We're getting married!

Moriah grew up in Sun Prairie, and I grew up on the east side of Madison. Moriah and her family attended Door Creek Church for many years, and I started attending there after I returned home from college in Ohio. We had several mutual friends, and over time we became aware of each other from a distance through various events and gatherings. Things took a turn for the better in late 2017, when we found ourselves at one such gathering in downtown Madison celebrating a friend’s birthday. I decided it was time to break out of my shell and meet this cute, bubbly, outgoing girl who lit up the bar when she walked in. We hit it off and exchanged info, and shortly thereafter went on our first “first date”. We both say it went well and had a great time, but for various reasons neither of us were quite ready for a serious relationship at the time. A year and a half went by as we both worked on ourselves personally, spiritually, and professionally, and in summer 2019 we randomly ran into each other again. This time was also downtown Madison at an outdoor concert on King Street that we were attending with our respective work friends. I found myself a couple rows of people behind Moriah, our eyes met, and we reconnected for quite a while. It felt like we were the only two people there. I left feeling very excited and knew I wanted to give things another go. Looking back, I think God was prodding me a bit and saying “Matt, I set this up for you; don’t let this one go this time.” Thankfully, Moriah’s phone number had not changed, and through some coaxing on my end we arranged our second “first date” on a warm night in July at the Memorial Union.

We took things slow and became friends before anything else. We both had busy summers, but one date led to more dates, and they started to become increasingly frequent. We attended concerts and sporting events, traveled, went golfing and biking, and met each other’s friends and family. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I loved Moriah and wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. She is beautiful inside and out, loves the Lord, combines intelligence with a great work ethic, comes from a solid, fun-loving family, and will be an amazing mother when we cross that bridge. She loves to be active and enjoy the outdoors, and even plays golf with me! Months went by and we continued to grow closer, and when we booked a trip to Cabo in March 2021, I knew that was going to be the time I would propose. Sunday, March 7 th finally arrived, and I arranged for a private sunset dinner on the edge of the ocean. Moriah was walking on clouds as she put things together, and by the time I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me, it was thankfully an immediate ‘Yes!’. We had an amazing rest of the week, and I cannot wait to navigate the rest of our lives together. Moriah, I love you! To our guests reading this, we cannot wait for you to be a part of our big day. We are truly blessed to have so many amazing friends and family supporting us. It will be a celebration to remember! -Matt