Chelsea and Matt’s love story is a sweet one of reconnection. “While Matt and I have only been together for a few years, we’ve known each other our whole lives. Our grandparents are best friends and used to live next to each other on Lake Leelanau. We both spent a lot of time visiting our grandparents throughout childhood and our families became very close. However, my grandparents eventually sold their house and we lost touch as we got older. That is, until Labor Day 2019 when we reconnected at the lake over a game of euchre. The rest is history.”
The proposal was just as sweet, with a sprinkle of humor. “We were having dinner at Matt’s parents’ house on Lake Leelanau with our families, and Matt kept insisting that we go for a sunset boat ride. I wasn’t too keen on the idea, being as we were visiting with our families, but ultimately decided to go. Matt poured us glasses of our favorite wine and we headed out to the middle of the lake. Once we reached a nice sunset viewing spot, he stopped the boat and started playing our song. He also asked me to dance which was a bit odd, as that’s not something we randomly do, but I agreed. He then reached over to grab something out of the dash, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was in such shock that I did not say anything for several moments, which prompted him to ask again, “So will you?” It was perfect.”
Chelsea and Matt both knew they they were meant for each when they figured out that their relationship stood the test of time and distance. Chelsea remembered when, “We had been doing long distance between Denver and Toledo for a bit, and then the pandemic hit. I started working from home, which allowed me to travel to Toledo and spend several weeks with Matt. It was the first time we had spent more than a long weekend together. It was also when I realized I didn’t just want to do long weekends – I wanted forever.” Matt said, “From the first time I visited Chelsea in Denver, I knew there was something about her that made me feel like a better person. She is kind, ambitious and a joy to spend with. Being long distance between Toldeo and Denver truly tested our relationship and reaffirmed our desire to make it work. It was at my cousins’ wedding in Ohio, dancing the night away, that I knew I wanted to make her my wife. She was everything to me, and I knew I could not be any happier than I was when we were together.”
Congratulations, Chelsea and Matt! Your big day is going to be just as beautiful as your engagement session was.