Laura had always told herself that she would never download a dating app, but COVID lockdown does things to you and she finally set up a Bumble account the summer of 2021. After many months of looking, she matched with Paddy, who had the app for less than five days and just thought it would be fun. (It’s clear who put in all the hard work ;)

The couple had their first date on Veteran’s Day - November 11, 2021. They met for drinks at the Northeastern Tatte cafe and walked around the Fens for a couple of hours. Although the conversation was very good and there were lots of laughs, Paddy does not give much away, which left Laura guessing until their third date when they had their first kiss.

Fast forward to Christmas vacation - Laura was home with her family in Connecticut but the couple spent hours every night FaceTiming each other and watching shows. Laura rushed back to Boston to see Paddy. The night she got home, Paddy let it slip that he loved her on his way to the bathroom (when he returned, she happily said it back.) The two were pretty inseparable after that. Paddy spent most evenings at Laura’s where the two would watch shows, cook dinners together and have thoughtful conversations.

In February of 2022, Laura brought Paddy to Connecticut to formally meet her family for the first time. After much effort, Paddy managed to win the affection of her dog, Sienna, who was a major third wheel the entire trip and made sure there was no PDA happening under Russ and Stephanie’s roof. As for her siblings and parents, Paddy quickly bonded with them. Laura remembers seeing how well Paddy fit into her life and thinking that the world would have to turn upside down for them not to be together forever.

Once the semester was over, the couple took several trips together, one of them being to London where Laura met Paddy’s mom, Steph, for the first time. Steph is a very easy person to get along with and Laura really enjoyed hearing more about her and stories from Paddy’s childhood.

A few months after that, it was Christmas time again and this year they’d be spending it together ;) Paddy spent Christmas with the Carson’s and got to experience all of their many holiday traditions. His favorite was having sushi on Christmas Eve and getting to meet Granny.

After Christmas, the couple embarked on a trip to New Zealand where they endured a 50 hour delay at the Chicago Airport. They arrived on New Year’s Day just in time to meet Paddy’s grandma who was visiting Christchurch for the day. The couple spent the next few weeks with Paddy’s family and traveled up and down the South Island, squeezing in as much of New Zealand as possible. Paddy’s family immediately loved Laura as he knew they would.

As graduation was fast approaching, the question of “what’s next” weighed on their minds. Paddy had asked Laura to move to New York City with him. After much deliberation and prayers, Laura said yes. She felt a lot of peace knowing that she was going to continue doing life with her love.

The two graduated in May of 2023 - Paddy with a BM in Pro Music from Berklee and Laura with a BFA in Illustration from MassArt. Shortly after, Paddy returned to New Zealand for the summer. The two did long distance for two months. Although it was incredibly challenging, the couple learned to love and support each other from the other side of the world. At the end of July, Paddy finally came back and the couple was reunited. Everything felt right in the world.

At the beginning of September, the two moved out of Boston and into a small apartment in New York City to start their new life together. The move came with challenges but the couple remained optimistic, enjoying the everyday things together and reaffirming how well they work as a team.

The couple continued to grow closer every day, and after living together a little bit over a month, they decided they wanted to be together forever. On October 22nd, Paddy proposed to Laura in Central Park, her favorite place in the city. Laura was a little suspicious of what was happening, but with no evidence of a ring box, she couldn’t be sure. The park was incredibly crowded that day since it was the first sunny weekend in seven weeks. Paddy insisted they go to their favorite spot, but once it was clear that there would be no privacy there, he suggested they find somewhere more quiet. Laura followed poor Paddy for a good forty minutes as he tried to find a nice private place. They eventually opted to go off trail and found a place right by the water, where Paddy got down on one knee and told Laura how much he loved her and asked if she would make him the luckiest guy in the world and marry him. Through lots of happy tears, Laura excitedly said yes.