Madeleine and Patrick began their whirlwind romance on the cold San Francisco Christmas Eve back in 2018. Patrick, who was at home nursing his infirmed Corgi, James, back to health, sent Leine a routine dating app message in which he solicited an invitation to her family’s Christmas Eve dinner. Leine politely declined but suggested meeting up for a first date on Boxing Day, which was accepted. 

The couple went to Pier 23 Cafe for dinner, which primarily consisted of oysters and Irish coffee, before continuing on to the Exploratorium Museum. In an eerie foreshadow of their lives to come, Patrick discussed the physics and science on display ad nauseum (literally) while Leine gently chastised him for his beverage of choice (“you know, gin and tonics actually have a ton of sugar”). The good-natured banter kindled the spark of the evening into a perhaps idiosyncratic romance the couple enjoys to this day.

Time together over the subsequent months continued to form the foundation of their relationship, with many weekend trips to Northern California destinations, walks with their respective dogs, James and Jeremy, and cozy nights in (and a few raucous nights out). The real moment of truth was when Patrick met Leine’s parents, Jim and D’Arcy, at an annual fundraiser for her high school (Go Regents). Jim liked Patrick’s shoes, and D’Arcy, as a Michigan Gal, appreciated his Midwestern sensibilities, and thus the crucial parental hurdle was cleared.

The couple had been together for a little over a year when the pandemic began, which tested their relationship but also brought them one of their favorite shared joys in Bravo’s Top Chef, and also the impetus to relocate to their current home of Los Angeles. As two aspiring home chefs, the program exposed them to the culinary world, while serving as the backdrop for many of their best conversations together. They now visit top chef restaurants when visiting cities across the US & in their adopted home of LA, where there are many.

It was no secret that the couple planned to get married, so at a family wedding in 2022 Patrick asked the immediate Kirkland family members for permission to marry Madeleine. With the confidence of a “Yes” from each of them in hand, Patrick proposed to Madeleine on the second to last day of their Italian vacation, and an exasperated Madeleine (who had expected the proposal days earlier) said “finally.”

We so look forward to sharing our love with each and every one of you at our wedding and reception in September!