TOLEDO, Ohio — Patrick Richardson, 29, of Sylvania had been planning on proposing to Kylie Morgan, 26, of Sylvania since December.
Their first date was at the Toledo Museum of Art, and they have been attending Toledo Symphony concerts the entire time they've been together.
Patrick wanted something nice, classy and romantic, and since the Toledo Symphony and Peristyle are very special to the couple, a proposal on the Peristyle stage with a Toledo Symphony string quartet in the background seemed like just the ticket.
But then, the coronavirus pandemic hit the country, and the Toledo Symphony was forced to cancel all performances in March for the health and safety of patrons and employees.
This includes the March 13 performance entitled Love Songs, the performance where Patrick was going to ask Kylie to be his wife.
"When the Toledo Symphony cancelled the audience for the show, I wasn't sure if I would be able to propose to Kylie," Patrick said. "Then, my friend Zak called and talked me into keeping with the plan."
So in order to get them to the art museum that night, Patrick bought tickets to the Kusama Fireflies on the Water exhibit.
Once the couple got to the museum, Patrick suggested they go to the Peristyle to say hello to some friends.
Luckily, although the performance was closed to spectators, the Toledo Symphony was still playing to be livestreamed.
So the string quartet was on stage warming up when Patrick and Kylie walked in.
They asked the couple if they had ever been on the Peristyle stage and invited them up.
Then the quartet began playing their pre-planned music for the proposal, and Patrick got down on one knee and asked Kylie to marry him - and she said yes!
The newly-engaged couple then stayed for the whole symphony performance in a hall all to themselves.
“We always like seeing the Peristyle full when we come to concerts, but given the state of the world, it was a very special experience to get engaged and then have a private symphony concert,” said Patrick. “I’d like to express my gratitude toward everyone at the Toledo Symphony and Toledo Museum of Art who helped me pull this off. Of course, a big thank you to my fiancée Kylee for saying yes!”
Congratulations to the happy couple!
