Twins get engaged just days apart
They didn’t plan to propose to their girlfriends within four days of each other — but the Thiele twins, William and James, of Jefferson Township, call it a form of accidental twin telepathy.
James Thiele, the younger twin by a few minutes or so, proposed to his girlfriend of about two years, Marella Carpenter, on Dec. 21. The slightly older twin, William Thiele, proposed on Christmas to his girlfriend, Katie Hartzell, using a gift he received from her the previous Christmas.
Both twins, who work at their family farm, Thiele Dairy Farm in Jefferson Township, emphasized that, no, they didn’t plan it this way.
“If you told me a month ago that you and your brother were going to propose within days of each other, I would have said, ‘No way,’” William Thiele said. “It just kind of happened that way.”
According to James Thiele, his proposal story began as any other trip he and Carpenter would have taken to the UPMC Rink at PPG Place in Pittsburgh each winter.
His planning started when he got a ring to propose with, and had been inspired at the rink the previous year.
“I got the ring and thought, 'How am I going to do this?' I thought that's a nice area to do it,” James said. “We've gone skating there three or four other times. I saw someone else do that exact same thing last year.”
He took Carpenter to the skating rink, where he proposed in front of the Christmas tree in the center. He said she seemed surprised at the proposal, and the two are happy to begin planning for a wedding.
“We're still in the planning stages, and this year is going to be a lot of fun,” James said. “She's been looking up venues, and we're just deciding whether or not to do it in a certain time or place.”
William Thiele’s proposal story began around Christmas 2023, when Hartzell gifted him a drone ornament, commemorating his recognition as the “Drone Guy” because of his penchant for flying drones. He told her parents his plans to propose on Christmas and used her gift to him to bring a gift back to her.
“On Christmas Day at night at her parents' house, we distracted her, I put the drone in the tree and the ring hanging off it like it was carrying it,” William said. “I said, ‘There's a gift for you in the tree.’ She looked at it, and the ring is hanging off the drone. I tried to make it unique.”
The answer from Hartzell was an easy “yes,” he said.
The brothers maintain that they did not have a ton of notice ahead of time that they each planned to pop the question around Christmas, but it makes sense in hindsight.
“My brother told me he was going to do it,” William said. “Obviously, before Christmas it's the perfect time to do something like that.”
The brothers maintain their family farm, which is a full-time job and more. Because of their dedication to the farm, James said each of their wedding plans will most likely be affected by their agricultural obligations.
“There’s certain times you don't want to leave because you have things to do in the field,” James said. “That’s a big part of the timing decision.”
