Matty and I met during our time at the Rinker School. We had classes together throughout my sophomore year, but started getting to know each other once we got into what our school called our upper division of studies. During a field trip to Atlanta, Matty and I sat next to each other on the charter bus back to Gainesville. We found out we had a lot in common and started talking daily. After that trip, we started doing homework and projects together. The night before our last final of the semester, Matty and I had our first date. We went to a park and walked a trail that overlooked a picturesque lake in Eastern Gainesville. Summer came around and we decided we wanted to hang out while we were away from school. We started officially dating during the summer and have been together ever since.

My family owned a Condo in Gainesville that Matty and I were in the final phases of fixing up to sell. We'd been working all day and it came time for dinner. Because we'd had a LONG day of painting, grouting some tile, and final cleaning the condo, I opted for a luxurious Chick -fil-a dinner. Matty asked me if - since it was our last night in Gainesville - I'd like to go back to where our relationship essentially started, the trail that overlooked the lake. Of course I said yes - it was getting close to sunset and it was a place we loved to go to get away. I knew Matty had a ring since we picked it out together and he LIED to me and said multiple times over the weeks leading up to this that Karen (our lovely Jeweler) hadn't called him yet and that he'd "better call her on Monday". If you know Matty, you know he doesn't lie. So we're walking to the bench that overlooks this lake - carrying our Chick-fil-a - and we finally make it to what I consider our spot. I'm sitting, eating my grilled nuggets and aggressively swatting mosquitoes. I finish my dinner, look at Matty and he hasn't eaten A SINGLE THING. Sometimes Matty's a little weird about eating if his stomach feels at all weird, so I wrote it off. He started playing a playlist of songs that we always danced to in my kitchen when we would cook together and asked me to dance - I said yes because he's my best friend, of course I wanted to dance. In my head I was like "this would be sooo cute if he proposed here, but he doesn't have a ring, so..." Then Matty get's fidgety and starts digging through his backpack, and I'm thinking "huh, maybe he lied to me........nooo, he must be getting bug spray or something." so we keep dancing. Then Matty ultimately asked me if I wanted a present and proposed. If I didn't say yes, we wouldn't be making this website.

Matty and I will be getting married in a private ceremony at a destination wedding in May. Our reception will be held on June 8th. Please join us to celebrate if you can make it!