Inside Soccer Star Casey Murphy’s Philadelphia Wedding

Casey and Chris tied the knot on December 15, 2023, at the Crystal Tea Room in Philadelphia.

Their Story

This is a tale of two Scarlet Knight sweethearts turned pro athletes. Casey Murphy, 28, of Bridgewater, and Christopher Mirabelli, 27, of Lumberton, met while they were students at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Chris was competing for a chance to make the Team U.S.A. Olympic roster as a javelin thrower. Casey, now a goalkeeper for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, was with the Under-20 World Cup Team at the time.

They were talking at a party when Chris challenged Casey to a competition. “He was like, ‘I bet I can score four penalties on you out of 10,’” Casey recalls Chris saying, “and I was like ‘There’s no way you’re going to do that.’” Ever competitive, Casey agreed to the matchup.

“The next day, we met at the field…the loser had to take the other one out for dinner. I ended up winning, and we went to this sushi place on campus.” Rutgers holds a special place in their hearts. “We both had really good experiences at Rutgers,” says Casey. “We talk about giving back when we’re older because they gave us so much.”

Active Lifestyles

Being on the U.S. Women’s Team means Casey travels often. Last summer, Chris went to New Zealand to support Casey during the World Cup. Recently, the pair started the Casey Murphy Goalkeeping Academy. They run camps for youth players around the country.

The couple just bought a home in Raleigh, North Carolina. Every holiday season, they head to New Jersey to spend time with their families.

The Proposal

Initially, Chris planned to pop the question on the field at Red Bull Arena in Harrison after one of Casey’s matches.

A few weeks before the planned proposal, Casey happened to tell Chris that she didn’t want a proposal that was public or had anything to do with soccer. Chris knew he had to come up with a new idea.

“I just don’t love being the center of attention,” explains Casey. “I play soccer in front of 50,000 people…but I guess when it’s not soccer related, I’m a little less comfortable.”

On September 26, 2021, the couple’s five-year dating anniversary, Chris took Casey to Natirar Park in Somerset County with his drone in tow. “As we’re flying the drone through the woods, he got down on one knee so he was able to capture the video of it,” says Casey. “It was just us and it was great.”

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Details of the Day

For their Center City, Philadelphia, wedding on December 15, 2023, Casey and Chris took some awesome shots in the middle of the street. “We did have to stop traffic, and people were very nice that day,” says Casey.

They got married at Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church before heading to the Crystal Tea Room, where their cocktail hour, reception and after-party took place.

“We embraced the wintry theme,” says Casey. Their color scheme consisted of whites, golds and greens, and the bridesmaids wore red wine-colored dresses. Their 180 guests went home with custom Christmas ornaments as the favors.

Special Moment

Casey and Chris focused on soaking in their reception. “We’re always on the move, traveling, not really home a lot,” says Casey.

“It was very special to be in the same room with all our favorite people, having friends from all the different teams over the years there, having all the family there—it was like one big reunion.”

Honeymoon

The Mirabellis spent five days in Antigua, embarking on excursions and exploring.

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