When she was about 22, Patrizia met Maurizio Gucci, heir to the Gucci fashion house, at a party in 1970.[5] Two years later, the couple married and moved to New York City.[2][6] Gucci's father, Rodolfo Gucci, initially did not approve of the marriage, as he believed Patrizia was "a social climber who had nothing in mind but money,” but he gifted his son and daughter-in-law with a luxury penthouse in New York's Olympic Tower.[7][8] Patrizia became active in New York social circles, making regular appearances at parties and fashion events and even became friends with Jackie Kennedy Onassis.[9][10] During her marriage, she gave birth to two daughters.