Natalie and Matt have known each other since they were in the fourth grade. Yes, the fourth grade! We don’t come across that many couples who have known each other for that long so it has been wonderful to discover their story. From the moment Natalie and Matt came to our home to meet with us, we instantly clicked. Their enthusiasm for their wedding is exactly what we love to see in a couple when we meet them – it’s so inspiring and gets us so excited for their big day! Natalie and Matt’s story is a wonderful one, and we are so honored to share it today in this blog post! For their engagement session, Natalie and Matt chose Hoboken, the town that they call home. Enjoy this peek at their morning session and get excited for their Shadowbrook wedding, one of our very favorite venues!
How they met:
Natalie: We met in 4th grade at our elementary school, where we formed our long lasting friendship. He also asked me if I liked him, well specifically: “Do you like me? –Matt A.,” on a green Post it that I saved ALL these years and is on our dresser framed now.
Matt: Nat and I met in the 4th grade at Roberge Elementary School. We had the same class and we started to spend a lot of time together. I was too shy to walk up to her and ask her to be my 4th grade ‘girlfriend’ so instead I asked her if she liked me on a post it note with my name on it and slipped it into desk.
Their first date:
Natalie: I remember we went to see Titanic at the movie theatre when we were in 5th grade, and that I was nervous and shocked my parents actually let me go to the movies like that. (Also the reason why we named our dog Leo, because of our 1st date to see Titanic so many years ago). Matt reminded me that I was wearing a denim on denim outfit with white Keds. Our first date as adults, we went to a restaurant called UVA on the Upper East Side and it was amazing. Finally when we went to dinner that night, I had a feeling that we were doing something big; and we were—he told me that we had to be together and we had to make it work.
Matt: Our first date was to go see Titanic at the movie theatre in Emerson, NJ. We went with a couple of our friends and our parents dropped us off and picked us up. In our Adult life when we rekindled the relationship we went to a restaurant in the city called UVA on the Upper East Side.
When they knew they had found The One:
Natalie: I knew Matt was the one for a long time. I always knew that things were going to lead me back to him, because he was such a loyal, loving, and caring person. We remained friends our WHOLE lives and I always knew there was something there that I loved. He also can make me laugh like no one else can, which I absolutely love.
Matt: We’ve always been friends throughout out whole lives. We’ve stayed in touch and remained close for almost three decades. There was always a reason why we stayed so close and her sense of humor is what I fell in love with.
The proposal:
Natalie: That morning, I went to get my nails done and grab lunch with a friend. I was in the kitchen, and Matt suggested that I take a shower (15 minutes before I was leaving) so I washed my hair in the sink. In retrospect, I should have listened but I had a GREAT hair day that day. I got the color; Love is in My Cards, and showed him the color as I usually do from the salon and he was like why are you getting that color? I think he thought I knew. I came home to an immaculate apartment and matt standing there in a denim Polo shirt, jeans and he looked nervous. I said OMG what’s happening, and he said Natalie and pointed to the back of our apartment door. I turned around and there was a ? of Post it’s with one at the bottom asking me to marry him! Being the dramatic person I am, I screamed and cried and stuck my head in the freezer to catch my breath! He then took me to a bar and we had a few drinks and then we went back to our apartment. When we got back, he had both of our families there waiting to surprise me and I SCREAMED bloody murder and cried and ran down the hall. He then also told me we had to leave and go to the Biergarten in Hoboken, and all of our friends were waiting for us there too!! He did everything perfectly.
Matt: I had been planning the proposal for a few months before it was executed. I wanted to find a way for the actual proposal to be just us and then to have all of our family and close friends there so they can share in the celebration. I asked a close friend of ours to keep her preoccupied for the day so that I can prepare and panic without anyone seeing. I decorated our front door the our apartment with post it notes in the shape of a question mark and have the very bottom read ‘Will You Marry Me –Matt A.’ The post it notes were crucial as they played a big role in how we met as kids. After the proposal was done I planned for all of our family to come to our apartment and surprise her for a few hours and then we would leave and go to the Biergarten in Hoboken where all of our friends would be for the last surprise.
One thing they love about each other:
Natalie: I love his loyalty. He has an unwavering personality and it’s very attractive. I know that when he speaks or does anything he does it whole heartedly and with 100% confidence.
Matt: Besides her attraction Nat always finds a way to find the good in bad situations. She always stays optimistic and keeps me on track when I need the help. I can count on her to help make things better.
Besides getting married, one thing they’re looking forward to on the wedding day:
Natalie: I am looking forward to celebrating our love and commitment to each other—dancing the night away, and capturing the essence of our first day/night as husband and wife!
Matt: I am looking forward to eating, drinking, and celebrating the night with our family and friends. I know that when the night is over I’ll get to call Nat my wife.
