Nicole and Matt’s Mountain Wedding

11.23.19

Nicole and Matt November 16, 2019

Yesterday, Nicole and Matt came to blend their lives and their families. Their children were super sweet, and you’d think they had been together forever. These two love the mountains so much that they moved to Knoxville recently, and we’re so glad they found us! They did something new and fun for their aisle setup… They brought in tables and chairs to line the aisle so that they could be used for the ceremony as well as afterward to enjoy some of that tasty looking cake. Congratulations Nicole and Matt!!

From the Bride:
Matt and I met as children, we went to the same church and school for a while. Our mothers were friends and he and my sister went to school together. He was present at a few parties and my family even has home movies of him! But with time our families drifted apart and we didn’t see each other anymore. We grew up, I got married and had my children and he did too, as life sometimes goes, we both ended up getting a divorce. I had been single for a few years and was taking my time and getting my heart healed when our hometown of Panama City went through a Cat 5 Hurricane in October 10, 2018. I was living there at the time, although Matt has moved away many years before his parents were still living there. The hurricane devastated the town so nothing was normal for us. Trying to find some sense of normalcy, I took the kids on Halloween night to Wonder-works across the bridge where there was minimal destruction. They were allowing residents to come for free since truck or treating in town was not an option. We wanted to have a good time and forget all about everything for a little while. We happened to run into some childhood friends of mine and enjoyed the night with them. We posted a few pictures on Facebook which Matt must have seen because on November 1st he messaged me. We started talking and immediately hit it off. We reminisced about our childhood memories and our life together quickly unfolded. All of life’s trials have made us who we are today and we know nothing will be perfect but together we can weather any storm and believe in love again.

We had been talking on the phone and through text for about a month, but we hadn’t been anywhere together yet due to distance. Matt came up with the idea to meet in Destin, Florida for a getaway. So he drove 6 hours from Alabama and I drove an hour from Panama City to met him. We went to dinner at Longhorn’s then walked on the beach where we shared our first kiss. Matt says it was magical and I say it felt so peaceful.

We had a long distance relationship, so we would go sometimes two to three weeks without seeing each other. We hadn’t seen each other for three weeks at the time and Matt was coming for Easter weekend. He was bringing his children to meet mine all together for the first time. When he arrived at my house, my kids and I were waiting on them at the door. His kids walked up towards the door first holding red roses then Matt came up the walk and proceeded to ask me if I would spend the rest of my life with him. I said yes, of course! Our kids were so excited. It was great to have them be a part of that moment.

All my life, I had been wanting to move to the mountains. This area had left its mark on me as a twelve year old girl. When we talked about getting married, I immediately wanted to get married in the mountains. Matt agreed it would be perfect. Then the opportunity presented itself for us to actually move to Knoxville and we jumped on it and haven’t looked back. It’s so gorgeous here and we can’t wait to explore all the area has to offer.

Nicole- I am looking forward to standing with Matt and our kids as we say our vows to them and to each other. That will be the best moment for me. Matt- Seeing her walk down the aisle towards me then getting to spend forever after with her is what I’m looking forward to.

I told Matt it had to be Fall. I have always wanted a Fall wedding. I love seeing the leaves in all different colors. My birthday is November 6th, his parents anniversary is on my birthday, but we knew a weekend day would be better for our family so we settled on November 16th. It’s perfect because it’s the month we started talking.

Matt and I are enjoying exploring our new town of Knoxville. We have hiked to waterfalls and been to some caverns around here. We can honestly make a date out of ANYTHING. Grocery shopping and antique shopping are more fun when we are together. We have a great time spending family time together at the Zoo with our kids. We particularly love this one walking park in Farragut that is covered in shade trees, has bunches of squirrels and chipmunks, and a flowing creek.