Patrick and Mollys love story started off the way that so many modern meet cutes do - with a “swipe right” on Hinge! After a bit of talking and back and forth sharing of puppy photos, Patrick decided to ask Molly to meet up for a date. Initially, he asked her to go to Franklin Cider Mill since it was peak fall season and what better way to break the ice than with some cider and donuts?! As it turned out, the mill was closed at time he asked her to meet so he had to cancel the plans that morning (whoops). Molly initially took this as a sign that he probably wasn’t all that interested but agreed to reschedule for that Sunday figuring things probably wouldn’t go too far (which in her mind was fine because she ‘decided she was going to take a break from dating after this’….you know how it goes).

Molly arrived at the mill that Sunday and sat on a bench by the river watching kids feed the ducks waiting for Patrick to arrive. As he was walking up and saw her, Patrick took note of how at ease Molly seemed and how she was engaged in her surroundings and said that it was green flag for him. When Molly saw him walking towards her, she thought he looked very put together in his quarter zip and pea coat. Patrick bought them a half gallon of cider and a half dozen donuts and they spent an hour or so walking around the cider mill talking about themselves, their jobs, their interests, and their families. When it started to sprinkle, they knew they weren’t ready for the date to end and decided to go grab some lunch. At the end of the date, Patrick told her that he really enjoyed spending time with her and asked if he could see her again. Molly enthusiastically agreed and Patrick gave her a kiss goodbye.

Patrick invited Molly to come out to his neck of the woods in Clawson (her future home little did she know) for dinner at Whiskey, Taco, Foxtrot that Tuesday (this location was featured in some of their engagement photos at the same table they sat at for this date!) Patrick remembers feeling worried that it was “too forward” to invite her to his place on a second date and that he didn’t want to give her the wrong impression. Molly remembers being pleasantly surprised by how well decorated his place was (shout out to his mom, Jayme!) and thinking “oh wow, it looks like an adult lives here and not a bachelor pad - green flag!” The conversation flowed effortlessly as they ate their tacos and became more and more comfortable with each other. As it turned out, Tuesday nights were trivia night and the couple took advantage of the opportunity to prolong the evening (“team overalls” forever!)

The two were eager to see each other again and set a third date for that Thursday in Ann Arbor where they had dinner at Mani Osteria (shout out to his sister Lauren for the suggestion when Patrick asked for her input stating he “really wanted to take her somewhere nice and make a good impression”). Patrick was running late for this date due to traffic and remembers feeling like a bundle of nerves worrying that he had just blown his chances, but when he arrived to the restaurant, Molly greeted him with a smile, a glass of wine, and a kiss, and his worries melted away. Molly remembers thinking at this point in time that she already knew he needed to be a fixture in her life. After a delicious meal, the couple walked over to Pinball Pete’s to play arcade games (Patrick still isn’t over that Molly smoked him in shooting free throws) and they rounded out the evening with a few more drinks. Not wanting to go too long without seeing each other, the couple decided to meet up again the next day and their hang out lasted all through the weekend! By Monday, November 13th, 8 days after their first date, Patrick asked Molly to make things official and the rest is history!

It didn't take long for Patrick and Molly to realize that they were in this for the long haul! And in true Patrick and Molly style, they went about getting engaged in their own way. After about 7 months, they decided they didn't want to wait any longer to share their intentions to be married and slowly started to tell their families and closest friends the good news! Initially, the couple discussed going to the courthouse or eloping with their families later that year in the fall with the idea to have a bigger reception the following year, but after further discussion they decided to go big or go home and made plans to set a date for fall 2025. They had a venue, they had a date, they'd shared the news with their closest people, now all they needed was a ring!

The couple went about designing the engagement ring together so that it would be special and unique. They worked closely with the amazing team at Clawson Jewelers to make their idea come to life and were even able to incorporate diamonds from a piece Molly's late great-grandma gave her! However, once the initial designs and moldings were okayed by the couple, Patrick informed Molly that from that point on she was going to be in the dark on the rings progress - he had a surprise in mind and wanted the chance to do up their proposal more 'officially'.

A few weeks had gone by and Molly was none-the-wiser on the status of the ring (and despite her best efforts to inquire, Patrick wasn't offering a single crumb of information!) On November 2nd, Molly had arranged for the two to go and have some holiday photos taken that afternoon to be used for their Christmas cards. Patrick asked if they could make a pit stop before heading out to the session and took her to Franklin Cider Mill where the two had had their very first date. They went up to the counter to order some cider and donuts and then went to sit on a bench by the river to enjoy their snack and reminisce about their first date here nearly a year prior. Patrick utilized this moment to smoothly get down on one knee and pulled out a ring box. Molly can't remember if he'd even opened the box or not because her gaze was so fixated on Patrick in that moment. Patrick began speak from the heart about how this last year they'd spent together had been the best of his life and how he couldn't imagine spending his life without her. He asked her the most important question he'd ever asked, "Molly, will you marry me?" and Molly responded with the easiest answer she'd ever given, "of course I will!" (Patrick felt "pretty sure" she'd say yes given that they had a date picked out and designed the ring together, but it was still nice to hear!) When Molly finally looked down at the ring that they'd so lovingly designed together over the last several months, she remembers thinking that it was the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen in her life and that she couldn't wait to proudly wear it as a symbol of her love and devotion to Patrick.