When Mark thinks of the River Cats game he took Lyndsay to for their first date, shared laughter, ice cold brews, and an instant connection with the new Mrs. Matus all come to mind. “We had such a great time [talking] in the car [on the way] there, and she won me over buying us Coors Lights,” he shares. “That night when I dropped her off at her house, I walked her to the door, said goodnight, and we shared our first of many kisses.”
Like many modern love affairs, theirs began with a wink on Match.com, but they took a decidedly old school approach to getting better acquainted. “Mark and I got to know each other really well fast through a book of questions,” Lyndsay explains. “We used to email each other back and forth at work, and I would ask him a question from the book each day.”
The topic of marriage arose throughout their nine-month relationship, but Mark still managed to take Lyndsay’s breath away in 2011 with a whimsical proposal on Easter, her favorite holiday. They had planned to exchange Easter baskets at 7 a.m. that day, but Mark, ever the early bird, rang Lyndsay’s doorbell at 6:55 a.m. sharp. “When I opened the front door, there was a basket with one plastic egg,” she says. “Mark had a whole path of plastic eggs leading into my backyard. When I got to my yard [he] was standing there with bunny ears.”
As she opened the final egg, Lyndsay was stunned to find a Jonathan K. & Co. sparkler. “It was the most perfect proposal I could have ever imagined,” she says. “A few people were surprised that he did it on Easter, but Mark really does know me best.”
Despite a few planning-related bumps in the road, both bride and groom say that they loved the year of preparation leading up to their June nuptials. “Lyndsay did all of the planning, and I know there were times when she was pretty stressed, but she did an amazing job!” Mark says.
Their special day began with a traditional Catholic ceremony at Sacramento’s Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. Following a family-filled vow exchange, guests were shuttled to the California Automobile Museum where rich purple accents, Champagne bottle place cards and delicacies by Hannibal’s Catering awaited. The couple made a memorable entrance in a 1958 Chevy Impala convertible, while a Zebra Club-furnished open bar, a photo booth and Jelly Belly-filled shot glass favors rounded out the festive atmosphere. “I wanted our guests to have fun, let loose and party,” Lyndsay says of the reception. “Everyone seemed to be having a blast. Zebra Club even told us we set a new record for shots served at a wedding.”
The happy couple takes pride in having achieved their “fun, modern, chic” theme, but both bride and groom feel that their ceremony was the day’s highlight. “I couldn’t stop smiling,” Lyndsay says. “Sitting up at the altar looking down at all my close friends and family was amazing.”
