After seven long years of waiting, hoping, and praying, it finally happened – the YAGermeister got married!
Colleen Eldracher (Ohio) met Patrick Klabenes (Nebraska) at the 2022 YAG and was definitely interested, but neither reached out to the other afterwards, so they both assumed it was a dud. But when Patrick returned for the 2023 YAG, a late-night airport pickup he volunteered for gave her a good reason to text him, making it seem less awkward to ask him to text her once he and his brothers and cousins got home after their long drive back.
Patrick did, and soon they were talking on the phone almost daily. Their first date followed three weeks later, in Cleveland, since Patrick is an over-the-road truck driver. They talked for 10 hours straight, and Colleen consequently lost her voice on Monday at work. They had a second “surprise” date that Wednesday, with Colleen having to whisper the whole time, and after that it was pretty obvious that things were going VERY well.
They managed to get up to Michigan for Patrick to meet the Eldrachers in late August for a nephew’s baptism, and then Colleen flew out to Nebraska over Labor Day weekend to meet the extended Klabenes clan – not as intimidating as it sounds, since she has 65+ first cousins of her own!
Patrick officially proposed on September 30th, 2023, and due to a number of upcoming family events and looming winter weather, they settled on a wedding date of November 11, 2023 – at 11 o’clock in the morning, of course! Then followed a busy few weeks of wedding prep and planning – after making or helping with dresses for approximately a dozen brides, Colleen was FINALLY able to make her own dress, just the way she wanted it.
The wedding was held at the bride’s original home parish of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Fraser, Michigan, with a large number of family and friends from both sides in attendance. The Most Reverend Donald J. Sanborn preached the sermon.
The couple resides in O’Neill, Nebraska, and are happy to announce that they are expecting their first child in September of 2024!
More pictures to follow!
