This Valentine's Day, the Office of University Advancement sends you our thanks and appreciation for being part of such a warm and welcoming OCU community. May our deep fondness for this small and mighty liberal arts university continue to unite us. Enjoy this love story, and thank you for all you do for OCU!
By Brooklyn Brumley
Mass Communications Freshman
It's no surprise that passions for music and the stage brought together two Oklahoma City University vocal performance majors.
Madilynn Stelzer met Rafe McConnell when she was a sophomore and he was a junior working on an OCU OPERAtions show.
“The opera was ‘Dido and Aeneas’ by Purcell, I was the stage manager and he was directing,” said Madilynn, now a senior. “Rafe and I hung out a few times, and I was impressed by how driven and motivated he was and how much we had in common.”
The two began hanging out more and more. And once they knew they were meant for each other, they wasted no time.
“We spent one Saturday night at Hurts Donuts talking until 3 a.m., and we went out a week later,” Madilynn said. “Around two weeks into our relationship, both of us knew we would be married in the next few years.”
The two ended up managing OCU OPERAtions for two years and put on five productions together before Rafe graduated.
“Five months later, we went on a trip with his family to Seattle, where he proposed at the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum. Chihuly is one of my favorite artists; we had seen several of his exhibits together, including the one at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.”
In December, the couple tied the knot in a sweet and simple ceremony at Nichols Hills United Methodist Church before heading to the OCU Devon Boathouse for their reception.
“Rafe's father was our officiant, and we had one attendant each: my sister as maid of honor and his brother as best man.”
The two met through music, and their big day was filled with just that.
“We each sang a song for each other during the ceremony,” Madilynn said. “Rafe sang ‘One Hand, One Heart’ from ‘West Side Story’ because that's what his dad sang to his mom at their wedding. I sang ‘Oklahoma Sky’ by Miranda Lambert because even though we’re both from North Texas, Oklahoma will always be special to us.”
