We're "do"ing it!

City girl walks into a mountain town coffee shop and meets a charming barista. If you've read enough romance novels, you know how this ends, it just took a few years to get there! Juliet started traveling to Whitefish from Los Angeles in 2015 for work. There was Montana Coffee Traders, and behind the counter, there was Matthew. A Whitefish local since 2006, he was deep in building a career in coffee. She was doing graphic design for a lingerie company that serendipitously would eventually become a café. Their paths continued to cross over the following years with small talk, and big eye contact. Then came the night Juliet found out Matthew had another life entirely. Off the espresso machine, he played bass in the New Wave Time Trippers, an amazing 80s cover band. She went to see him play, expecting maybe a fun night out. What she got was Matthew on stage, fully in his element, and sparks flying. But timing, as it often does, had other plans. Life kept them circling the same orbit, but never quite landing. Then 2020 happened. Juliet packed up her car with possessions and cats to escape pandemic-paralyzed LA ~ Big Sky bound. With a more permanent move came the kind of chance encounters that no longer felt like chance. They ran into each other again. They went on a few dates that had bad timing. And then, finally, the timing was right. Reuniting at a Mardi Gras birthday party led to a 1920s-themed prom date, and it hasn’t stopped since! The relationship grew through song lyrics, sunrises, and travel plans. It started with Seattle to catch three concerts in one weekend. Then came river rafting, breathtaking hikes, dance parties, road trips, camping, stargazing, staying up all night to watch the aurora borealis dance overhead ~ the kind of magical moments that all add up to make a person sure of what they have found. Eventually, they moved in together and merged households, which meant a dog and three cats, including, notably, RA ~ a hairless Sphynx who has become Matthew's biggest fan and best buddy (after Gus, of course). In time, the pull toward family brought a big decision: pack it all up and head east. They loaded up their pet family and drove 2,500 miles to Charlotte, North Carolina. And then there was the proposal. Matthew chose a historical cemetery for the moment, complete with a mannequin hand and secret photographer. He knew exactly who he was proposing to. Whitefish never stopped being home in the ways that count. It is where they met, where they fell for each other slowly and then all at once, where their longtime friends and community thrive, and it is where they will say "I do” under a full harvest moon.