A Very Philly Proposal at Johnny Brenda’s

Kate McCann and Matteo Petrera at Johnny Brenda’s / Engagement photograph by Kelly Giarrocco

Music frequently plays a part in the stories we share at Philadelphia Wedding. Sometimes a couple has the same favorite song or loves live music, and they work their shared passion into their festivities — from the proposal to the Big Day. For this couple, attending concerts together is at the root of their relationship, so it’s only natural that the big moment would happen after a live show. Read more below.

The couple: Kate McCann, a realtor with Philly Home Girls, and Matteo Petrera, a physician at Jefferson Health, both of Queen Village

How they met: It was August 2019, and Kate was at a coffee shop — snooping at the man (Matteo) next to her. He was on his laptop, applying for a press pass to a concert. Kate, a former concert and wedding photographer (she attended Temple for photojournalism and shifted to real estate a few years ago), was naturally curious. “We chatted about photographing shows, and I assumed he was a full-time creative,” she says. “But then he told me he was in med school — a world I wasn’t familiar with at all!” Despite their career differences, the duo bonded over music and concerts. The first time they officially hung out was during a concert at Union Transfer.

A coincidental discovery: In spring 2020 — during the pandemic — Matteo was reminiscing about a time when he could still see live music. He showed Kate a photo of him standing in the crowd at a 2015 War on Drugs show at the Tower Theatre. They went down an online wormhole (what else did you do during the pandemic?) and realized that Kate had snapped the photo of him four years before they met, while shooting the concert for WXPN. “So concerts and especially the War on Drugs have always felt very special to us,” says Kate.

The proposal story: Kate and Matteo dated for a little over three years before Matteo popped the question. He planned to do it at Johnny Brenda’s on December 19th — Kate’s birthday, no less — during a War on Drugs benefit show. “I kept thinking through places in Philadelphia that were special to us, but it all kept coming back to music,” he says. He got the tickets, told his closest friends, his and Kate’s parents, and his younger brothers. And despite his nerves, the magic of the concert wasn’t lost on him: “The show itself was unbelievable: Johnny Brenda’s has pretty much been the mecca of live music for me since I’ve lived here, and to see the group in such a small space was once in a lifetime.” Matteo proposed directly after the show, under the JB’s sign.

Kate’s reaction: While she knew they were getting engaged at some point — they had gone ring shopping together — she didn’t know when. So when it happened, she was a bit overwhelmed. “I never knew how I’d react, but ugly sobbing in the street wasn’t quite what I anticipated. Matteo still says I was crying so much that I didn’t say yes for what felt like minutes. It was a really sweet and lovely moment that felt so right happening in such a Philly way.”

Matteo’s reaction: “Her reaction didn’t surprise me at all,” he admits. “It was an amazing moment, and we gave each other a huge hug under the iconic sign’s fluorescence. It was a night that we’ll never forget.”

The post-proposal fun: After the crying had stopped, they went back inside to party with a round of prosecco. And, later, they took their engagement photos at (where else?) Johnny Brenda’s.

Engagement photograph by Kelly Giarrocco

The wedding plans: The couple will say “I do” in June in the Catskills, where Kate owns a cabin with friends. “We spend a lot of time upstate with each other and with friends running around the woods and making fires and eating snacks together,” she says. Kate and Matteo plan to get married at a small venue nearby. “We hope it will be a rowdy time being in the mountains with our people and each other.”

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