It was Erin who first spotted Phillip moments before the GORUCK challenge in New York City was about to begin. She walked over to Phillip and introduced herself. The rest is history! After several months of dating, Phillip, who is in the Marine Corps, came home to visit his family in Westport for a weekend. Both families and their friends were there when Phillip, attired in his blue uniform, got down on one knee and asked for Erin’s hand in marriage.
Minister and Westport resident Richard B. Benson officiated at the ceremony at the Union Baptist Church in Mystic, Connecticut. As the couple departed from the church, they stood beneath an arch of swords held by the groom’s Marine Corps friends. The reception followed in the River Room at Latitude 41° in Mystic Seaport.
Phillip, the son of Joanne and Peter Topalian of Westport, is a Second Lieutenant. He graduated from Fairfield Preparatory School and earned his master’s in criminal justice from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
The bride is the daughter of Claudia and Patrick Gallogly of West Greenwich, Rhode Island. Erin is a civil engineer for InSite Engineering in Massachusetts. She received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Rhode Island.
The couple plans to reside in Pensacola, Florida, where Phillip will train for his aviator wings and Erin will complete a nursing degree.