Something Old, Something True: Couple's Love of Antiques Inspires Engagement at Frankfort Shop

FRANKFORT, IL — Patrick Manning didn't always "get" the mushy love stories that play out in Lifetime movies. But you'd never know this if you walked into The Rustic Barn during a moment that could have been scripted for one.

Manning, 29, with plans to propose to his girlfriend of a year Jen Kolak, on Tuesday lured her to the antique store, 11 S. White St. in downtown Frankfort, under the guise of retrieving a door prize from a raffle earlier in the week.

The two share a love of antiques and had visited the store on Sunday, on the hunt for a repurposed window frame-turned-picture-frame Kolak spotted on the store's Facebook page.

"Saw it, wanted it, found it, got it!" Kolak wrote on her Facebook page, in a photo proudly displaying her find.

While they were there, they entered a raffle then went on their way. Turns out timing was everything for that ticket draw, and this couple. The two had talked of engagement, with Kolak even picking her own ring. Manning had led her to believe he wouldn't be able to get that specific ring, but secretly purchased it on Monday.

Then store owner Carrie Mitcheff called Tuesday to tell him he had won a door prize and a plan began falling into place.

"I wasn't quite sure how I was going to propose, because she's very hard to surprise," Manning said.

Would Mitcheff be OK with him proposing at the store, just hours later, he asked her.

"Carrie was all over it," Manning said, laughing. The two brainstormed the specifics, and Manning made the call for Kolak to come to the store on her way home from work.

"When Pat walked in and asked me if he could propose to Jen in my store because their passion is antique shopping, it reminded me of why my husband (Josh) and I got into this business," Mitcheff said. "We also have a shared love for antiques. For me it was an honor to help him and witness it."

But the big moment almost didn't happen. Kolak was tired, resistant to stopping by the store, and wanted to "just meet him at home."

OK, plan B.

Mitcheff then called Kolak, fibbing that she had also won a door prize! Would she be able to come pick it up? Begrudgingly, a tired Kolak made her way from Willowbrook to Frankfort. As she sat down, she was handed a bag containing a bracelet as her prize and watched as Manning opened his.

He handed her a card. "Saw you, wanted you, found you, got to have you ... for the rest of my life."

Then he dropped to his knee and asked. Soon after she said yes, featured vendor Tim Smith of The Salvage Shop pressed play on a CD of the couple's favorite love songs.

"It was totally unexpected, I was completely caught off-guard and surprised," Kolak said.

Check out the proposal video.

'She Didn't Know What She Was Feeling'

The two first met as Manning was DJ'ing at Demma's, a bar in Oak Lawn owned by Kolak's aunt. They began chatting, and the feelings came as fast as their friendship.

"We both had feelings we didn't understand," Manning said, with Kolak feeling flushed, her stomach fluttering with butterflies. She even Googled the symptoms, Manning joked, only to learn that her only ailment was falling in love. It was unusual for them both, but particularly for Manning.

"I thought I'd be alone for my entire life," he said. "It's very common for me to be feel like I'm misinterpreted or misunderstood.

"But she gets me. From when I'm being humorous, or serious—the way we've always meshed, we really complement each other. She absolutely is my better half."

For Kolak, his unabashed profession of his feelings about her made her fall fast and hard.

"He's so genuinely sweet and caring, and he would do anything and everything to do best by me and make me happy," she said.

Mitcheff was nearby to film the romantic scene, with glasses of wine waiting to celebrate with the pair. Their mutual love of antiques is inspired by the history behind each item.

"I like the beauty of antique pieces," Kolak said. "Something that shows its age, and you always wonder the story behind it. ... If only pieces could talk."

Their appreciation of such items is what inspires Mitcheff to keep searching for unique pieces to offer in her store.

"It was a full circle moment and a happy reminder of why I love my job," she said. "I look forward to seeing them again and again and can't wait to see wedding pictures. They are definitely a real life romantic love story!"

Manning and Kolak are aiming for a September 2017 wedding.