You can hurry love: Four couples share their speedy love stories

Feb. 12—In life and love, the length of a couple's engagement holds no hard and fast rules.

The average engagement length for U.S. couples is 16 months, according to a study presented by the Knot in 2021, an increase in duration from 14 months in 2019.

Retired co-pastors Lisa and Gary Lyon have officiated countless weddings and said that, for them, lengthier engagements have been the norm, but one whirlwind wedding stood out.

A woman in her 70s called the Rev. Gary Lyon, eager to marry quickly. She had met someone, and they were both widowed.

Although the Lyons typically meet with engaged couples for premarital conversations, this situation didn't apply.

"She was giggling like a third grader, which was pretty strange for a 75-plus-year-old woman, but she was in love. I told them there was nothing I could tell them that they didn't already know, and, six days later, they walked through the doors and were married," Lyon said.

Meet four local couples who got hitched in a hurry.

Met and married in less than a month

Jaime and Patrick McCarthy of Greensburg made short order on a long-term commitment.

The couple married after being together 21 days.

"We had both just gotten out of long-term relationships, but there was just a click, and it was one of those things," Jaime said.

The couple met at a bar/eatery on Sept. 17, 2008, coincidentally the wedding anniversary date of Jaime's parents, through a mutual friend.

"My friend walked in with her brother, Patrick — I never even knew she had brothers. I was thinking, 'He has a great smile and great butt,' " Jaime said.

After about two weeks of dating, Patrick proposed sans ring, while sitting in Jaime's car.

"It was the worst proposal I've heard in my life," Jamie recalled. "He said, 'How would you like to be my date for my wedding in about a year?' "

After Jaime accepted his proposal, she suggested they ramp up the nuptial timeline because Patrick's mother had a terminal illness.

The couple were married Oct. 8, 2008, by a magistrate in West Newton — just shy of a month after meeting.

The couple borrowed Jaime's parents' wedding rings (they were separated and not using them) for the wedding ceremony.

On a budget, the couple put two rings on layaway at Walmart.

"The magistrate said he loved starting the day with a wedding because it puts him in a good mood," Jaime said. "But I heard handcuffs clanging during our ceremony."

Fourteen years later, the couple are co-parenting their 13-year-old son.

Patrick pondered some of the reasons he feels their marriage thrives.

"Two words: 'Yes dear.' And, more importantly, learning to compromise. Selfishness leads to divorce," Patrick said.

Summer fling ends with a ring

Ricki McKissock and Scott Page met on June 21, 2011, during their respective stints as maid of honor and best man during a friend's wedding in Tacoma, Wash.

Was it love at first sight?

"Definitely not," Scott said. "When we met, we were immediately attracted to one another, but neither of us was each other's type. We had both built up walls and created these confident dating personas to protect our hearts."

But the sparks began to fly as the couple shared bridal party duties over a three-day weekend.

"It took me three days to realize that our relationship and our bond was love and one of a kind," Scott said.

Scott was serving in the Army and Ricki was working as a producer in Los Angeles when their paths crossed.

"We spent the next three days talking and spending lots of time together," Ricki said.

On day three, Scott revealed his feelings to Ricki.

"He told me he was in love with me," Ricki said.

They continued their long-distance relationship, but Scott was concerned that their blossoming love might be just a summer fling.

"There was traveling on both ends. I actually went to L.A. in July, and we had a week together. I proposed to her then," Scott said. "It was a really crappy proposal, initially."

On July 12, Scott jokingly offered Ricki a ring made from a Maraschino cherry stem.

The next day, he officially proposed, offering Ricki a large diamond engagement ring while on bended knee, outside of a Burger King in downtown Los Angeles.

Geographic challenges contributed to their hasty nuptials, the couple said.

The couple married Sept. 3, 2011, during a small, outdoor ceremony under sunny skies at the Bremerton Ferry Terminal in Washington state with a handful of friends and family in attendance.

"My mom flew out for the wedding, and she was really supportive," Ricki said.

The couple, now married 11 years, have two young children and a cat named Anubis.

"The cat came with Scott. The cat's the boss," Ricki said.

The couple credit their compatibility to the classic "opposites attract" theme.

"For me, we're still getting to know each other and growing together. We're so opposite but so similar, and that's why it works for us," Scott said.

For Ricki, trusting her instinct was crucial.

"If you feel it in your gut that you're meant to be together, then go for it. Having a best friend and being committed to figuring things out together and working together as a team is the main goal."

Nuptial ninjas

Erin and D.J. Pellegrini of Freeport met while working together at a former Boscov's department store in Monroeville.

"We stayed friends, and, because Boscov's closed suddenly, we did a reunion for former employees," said Erin, who had relocated to Virginia after the closure.

"We were both divorced and starting over."

The snowstorm in February 2010 forced Erin to stay in Pittsburgh longer because conditions made travel impossible for a few days.

"D.J. offered for me to stay at his house, and we've been together ever since," Erin said.

The couple got engaged in October 2010 after a whirlwind, eight-month courtship in Harrison Hills Park while Erin had a mouth full of Doritos.

"I was waiting for the awkward moment," D.J. said.

They started to "plan big" for a traditional wedding and booked Hartwood Acres as the venue.

"I just didn't want the big shindig wedding anymore," Erin said. "The hubs and I hopped on a plane to Vegas on Nov. 24 and got married at the Little White Chapel."

They estimate their total wedding cost — with airfare — at about $600.

"We knew we wanted to get married quickly, and we wanted to get married in a fun way. Only D.J.'s mom knew about it," Erin said.

D.J. said eloping was a bit of an adventure.

"It was the craziest week of all time. We flew out that day and stayed one night — less than 24 hours," D.J. said. "You have to do what makes you happy. At the end of the day, that's really all that matters. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith."

Approaching their 12th anniversary, the couple are raising their blended family of three children, ages 15, 17 and 18.

"We're still going strong," Erin said.

Permanent vacation

Justin Borkowski of Marianna, Washington County, was set on remaining single after being divorced for six years.

"I had my mind 100% made up I would never even want a serious girlfriend again," Justin recalled. "I just felt that being alone was the way I could adventure and experience the most in life.

"Also, the risk of heartbreak is low walking the lone road."

But his marital status would soon change after meeting Andrea Valega Amezaga on the dating app Bumble while she was vacationing in Pittsburgh in October 2018.

Their first date was at Phipps Conservatory, and they felt like they had known each other for multiple lifetimes.

"I just couldn't let her go. I knew what I'd found. She was someone that the adventure was better together than alone," Justin said.

Andrea's flight back to Peru was booked for February 2019 — but the 32-year-old didn't take the flight home. Justin met with an immigration attorney to facilitate their plans.

He proposed to Andrea with a ring, on bended knee, on Christmas Eve that same year.

They married in a traditional ceremony complete with a large reception on Jan. 5, 2019.

The couple have three cats.

Joyce Hanz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joyce by email at jhanz@triblive.com or via Twitter .