How did you meet?
Oh boy, where to even begin. Emily & Matt grew up in the same neighborhood, just one street away from each other. In early high school, Matt reached out to Emily, and a summertime childhood fling began. What more could a 15-year-old girl want? Dating the super cute, tan, lifeguard boy that basically lived next door seemed pretty cool. Little did she know, this romance would only last until school began that fall. Even though she was heartbroken, she had to play it “cool.” She could not let him know that he had hurt her even though she was singing her heart out to Taylor Swift. They had a few friendly encounters throughout their high school years, as they had mutual friends. Matt continued to have a crush on Emily but thought she “hated” him from years prior so he didn’t stand a chance.
Fast forward six years since the last time they had seen each other. They were temporarily back at their parent’s house as they had both just graduated college. She was on walk with her mom and new puppy, Leo, as they walked by his house. He just happened to be outside cooking on the grill. He looked up and said, “Emily? Hey! It’s been so long!” As they walked away she said to her mom,”Wow, he looks so handsome and grown up now.” Later that night, he used his dog as bait and said, “We should let the dogs play sometime!”
Two days later, Leo, Emily’s new puppy made his grand entrance by quite literally doing a cannon ball into his pool. They stayed up until 2 AM that night reconnecting and talking about future plans, dreams, and places they wanted to travel. They both knew, this was it. They finally understood the saying,” When you know, you know.”
The universe is a wild place. They were truly meant to be together; they just had a little bit more maturing to do before God really wanted them to tackle this thing called life together.
When did you become engaged, and how?
We got engaged March 2023 at our annual couple photos we took every year since we started dating. That year Lance planned it and we went to a State Park in Grand Forks, ND. Before he had popped the question, I almost made him cut the photos early because my boots got soaked and I thought I was going to get frostbite. To convince me to stay longer, and so he could propose, he switched his wool socks for my kiss lips socks! Shortly after being proposed to, we were walking uphill and I fell in a snow bank which covered my entire left side of my body, and we thought I lost the ring. So our engagement was beautifully chaotic!
#WeddingGoals
We knew we just wanted to have fun, and really just focus on our love for one another! We tried to not set expectations.
How did planning go? Favorite time? Worst moment?
Favorite part – Late nights dancing the in the kitchen with our first dance song blaring in the background. Also, writing letters to each guest. We spent weeks doing this and hours each night! It was great quality time with one another as well.
Worst part – Realizing we upset people by doing what was best for us as a couple. This was definitely the toughest part because there are so many emotions involved with weddings. At the end of the day, you just have to do what is right for you and your soon to be spouse and your loved ones will understand!
How would you describe the ceremony? Was there anything specific that made it unique to you as a couple?
Emily: My brother married us!! He is also one of our best friends. It was so awesome to have such a close person to us to marry us. The ceremony was super personal and we will remember it forever. We also did not read our vows before hand, and when we read them for the first time during the ceremony it was insane how closely they aligned.
Any memorable moments from your reception?
We had individualized notes on each person’s plate for dinner. That is how they found their seat. It was so fun seeing everyone’s reactions. Matt (the groom) did the worm! and then Melissa (bridesmaid) followed it up with the worm as well! It was such a hilarious moment that got the entire dance floor cheering. Our entire reception was SO much fun. I don’t think there was one person who did not dance!
Any funny or unexpected wedding moments that happened throughout the day?
1. A chipmunk ran into the house the morning of and one of the guys caught it and took a picture holding it!
2. The groom giving a “speech” at the very end of the night. I think it was around 1 am and someone captured a picture of this. There he is, shirt unbuttoned, giving a random speech on the dance floor and the bride is in the middle of the floor staring at him with a huge smile and clapping while NO ONE ELSE is paying attention. It is the best picture to look back on. We laugh every single time.
3. Our original food vendor (NOT the one we ended up using) actually cancelled on us the night before the wedding at around 9 pm. It was something you only see in the movies. 50 guests coming and the chef cancels. Lindsay saved the day by finding Chihuahua’s and having them cater the next day, and the food was amazing! I will never forget that sense of panic that set in after that phone call. With the tears came laughs. Matthew and I sat in our room that night actually laughing about the situation. That is all that we could do. In that moment we both knew, we could get through anything together.
Any Special Dances?
My grandmother was my best friend/second mom growing up and she passed away before our wedding–I never imagined my wedding day without her there. I knew I needed to dedicate something special to her. Leading up to the wedding, I kept picturing what she would be doing in heaven–I knew she would be there in spirit and dancing with her angels. So I surprised my grandpa with a special dance to “Dancing with the Angels” by Monk & Neagle. It was such a special moment that I’ll never forget. Matthew’s parents’ 32nd anniversary was also coming up, so we wanted to honor their love and marriage. We had them dance to their first dance song, “After All” by Cher & Peter Cetera–talk about a full-circle, wonderful moment.
Special Songs:
First Dance: “Just Like Old Times” by Jon Pardi — We didn’t take formal lessons; We taught ourselves many late nights in the kitchen…Matthew actually came up with most of it!
Father/Daughter Dance: “My Little Girl” by Tim McGraw
Father/Son Dance: “Her Little Man” by Jami Grooms
Bride/Grandfather Dance: “Dancing with the Angels” by Monk & Neagle
Cake Cutting Song: “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” by ABBA
What was the best part of your day – from each spouse’s perspective, please?
Emily: Honestly everything about the day was so amazing to me. I think if I had focused on wanting a “perfect” wedding I could have been upset very quickly. Our chef canceled the night before, it was 49 degrees and freezing in the middle of AUGUST in Lake Tahoe, and none of the decor would stay up on the tables because of the wind. However, I tried to focus on the fact that I was marrying the best man to exist surrounded by the BEST support system including friends and family in an absolutely stunning place. It shifted my mindset from dwelling on the things I could not control/change to feeling like I was living a fairy tale. The ceremony was so wholesome and special to me that it was my favorite part of the day.Watching Matthew become so vulnerable and emotional really made me feel his love for me that much deeper.
Matthew: My favorite part of the wedding day began when I first laid eyes on my beautiful soon to be wife as she was walking down the stairs to the altar. As I was trying to hold it together I was overcome with emotion at that moment and could not hold it in any longer. The night just continued to get better from there. Our first dance was one of the most special moments of the night–getting to have the dance floor with “just us”, as everyone watched. I am not the most comfortable person in the world when it comes to doing things like that in front of a crowd, however in that moment I was the most comfortable I could have been due to dancing with my wife and only focusing on her in that moment. The dancing during the reception was also a highlight of the night as no one left the dance floor until after 1am thanks to our amazing DJ being willing to stay and continue partying with us. There were a lot of great moments and fun had during those hours of dancing with all of our closest friends and family.
What was your favorite detail from your wedding day?
The white wildflowers and bridesmaids’ Cosmos bouquets! It was so pretty on the tables having the wild flowers with the gold accents. The gold really made it feel very classy.
#VendorRaves
We could not have gotten any luckier with our vendors. We did not realize how important this was before. Looking back, we would have had a totally different experience with other vendors. We hit the jackpot with them! We still stay in touch with our photographers, Emma & Lindsay. They will be our lifelong friends–they are so talented!
Anything else?
Bridesmaids’ Makeup: All of the girls did their own makeup. It was one of the best choices we made! It was so much fun, all of the girls scattered around the room getting ready together and sharing each others products. Everyone helped each other if they needed it. It felt like old times after a sleepover and everyone getting ready together.
Transportation: We used Uber codes. We prepaid and everyone got a code they could use that would be covered and take them right to the venue and also back at the end of the night.
Advice from the couple:
Try not to get so caught up in “trends” and having to have the best of the best. I know it can be very hard with social media but in the end, no one remembers the tiny details. They (including the bride and groom) WILL remember the feelings and how the day felt. That is so so important. Make your day about YOU. It is YOUR love everyone is celebrating. Another piece of advice is to not go over your budget to where you feel uncomfortable.
