“I was getting a tour of the place and I noticed her curly blond hair right away. She was in a black shirt (I was told this meant she was a supervisor) so for the first couple of weeks I actually thought she wasn’t even a student, and waaayyyy out of my league.”
And yet, here they are, 7 years later, about to commit to forever! I first met Matt+Allison while I was photographing Amy+Kevin’s wedding, where Allison was a bridesmaid, and am so happy Matt+Allison chose me to be a part of their October, 2016 Gainey Vineyard wedding.
We had a great time together during their Hammonds Beach engagement session, and I’m happy to report Matt may have the cutest, most genuine smile I’ve ever seen, and the two are irrevocably adorable together–no posing necessary!
So how did the two meet?
From Allison: “We met in the beginning of 2008 at UCSB’s DLG Dining Commons where we both worked. Matt was in my dish room crew but had a broken shoulder so was completely useless! He quickly won me over though with his charming ways and I’m so glad he did.”
From Matt: ” My first memory of Allison is actually my first day of work at DLG. I was getting a tour of the place and I noticed her curly blond hair right away. She was in a black shirt (I was told this meant she was a supervisor) so for the first couple weeks I actually thought she wasn’t even a student, and waaayyyy out of my league.”
The ocean water may or may not have been a little chilly…
So how did the two get the ball rolling on forever?
“Matt took me completely by surprise and proposed during one of our usual weekend trips to Monterey. The weekend started completely normal until we got to our favorite beach spot. We were sitting on the beach and I was watching the otters through binoculars. Matt kept trying to get my attention but as anyone knows this is hard to do when there are otters involved. Eventually he wised up and put the ring box in front of the binoculars to block my view. Forced to look away, I completely freaked out when I saw what was responsible for blocking my otter-view. After confirming multiple times that this was not, in fact, a joke and that he was serious, I said yes!”
Considering the two’s otter-viewing, beach going habits, having the engagement session at Hammonds Beach only made sense… “We’ve had our best times together at the beach and the beach is where we took the next step in our relationship.”
And what are the two most looking forward to on their big day?
Allison: While I always knew we would be together forever, I am so excited and feel so lucky to make this commitment. Having our friends and family there will make the celebration of how much we love each other all the more special.
Matt: I can’t wait to share our wedding day with all our friends and family. We’re generally private people, but this is one day where I want nothing more than to show the world how much I love Allison and how lucky I feel. Also… The BBQ should be pretty good.
I can’t wait for Allison+Matt’s Gainey wedding next year! With this much laughter, cuteness and romance (and familiar faces!), it’s bound to be a beautiful day!
