Love: Megan McCarthy and Christopher Clark

Glen Mills native Megan had just hoisted the last box of her belongings into her new Boston apartment. She and her roommate needed a celebratory drink.

Chris, who has lived near Boston all his life, was out with his friend, the friend's fiance, and the rest of the wedding party.

And so that night in May 2009, Megan and Chris wound up next to each other in the same long, slow line at The Harp's bar.

Megan, who had moved from the Boston burbs to the city to be closer to her law school at Suffolk University, and Chris, then a counselor for the state's department of social services, discovered they had both recently traveled in Europe. They enjoyed swapping stories so much that when it was finally their turn to order, Chris treated Megan, and they took their drinks to a high-top table where they talked for the next two hours, sometimes joined by her friend, sometimes by his.

They discovered a mutual love of sports and music, and soon realized they had been to many of the same games and concerts at Boston College, when Megan was an undergrad there.

Chris called Megan later that week and they planned a date. The day before, he called to postpone, saying he had to unexpectedly leave town. Megan wondered if this was a lame excuse to get out of their plans, but she didn't have to wonder long. "I called her as soon as I got back to town," Chris said.

About two weeks after they met, Chris picked up Megan with a list of dinner options in hand. "Not knowing what kind of food I liked, he had the names and addresses of an Italian restaurant, a French restaurant, a Chinese restaurant and an American restaurant," she remembered.

Megan, who is now 27, picked Italian, so they went to Giacomo's.

"They were done cleaning up, the chairs were on top of the tables everywhere else, when they asked us to leave," Chris, now 30, said.

On a Sunday night in December 2011, Megan and Chris finished dinner at their home in Boston's Charlestown neighborhood.

Chris said he had picked up something for dessert. "It's on the kitchen counter," he said.

Chris knows well Megan's fondness for carrot cake. He bought one at the bakery, then used a tube of green icing to write a message on top. The writing was harder than he thought it would be - he hoped she could read it.

"I put the light on, and thought, 'Oh, cool! He got cake!'" Megan said. She had no problem reading, "Will you marry me?"

Tears welling in her eyes, Megan spun around, and Chris was on one knee with a ring.

"She said yes, and it was one of the best moments of my life," Chris said.

Only after eating cake did they call moms and dads and siblings.

Chris, who for the last two years has been a dog trainer with The Dog Scoop, and Megan, now house counsel for mobile advertising company Jumptap, were married before 155 guests in a ceremony with a full Catholic Mass.

Megan loves monograms. "We used our monogram everywhere we could fit it: the cake, the invitations and other stationery, the dance floor," she said.

Instead of a bouquet, Megan carried a missal decorated with flowers and ribbon. Her mom and grandmother carried the same prayer book on their wedding days.

"All through the planning, the main thing I wanted was a band," Chris said. They chose one with nine members and lots of energy. "They had a wide range: blues, rock and roll, hip-hop. And no country, which was great," Chris said.

The couple's first dance was to The Avett Brothers' "January Wedding." Chris accepted that a recorded version would be used, but band Imagine learned the song, aced it, and even played the banjo part, he said.

The cocktail hour's theme: Philadelphia meets Boston. Drinks included The Boston Tea Party - a take on a Long Island Iced Tea - and Liberty Bellinis. One appetizer station featured cheesesteak spring rolls.

"It was the first time I saw my dad actually dance," said Chris. "He was pretty good!"

Msgr. Chieffo had asked Megan and Chris to write love letters to each other, which he read during the homily. Megan told Chris that planning for a wedding was sometimes difficult, but planning for their marriage was pure joy. Chris wrote that being with Megan makes him feel the most confident and safest, and like he's at his best.

"It was so beautiful when he read them, and everyone got to hear exactly what we thought about each other," Megan said.

Neither Megan nor Chris dances much, and both have a touch of stage fright, so the first dance was a big deal. "We had taken some lessons to learn the basics," Chris said. "We did not want to look like fools." As soon as it was over, "We gave each other a high-five and a big hug," Chris said. "We did it. We did it together. And I felt like I could do anything with her."

A bargain: Megan read that flowers are generally 15 percent of a wedding budget, but she whittled hers down to 2 percent. She, the bridal party and the couple's moms got flowers. The tables got tall, silver branches with white lights, assembled by the bride and her parents.

The splurge: A large, white dance floor, which required an additional vendor and cost $2,000.

A three-night, midweek mini-moon at Disney World, where there were no lines at the Rock 'n Roller Coaster or Fantasyland. It is to be followed by a trip to Buenos Aires later this year.

Officiant

Rev. Monsignor Ralph J. Chieffo of Saint Mary Magdalen, Media

Venues

Old Saint Mary's Church and Four Seasons Philadelphia, both in Philadelphia.

Food

Four Seasons, Philadelphia

Music

Ceremony vocalists: Jeremy Hammer, West Chester; Meghan McKeown, Newtown Square.

Reception: EBE Events & Entertainment's Imagine, Philadelphia

Photography

Amy Tucker Photography, Kennett Square

Videography

CinemaCake, Wayne

Flowers

Valley Forge Flowers, Wayne

Dress

Stephan Jolie for Bijou Bridal and Special Occasion, Ardmore. Veil: Harper Della-Piana, Seams Couture, Wenham, Mass.

Invitations

The Paperia, Ardmore