Kellie Patrick Gates

Love columnist Kellie Patrick Gates writes from the Montgomery County home she shares with her extraordinary husband, a formerly stray cat and an adopted greyhound.

Born and raised in Elk County, Gates previously was an award-winning news reporter for The Inquirer and other newspapers in Pennsylvania, New York and Florida.

DO YOU HAVE THE DATE?

Tell us in a short e-mail -- at least six weeks before your ceremony -- why we should feature your love story. Send it to weddings@phillynews.com. Unfortunately, we can't personally respond to all submissions. If your story is chosen, you will be contacted in the weeks before your wedding. Please include with your Love column submission the date of your wedding and a phone number where you can be reached.

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Love Love: Jamie Kelly & Bob Eckert - 11/04/2009: August 29, 2009, in Kimberton

By Kellie Patrick Gates, For The Inquirer

In fall 2002, Jamie and Bob were both first-year students at Temple Law School. "We met at an election night party," Bob remembers. She's a Republican. He's a Democrat. They had a great time talking and became instant friends. Jamie and Bob even went out alone a few times, but nothing romantic happened. It wasn't politics, but circumstances; they were both seeing other people.
Love Love: Karen Lee Stumpo & John Coyle - 10/28/2009: August 22, 2009, in Norristown

By Kellie Patrick Gates, For The Inquirer

In May 2008, Karen was invited to a fancy fund-raiser through her work. The Wellness Community of Philadelphia's annual Evening in the Park benefit is not the kind of event Karen wanted to attend alone. Having no immediate date prospects, she turned to her social-butterfly coworker, Mary Coyle, for help. Mary, who planned to attend with her boyfriend, quickly lined someone up, and the women decided the two couples would go together.
Love: Laura McMaster & Scott Jones - 10/21/2009: August 22, 2009, in Philadelphia

By Kellie Patrick Gates, For The Inquirer

In early December 2006, Laura got a call from her friend Valerie's Aunt Maryann. It was last-minute, but would Laura like to take Valerie's place on a trip to Maui? Laura, a nurse at Hahnemann Hospital, jumped at the chance - a spur-of-the-moment decision that would change her life.
Love: JAMIE ETKIN & PETE FEENEY - 10/14/2009: August 29, 2009, in Philadelphia

By Kellie Patrick Gates, For The Inquirer

Hello there Jamie grew up in Cherry Hill. In the mid-1990s, when she was about 15, her family began frequenting a pizza shop in neighboring Marlton called Domenico's Italian Ristorante. By the time Jamie reached her late teens, owner Diane Feeney, who would often wai
Love: HEATHER ORTH & MARK RUSSO - 10/07/2009: August 1, 2009, in West Chester

By Kellie Patrick Gates, For The Inquirer

Hello there On a Friday night in mid-July 2005, Mark and his friend Dean went to Appetites on Main in Exton. So did Heather and her friend, Jamie. Dean, who had met Heather years earlier, introduced her and Mark. "We just hit it off," Mark said.
Love: Jennifer Rycerz & Matthew Kallend - 09/30/2009: August 8, 2009, in Lake Villa, Ill.

By Kellie Patrick Gates, For The Inquirer

Jennifer and Matt, now both 28, grew up in different Chicago suburbs. They met in their second week of music school at DePaul University in 1999. "We were standing in line to take some kind of music theory test," Jennifer said. She plays the flute. He is a percussionist. They were just acquaintances until a party in 2003, where they spent a lot of time talking.
Love: Debra Discuillo & Matthew Polichetti - 09/23/2009: July 25, 2009, in Gilbertsville

By Kellie Patrick Gates, For The Inquirer

On Halloween night 1998, Deb and Nick Discuillo were still six months away from their wedding. They were passing out candy at their Schwenksville home when they saw Matt Polichetti and his sister, Jackie Marks, moving into the townhouse two doors down.
Love Love: Dierdre Woody & Ross Konar - 09/16/2009: Aug. 1, 2009, in Philadelphia

By Kellie Patrick Gates, For The Inquirer

Dierdre and Ross, now 30 and 31 respectively, met in eighth grade, when they were in the same class at Springton Lake Middle School and lived in Media. They became instant friends and hung out with the same group of people all through high school.
Love: Lori Hobart & Kevin Mays - 09/09/2009: August 1, 2009, in Philadelphia

By Kellie Patrick Gates, For The Inquirer

Lori and Kevin have known each other since the late 1970s, when they were middle schoolers in Canandaigua, N.Y. "We were in the same group of friends all the way through high school," Lori said. They never dated. Lori left Canandaigua to study finance at Drexel University. From her sophomore year on, Philadelphia became her year-round home.
Love Katie McIntyre & Sean Mooney - 09/02/2009: July 18, 2009, in Philadelphia

By Kellie Patrick Gates, For The Inquirer

In 2000, Sean and Katie were students at LaSalle University. Sean volunteered with a mentoring program for children in foster care. Katie volunteered with an after-school tutoring program. Both university programs used a lounge area outside the chapel as the meeting spot.