Wedding party standing in front of Notre Dame's main building smiling in long purple dresses and dark gray suits.

Notre Dame Wedding – Charlotte and Patrick

January 19, 2021

Weddings

Charlotte and Patrick met during their first year of grad school when they shared an office with all of the other first year grad students in their cohort. These two are SUPER smart as they are both Physics PhD students at Notre Dame. Although they were close right from the start, they didn’t start dating until later that spring. Patrick attended Notre Dame for his undergraduate degree as well and was an avid member of the Glee Club so it was fitting that he wanted to share this special organization with Charlotte for their first date.

You can read more about their proposal story here – but I’ll give a brief synopsis. Patrick proposed to Charlotte in Italy! And of course they wanted to get married on Notre Dame’s campus where they met!

Their Notre Dame Wedding

To go along with their physics story – these two decided to incorporate that into their wedding day theme. Patrick is studying nuclear physics while Charlotte is studying astrophysics – the study of the stars – so their wedding had a celestial theme to it! Their ties, scarves and masks all had constellations on them! And the florals had a celestial vibe to them as well – including some star shaped orchids and tall spherical centerpieces resembling planets. Their deep purple and silver colors fit perfectly with their theme.

Their ceremony was held at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus at the University of Notre Dame. This place holds a special place in my heart because that’s where I married my husband! The basilica was the perfect backdrop for these two as they said their vows to each other surrounded by their closest family and friends.

After some last minute changes of plans, these two pulled off switching their reception venue to Ruth’s Chris for a joyous dinner with their families and wedding party. It was the perfect way to end their wedding day.

My Favorite Moment

Two moments really stand out to me from their wedding day! The first is when Charlotte was walking down the aisle – I loved seeing Patrick so giddy on the other end of the aisle waiting to marry the love of his life. The second moment was after the ceremony when we drove all around campus with their wedding party to their favorite spots! P.S. If you’re getting married at Notre Dame, I highly recommend renting a bus to drive you around campus! It was SO helpful!

A Note to Charlotte and Patrick

It was fun looking through your engagement photos again and remember how that was the week when everything shut down. Students had just gone home and the world was in limbo. And here we were on campus again almost a year later and the world is still in limbo. But you two have overcome quarantine together and planning a wedding during a pandemic so I’m pretty sure you can get through anything!

I was honored to have been there for your wedding day – you two share a bond that is special to witness. I hope that you two continue to make each other laugh and have your deep intellectual conversations together as you enter into your married life. Have so much fun on your honeymoon in Kentucky with Bentley!