In 1999, Matt and Justine met through Justine's brother Robbie as happy-go-lucky four-year-olds while attending school at Saint Mary's. After a few short years, Justine unfortunately switched to a different school, which caused them to be apart for some time. Luckily, in 2007, they ended up joining the same youth group and were able to see each other frequently at monthly meetings and group events! From there, their relationship bloomed! In the summer of 2008, they both attended Camp Daniel for the first time together. This camp changed their lives for the better in so many ways! During high school, Justine and Matt went to many dances together but never made it official. A few years later, though, once they were both in college, they decided to give love a chance and went on their first real date! Spoiler alert: it went great, and they ultimately decided to go on a few more. In the early stages of their relationship, they faced some challenges—long distance and a cancer diagnosis to name a few—but in November of 2014, Matt went into remission, and they got a shot at a normal relationship. That is, until Matt went back to Western and made the distance between them a little bit bigger. However, thanks to friends, family, and technology, their relationship never skipped a beat! On November 19, 2016, Matt asked Justine if she would spend the rest of her life with him, and of course, she said YES! So, after surviving their senior years of college and navigating their first post-grad jobs, they finally started wedding planning. Justine and Matt couldn't think of a better place to celebrate their love than the place where they reconnected after so many years! They are so excited to start writing the story of the rest of their lives together and are honored to be sharing it with all of you! Love, Matt & Justine

On March 21, 2014, Matt and Justine decided to go on a date. Matt, being the romantic man he is, drove all the way to DeKalb (Go Huskies) to take her out. They met at Portillo’s for dinner and planned on seeing a movie afterwards. They were both incredibly nervous, completely unsure of how the date would go. Were they better friends than a couple? Did their outfits look okay? Was the date too cheesy? All of those questions were going through their minds, but once they saw each other, those reservations and fears drifted away. They had amazing conversation and were forced to get tickets to a later show because they were too busy talking about any and everything at dinner. This incredible date revealed the undeniable connection between them. There was no hiding that they were absolutely smitten with one another. This date was the beginning of forever.

Justine absolutely hates surprises. She often snoops and spoils surprises before they happen, and this story is no different. Their proposal story begins with Matt talking to Justine’s mom and brother about his intentions and asking for permission. (Such a gentleman, am I right?) Next came finding the perfect ring. Matt tolerated a lot of Pinterest suggestions, jewelry store visits, and opinions from some of Justine’s closest friends before he eventually bought the ring. And let me tell you, it was PERFECT! Now that Matt had the ring, he had to come up with a plan and enlisted the help of Justine’s family to surprise her at their annual thanksgiving trip. Justine’s mom made some beautiful signs and set the mood with their song, as her friends and family gathered around. Matt took Justine on a horse-drawn carriage ride (She felt like Cinderella!). But did I mention that she hates surprises? She somehow knew that this was the weekend that he was going to pop the question, so she slyly checked his pocked for the ring box. But Matt knows her too well, and he left the ring in the room! But that didn't stop him from pranking her a few times throughout the night! His “tying the shoe” bit got old real fast! The couple went for a walk in the forest preserve right by the hotel, enjoying each other’s company and the nature. Soon, it was time to go back to the hotel. Admittedly, she was a little sad that it didn't happen when she thought, but when they walked back into the room, her whole family was standing there, their song was playing, and her cousins were holding signs that said, "Will you marry me?" and "She said yes!". She was in tears instantly. Matt gave a heart-warming speech about wanting to spend the rest of their lives together, and she, of course, said YES!