Celebrating the Holy Matrimony of

Matthew and Ashlyn initially met online in a forum about their faith. After talking for a while, they discovered they only lived two hours away -- Ashlyn in Michigan, and Matthew in Chicago. They met on February 2nd, 2024, when Ashlyn took a Greyhound bus to Chicago. After that, there weren't many weekends where Ashlyn wasn't buying a bus ticket to go see Matthew again. The two began officially dating on March 28th, 2024. Their relationship is largely centered around their faith, especially St. Therese of Lisieux, "the little flower". Because of this, Matthew knew the perfect day to propose to Ashlyn was on the feast of St. Therese, October 1st. The night of September 30th, Matthew walked 15 miles, scattering around 3,000 rose petals around St. Mary's and St. Joseph's Lake of the University of Notre Dame. A legend says that if a couple holds hands and walks around these lakes together, they are destined for marriage. At the midpoint around St. Joseph's lake, Matthew took her to the top of a hill with a beautiful view. Matthew had placed a statue of St. Therese, a dozen roses, a speaker, and many rose petals there. The song 'I Got You Babe', Matthew and Ashlyn's song, began playing. Ashlyn had been carrying a fake rose given to her by Matthew; little did she know, this rose had been carrying her ring the whole time. Matthew opened the rose to reveal the ring and proposed to Ashlyn. As you would guess, she said yes! Unbeknownst to them, seminarians had been watching from the nearby seminary and applauded for them out of their window. It was perfect! We're so excited to have you join us to celebrate the day we begin this journey together!