On a sunny May morning in Carlsbad, Lindsay was on her daily walk with her new 12-week old puppy, Leo. It was the early days of COVID, so the beaches were closed and there weren't many people out. They stopped at a bench along the boardwalk when Matt came up to her and asked if he could pet her puppy - to which she obviously said yes. That turned into an hour-long conversation that flowed easily. Morning coffees in hand, they sat on that bench and talked about their love for lakes, camping, family, and the yellow lab that Matt grew up with named Annie, who Leo reminded him of. Lindsay shared her new found love for Montana and even showed him pictures of her brother's home there (where you all will be joining us for the wedding!). It definitely went beyond your average "first conversation"! However, Lindsay thought Matt was significantly younger than her, so she didn't immediately think of their interaction as flirtatious. Fortunately, Matt wasn't as convinced... The next day on Lindsay & Leo's morning walk, there Matt was again! Same bench, coffees in hand once again, they picked the conversation right back up again for another hour or so, where Lindsay learned two very important things: 1) He was NOT significantly younger than her and 2) This was definitely flirtatious! Day 3: Same thing, same bench, but Lindsay "forgot" her coffee this time, so she asked him to join her at the local coffee shop across the road. Guess you could call that their first date! Matt walked Lindsay home and asked if they could hang out outside of their morning walks. They exchanged numbers and spent the next many months building a strong bond fueled by takeout dinners on the beach, beers around the bonfire and of course countless hours of playing with Leo, the true matchmaker and catalyst for this whole love story!

In the middle of a very busy travel season for both Matt and Lindsay, Friday July 7th was a rare and welcomed weekend night with NO plans. So naturally, Matt asks Lindsay if she wants to have a date night. As they were getting ready, Matt subtly mentions he feels like getting dressed up, so Lindsay figured… “why not?” and put on a dress she had bought just a couple hours prior, and they walked to The Compass where they had their first dinner date 3 years ago. On their walk, Lindsay naively asked, "So, what are we celebrating?" (queue Matt's anxiety) to which they landed on, "We are celebrating 7/7! It's a neat date and that's a good enough reason to celebrate" (crisis averted... she was clearly clueless). Once at The Compass, the chef (who was in on the whole thing) brought them a beautiful custom appetizer platter and some free cocktails from the bar. Lindsay was somehow still completely unsuspicious. After dinner, they walked toward the beach to catch the sunset, where they would naturally walk directly by the bench where they first met 1,157 days prior. The area was full of sunset spectators and a solo street musician. As they got closer, Matt looks at the singer and says, "Hi Josh!”, and on queue the musician switches guitars and begins playing Morgan Wallen's "Cover Me Up" which is Matt and Lindsay's song. Right away, Lindsay knew something big was happening. She looks at the bench and it's completely covered in roses and candles and she squeals, "IS THIS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?" Matt replied, "Oh yeah, this is happening!" He walked her to the bench and proceeded to express his love and excitement for their future together. He proposes to Lindsay and through squeals and laughter and tears, Lindsay said "YES!". She turns around and to her surprise, there was Leo in a tuxedo bandana which was enough to bring on the ugly tears! Lindsay looks up again and to her complete shock, there were her best friends, her family, and Matt's friends coming at them from every direction! Once the shock subsided, they took photos at the beach and walked back to Lindsay and Matt's house where they had a party. Matt had secretly been at work along with Lindsay's sister and best friends to plan the perfect proposal! Complete with Zoom calls and spreadsheets, they pulled it off perfectly! While Matt and Lindsay were at dinner, the girls decorated the house for the party, decorated the bench and made sure everyone was in their hiding spots! What made it all the more special was Lindsay's dad had been in the hospital just 24 hours prior and made it out just in time to be there! The whole day was perfect and they were so happy to share such a special moment with their closest family and friends. We cannot wait to continue our story together with YOU in Montana!