Hello there

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.

But at the last minute, Mary's boyfriend got called out of town on business. "She decided to take her brother, John Coyle," Karen remembered.

Karen's date was a nice guy, but she kept finding herself looking at John. He was stealing glances, too. As the event was ending, John pulled Karen's date aside. "Are you interested in her?" John asked. "No," he answered. "Good," said John. "I am."

After the party, Mary invited everyone to her house. By the time Karen arrived, John, who had to work the next morning, had decided he was going to call it a night. "It was very nice meeting you," he told her. "I had a nice time." Then, much to Karen's disappointment, he drove away.

The next week at work, Karen started bugging Mary to have a party - and invite her brother John. What she didn't know was that John was also bugging his sister to have a party and invite Karen.

Mary obliged, and at that gathering, John asked Karen for a date and immediately programmed her phone number into his phone.

Karen, who is now 42, lived in Norristown. John, 46, lived in Mount Laurel, N.J. He soon began making the 1 1/2-hour drive twice a week to spend time with her.

What they soon discovered: Though over 40, neither had ever been married or had children. Both are Catholic, and wanted to be with someone who shared that faith.

"Every Sunday, he took me to church," Karen said.

How does forever sound?

In October 2008 - five months from the day they met - John took Karen to New York. The son of Irish immigrants who lived in the Bronx, John was a New Yorker until he was 15, and he wanted to show Karen his former city. They saw Wicked on Friday night. On Saturday, they explored Central Park. "He stopped at one of the benches to sit down," Karen remembered. But John didn't sit long. He got down on one knee and told Karen that the past months had been wonderful, and that she made him very happy, and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

"I didn't see it coming. I was so surprised, and shocked, and just elated," Karen said.

Karen had previously told John that if she were ever to get engaged, she would want to pick out her ring. His condition: She couldn't tell anyone they were engaged until she was wearing it.

In the meantime, John called Karen's father, Anthony Stumpo, for his blessing. Both he and Karen's mother, Marthajane, were thrilled.

Two weeks later, in a Philadelphia jewelry store, John slipped the ring on Karen's finger and popped the question a second time.

In May, Karen and John again attended the Wellness Community's cancer benefit - this time, as a couple. A friend notified the organizers that a couple who had met there a year ago, and were now engaged, would be in attendance.

"The host of the benefit called on us at the event," Karen said. She told their story, then said, "Look to your left, look to your right. Ladies, you never know! Your future husband could be here!"

It was so them

John, a sales executive, and Karen, who specializes in strategic marketing and planning, asked Karen's second cousin, the Rev. Michael DiIorio, to perform the ceremony. DiIorio is pastor at St. Michael the Archangel in Levittown, but he performed the ceremony at Karen's church, Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Norristown.

Karen went dress shopping with her mother, and chose the store, Bridals by Danielle in Center City, because she knew it carried a lot of designers she liked. Karen tried on about a dozen dresses. The winner, which had just come in that day, was designed by Alvina Valenta, who was a classmate of Karen's at Drexel University.

The couple called on a handful of their family members for the bridal party: Karen's cousin P.J. MacNamera, 16, was a groomsman. John's nephew Daniel Coyle, 8, was the ring bearer, and his niece Kelsey O'Shea, 9, was the flower girl. John's sister Mary - without whom the couple wouldn't have met - was a bridesmaid.