Love Stories
Talia + Matt
Matt and I always say we're very different people, and our respective backgrounds, on paper, are proof of that in a lot of ways. We grew up on opposite sides of Montana; he's from Sidney and I'm from Missoula. He went to Montana State to earn an engineering degree; I graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in marketing. Our families are from opposite ends of the country — New York and Washington state.
Luckily, we had one very important thing in common: after college, we both decided to move to Seattle, where we met at an outdoor bar a little over four years ago to date. Montanans tend to flock together when they move out of the state, so we have mutual MSU/UM friends that introduced us that night. Matt and I quickly bonded over our shared taste in music and, after a few months of being friends, went to a concert as our first date.
Fast forward three and a half years to 2023 — through a global pandemic, moving in together, and many other firsts — we took a trip back to Montana to spend the Fourth of July with my family at our cabin in Eureka. My dad’s birthday is July 3, so that side of my family almost always celebrates both "national holidays" at our cabin, which has been in my family since the 1930s. It's a very special place to me… and Matt knew it.
On July 2, my friend Meli and I arrived at the cabin as the two last people there; the others, including Matt and my brother Mitchell, had driven up a day or two earlier. I was just settling in when Matt cornered me coming out of the bathroom to suggest we go down to see the lake because “I hadn’t seen it yet.” He meant that I hadn't seen the lake on this trip yet, but I remember him saying it as if I hadn't seen it — this lake, the lake I grew up visiting every summer — at all, ever in my life. That should've tipped me off.
Once we arrived at the lake's shore, Matt got down on one knee and started reciting a very sweet proposal he'd written that I honestly had to read afterward to fully understand; I heard the beginning and then promptly blacked out. I just remember thinking how nervous he seemed and wanted to comfort and help him through it, which I thought was a good sign. It was an easy yes.
From there, we sat on the dock for a bit to admire the ring and have a moment alone before celebrating with my family. It was a great evening — just like we imagine our wedding will be!
Matt and I are both looking forward to seeing our family and friends all in one spot at our Wildflower wedding. It’s one of the very few opportunities we’ll have to bring all of our loved ones together, and we're so excited to do it back in Montana. We've spent the last several Christmases celebrating at Matt's parents' second home in Belfry, and the Red Lodge area has become a sentimental place for us both. We're looking forward to bringing our unique vision for the wedding together at such a beautiful venue!
