Some love stories begin with a perfect first date. Ours? Well… it started with a bad one.
Caroline was supposed to be on a great first date, but when she showed up to the bar they were supposed to meet at she immediately regretted it. When she arrived, she found her date dancing in the middle of the room, sweaty and oblivious. Frustrated and ready to leave, she stood against the wall waiting for her friends to rescue her, arms crossed, and clearly very annoyed. That was when a guy in front of her turned around, hesitated, and then turned back again. A few seconds later, he looked again. On his third glance, he finally spoke:
“I’m so sorry, please don’t take this the wrong way, but you look really pissed off. Can I buy you a drink?”
That guy was Matt – her unexpected knight in shining armor, there to rescue her from the inevitable dark side of online dating.
From that moment on, everything changed. One drink turned into hours of conversation, and before Caroline knew it, she had forgotten about the disaster of a date she never really wanted. Matt introduced her to his friends who immediately made her feel comfortable and welcome, made her laugh at all of his corny jokes, and by the end of the night, what started as frustration had turned into an entirely different emotion. The next day, he asked her out on an actual date – the beginning of something neither of them could have expected.
At the time, Caroline was living in Wilmington, and Matt was in Raleigh. Their relationship was built on road trips, boardwalk walks, and brewery hopping along the coast. When the world slowed down in 2020, so did they—spending time at Caroline’s family beach house, growing even closer despite the uncertainty of everything around them. It was in those quiet moments that they both knew—this was it.
From golf outings to woodworking projects, mountain trips to days at the beach, their life together became filled with adventure, laughter, and a shared love of doing… well, everything together. And then there was Doc—Matt’s dog long before Caroline came into the picture, but who quickly decided that she was his true favorite (much to Matt’s dismay). Of course, no family is complete without a partner in crime, so after a so-called “window shopping” trip for a puppy, Millie joined the mix. As it turns out, Doc and Millie were perfect for each other—just like Matt and Caroline.
Then, on what seemed like an ordinary bike ride to their favorite brewery, Caroline took a turn through the woods and found a surprise waiting for her—photos, lights, and the man she already knew was the one. Matt got down on one knee and asked her to spend forever with him. Spoiler: She said yes.
Now, they can’t wait to celebrate with the people they love most, surrounded by all the things that make their story uniquely theirs – good music, great friends, a lot of laughter, and of course, a little bit of unexpected magic.