We are saying I Do!

Matt and Camilla met the new old-fashioned way - through a dating app - in the winter of 2022. Through initial chatting, they found out they not only lived in the same apartment building, but also only a floor apart from each other! As they grew to know each other - going out on dates around Alexandria, VA and meeting each other's friends - their love grew as well. Luckily for Matt, meeting Camilla made him renew the lease for his apartment for the following year - the first time in 5 years. His nomad years were over! And coincidentally, Matt and Camilla's first date, December 6, 2022, was also Camilla's parent's 42nd wedding anniversary. Being able to cherish December 6th in two ways made their blooming relationship even more special.

Matt and Camilla knew since the early months of dating that they were the ones for each other. With talks of engagement, marriage, and overall life together discussed, it was easy to see it all. Part of these life plans included adopting a dog! On February 8, 2025, they adopted a sweet English Springer Spaniel and named him Goose. In March 2025, Camilla came up with the idea for Matt, Lorraine (Camilla’s sister), Goose, and herself to go on a quick getaway to Wintergreen Resort (near Charlottesville, VA) to escape the realities of work/life and enjoy the mountain air for a few days. Unbeknownst to Camilla, Matt had the engagement ring since January, and with this vacation set in motion, he had the perfect plan. He had let Camilla know that his best friends, Michael and Brienne, were going to be at the resort the same weekend as them, where it "slightly" made sense since Michael's parents have a condo there. Despite typically being more gullible than she want's to admit, Camilla's engagement radar signals were going off - but didn't want to assume anything. On March 29, the three of them and Goose set out to go to a mountain overlook that Matt and Camilla had been to previously, so that Lorraine can see it too. And of course, as we can all imagine, the moment that they got to the overlook and Lorraine was snapping pictures of Matt and Camilla, Matt got down on one knee with Camilla saying Yes (all the while, puppy Goose was chewing on a stick). Unbeknownst to Lorraine, she did not know Matt was proposing, and had to switch into full photographer mode (which kudos to her, the photos came out beautifully). Matt and Camilla spent their engagement day bopping around Wintergreen with Lorraine, Michael, Brienne, and Goose - some of the most important people (and animal) in their lives - which they treasure to this day.

As a couple, they have taken countless trips together including New England, Upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Eastern Shore, Midwestern States (shout out to Oklahoma, Matt's birthplace) and even internationally, driving through Canada. For some of these trips, they have had the honor of travelling to and for friend's weddings, and as a perk, love perfecting their Mr. Brightside sing-along abilities on the dance floor whenever they get a chance. Through the years, Matt and Camilla have enjoyed exploring interests such as camping, cooking, and art, where their combined skills in and out of the kitchen means neither of them goes hungry. In almost any city they travel to, they must check out an art museum, mostly so that Matt can investigate their Renaissance collection and judge it for its quality (his one Italian vacation has really stuck with him). Since September 2024, Matt and Camilla have had a lot of firsts: moving to Richmond, VA, adopting Goose, and getting engaged. They love their little life together, especially now with Goose, and are excited for plenty of more firsts, including getting married.