Sharpsburg couple gets engaged during Blawnox holiday celebration

Taylor Klutch wanted to make a holiday moment his girlfriend, Christa Coban, would never forget.

Klutch, 32, called on Coban’s mom, Blawnox Councilwoman Katie Coban, and Santa for some Christmas magic.

They collaborated with other borough officials to create an opportunity for Klutch to pop the question during Blawnox’s Night of Lights on Dec. 3.

Klutch suggested Christa Coban, 31, get a photo with Santa. When she went to meet St. Nick and turned around, Taylor was on one knee.

“My initial reaction was, ‘Are you for real?’ ” Christa Coban said. “It was shock and excitement. … It was just a nice hometown proposal. I couldn’t ask for a better way of doing it.”

Katie Coban said she was so excited for her daughter to have her special moment in her hometown.

“The night was so nice,” she said. “Once we were able to get our family together, it was really just a waiting game for Santa to arrive by firetruck. The best part was seeing the children’s reaction to Santa, but wondering what these adults were up too. The adult audience was so happy for them since they watched her grow up since 1991 in Blawnox.”

Klutch said he knew better than to make the moment cliche.

“It was a magical thing,” the groom-to-be said. “It felt very special at that time when I was proposing. Felt like a celebrity with cameras in your face from every which way. There wasn’t that many people, but it was a big group (for us).”

The magic moment, and the relationship itself, likely would not have happened without technology and covid. They met via the dating app Tinder. Both said they were surprised to find love online and during a pandemic.

“She took a chance,” Klutch said. “Dating online is not easy…. We have a lot of common. We both worked for the same company (Giant Eagle). We had mutual interests in regards to what we like to do outside of work.

”The pandemic sped things up a little bit. We both were not dating for a while, so we we’re ready. We both had the same mindset.”

The Sharpsburg couple courted for a little more than a year.

Christa Coban, a 2009 Fox Chapel Area High School grad, grew up in Blawnox. Klutch is from Easton in Northampton County and moved to the South Hills area to be closer to family. He then moved to Sharpsburg to be closer to Coban.

“We started dating in September 2021 and had our first date at a brewery and shared our love for craft beer,” said Christa Coban. “It was such a great first date and was so refreshing. We laughed and I felt like I’d known him my whole life.

“After a few months of dating and spending many days together, we decided to move into together and combine our fur children, which consists of three cats; Tigger, Lilly, and Violet; and our Chihuahua, Daisy. The animals became fast friends making the transition very easy.”

Dating apps provide a modern way of meeting people, she said.

“I never even dreamed possible to find someone to spend the rest of my life with (through) an app. So, my advice to anyone who is looking for there forever person it can be found on a dating app, we are proof.”

The couple plan to build a family and home together either in Sharpsburg or somewhere else in the Fox Chapel Area School District. They have not set a wedding date.