A celebration ofFriends, Family & Community

Patrick and Ellie met in 2009 when they were both 15 years old. Their high school had a required after school team-building course that culminated in a weekend camping trip and Ellie and Patrick were placed in the same group. The course was aptly named “Discovery” and Ellie and Patrick discovered that they were quite fond of each other! After two years of friendship consisting of dawn until dusk texting and creative cost-effective dates involving trying to get onto various rooftops around Atlanta, they finally broached romanticism by going to prom together and starting to officially date. Two summers and a great senior year later, they parted ways to attend Rhodes College and The Ohio State University. Yearly visits kept them in contact until Patrick moved back to Atlanta and Ellie started Peace Corps in Mozambique. In the fall of 2017, Ellie’s sister Ginny reached out to Patrick to participate in a video of birthday wishes for Ellie, sparking a rekindling from across the globe. After only 3 weeks of reconnecting, they booked a vacation together to Cape Town, South Africa. They had a fantastic time in Cape Town but Ellie still had ~20 months of Peace Corps service left. Nevertheless, they spoke everyday and subsequently took a trip to Thailand in 2018 which only furthered their connection. Luckily, Ellie decided to attend Emory for her MPH in 2019, bringing her back to Atlanta, where they could begin officially dating once again. It was a fantastic phase of getting to know each other as adults while having a strong foundational appreciation for each other. There was so much familiarity but also so much to learn! In spring of 2021, they moved in together next to Piedmont Park as Patrick finished his MBA at Georgia Tech. In 2023, they moved into their home in East Atlanta and Patrick proposed shortly after moving in! They are excited to get married a mere 15 years after meeting, and that all of you will be there to celebrate with them!

Ellie and Patrick had many discussions throughout the years about what marriage means to them as individuals and what it could look like to embark on that journey together. They co-decided that they wanted to get married and informed their immediate families. On May 22, Patrick suggested a rainy Monday after work adventure and Ellie excitedly agreed. They first re-visited the place that Patrick asked Ellie to prom in 2011 before taking a romantic stroll through Piedmont Park near their first apartment. Patrick proposed and Ellie said yes!