They celebrate love, family, and community

June 10, 2023, in Philadelphia

Andie first saw Kelly in 2010, when a friend who knows her type and recognized Kelly from class at what is now Jefferson University pointed her out at a party.

Andie may have swooned a little. “I followed her on social media,” she said.

Kelly was not aware of any of it. A new Jefferson student, she didn’t know the person who had directed Andie’s gaze her way. While she soon made many friends on campus, Andie couldn’t be among them — she went to Temple.

Six years later, Kelly walked into the bar of a now-defunct Philadelphia restaurant with friends who were regulars and knew the nighttime bartender: Andie.

“We were briefly introduced,” said Kelly, who is now 32 and works in web translation and localization sales for Blend.

Andie, now 31 and a Zer0 to 5ive marketing and PR professional, recognized Kelly immediately, but didn’t say so.

Kelly began noticing Andie in their mutual friends’ social media posts and took the algorithm’s suggestion to follow her. For the next three years, the two never saw each other in person, but learned details of each other’s lives online.

Then in September 2019, Kelly and Andie saw each other’s faces on their Tinder dating app feed. Both swiped right and quickly began texting each other outside of the app.

“She didn’t feel like a stranger,” Andie said.

A week after their Tinder match, “We sat out back of Andie’s house that she shared with a few friends and chatted in her backyard, just the two of us, for hours,” Kelly remembered. Her mind was flooded with the image of Andie handing her a Bud Light over the bar on the night they were introduced. “I think the following weekend I met pretty much all of Andie’s closest friends, who had gathered for a wedding, and got their approval.”

They were together several times a week, often taking Kelly’s new puppy, Levi, to parks around the city. They tried new restaurants. They saw many concerts, including indie pop folk singer Maggie Rogers.

Kelly and Andie were already talking about moving in together someday when COVID-19 hit. Six months into their relationship, Andie moved in to Kelly’s Graduate Hospital apartment. About 18 months later, they adopted a second dog, Ziggy.

“Almost immediately, I could tell that Andie was such a safe space for me,” Kelly said. “Being such a wonderful person herself, she really provided me with the comfort and understanding I needed to become what I wanted to be as a person. The love she shared with me, and with everyone around her, made me feel like I wanted to continue to love her and provide for her and also focus on myself. I’m a much more caring and calm person that I used to be. I wanted to become the best version of myself for her.”

Andie knew quickly that Kelly understood her, in part because they share the same values. “We are both extremely close with our families, they are a huge part of our lives,” she said. “Meeting someone who didn’t see family as a burden but as an extension of our lives and who cherishes the relationship we have with our families is wonderful,” she said. “Also, Kelly is more outgoing than me, more playful and silly than me. She helps bring those things out of me as well. We spend so much time laughing.”

Kelly had known for awhile that she would ask Andie to marry her on the November day in 2022 that she hid a custom-made ring in her backpack and they boarded a flight to Madrid. She carried that big backpack around the city until check-in time — “who knows if we’ll need to buy anything?” she offered Andie in explanation. Finally, they were in their room.

When Andie was finished getting ready for their night out, Kelly handed her a glass of champagne, then showed her the ring.

“I’d really like to start off this trip as fiancées,” she said. Kelly told her how much she loves and appreciates her and how she’d be honored to spend her life with her. She still had more to say when Andie, crying, said yes.

The couple, who now live in Phoenixville, married June 10 at La Chinesca, a Mexican fusion restaurant on Spring Garden Street in Philadelphia. They chose the venue for its colorful atmosphere, outdoor spaces, and ability to provide the laid-back, cocktail party vibe they wanted.

The ceremony was led by Journeys of the Heart officiant Susan Harte, who wove the couple’s story into a nondenominational ceremony that recognized the importance of community and family. Kelly walked down the aisle with her father and Andie with her mother as Maggie Rogers’ “Love You for a Long Time” played. Kelly’s Aunt Kate read “Union,” a poem by Robert Fulghum, and the couple exchanged vows they wrote.

“I promised Kelly that we would always raise our family to share our values, and that our home would always be a place of safety, comfort, and unconditional support,” said Andie.

“I promised Andie that through the good times and the bad, I would always remember the moment we were standing in front of each other, giving our vows to each other, and that even in difficult moments we would always have everything we need to be there for each other,” Kelly said.

The reception began with Andie and Kelly dancing to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” When the song picked up speed, the couple asked their 130 guests to join them.

This fall, Andie and Kelly will honeymoon in Portugal. Beyond that: babies. They are exploring their options now, said Andie.

“The thing I love most about Andie is I know she will always love and protect and value our family,” Kelly said. “Our kids will always be nurtured by her, and I know that they will turn out to be amazing people, just because of the person who she is and what she offers and brings to this world. I am so excited to see her being a mother.”

“Kelly is our family’s protector,” Andie said. “And while I’m a planner, she is the planner. I’m micro-planning the details, but she is big picture. When we talk about the future, she’s always, ‘How do I make this better for our family? How do I best prepare a future for our kids and for you?’ We are always going to be taken care of, because Kelly is always thinking five steps ahead.”