what God had in store. A few years into ministry when they were both assigned to be co-leads for the team at Benedictine College, Catie was bound and determined to NOT fall in love with her handsome, Catholic, and very single mission co-lead. In fact, Catie told me that she was so determined not to fall in love with him, that she spent the first few weeks that they worked together deliberately looking for flaws in Patrick’s character, building a case for herself why he wouldn’t ever be a good match for her.

However, despite all of Catie’s best attempts to avoid falling in love with Patrick, as the weeks went by and their position as co-leads brought them closer and closer, it became obvious that they were both undeniably attracted to each other. And so after much prayer and discernment, they decided to give dating a chance and see where their relationship might go. A little less than a year later, Patrick proposed with a STUNNING sapphire and diamond ring (sapphire for Our Lady) and I joyfully welcomed these two into my 2020 wedding family!!

With them living in Kansas, and me in Pennsylvania, we weren’t entirely sure when or where their engagement session would take place, but God provided and we just happened to be a few hours away from each other in Ohio over the same weekend. Catie and Patrick decided to make the drive out to Steubenville where I was staying and so we shot their engagement session in downtown Steubenville and up Franciscan University’s campus around the beautiful Portiuncula chapel. I had such a wonderful time with these two and I hope you enjoy their pictures as much as I do! I can’t wait to see them again in Kansas for their wedding next May!

Xoxo,

Mary Kate