Megan + Matt by Eden Xuân - Together Journal

Getting to grow up together has been an amazing privilege, and I can’t wait to grow old together, too.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

Matt and I currently live in San Diego and are loving it! Matt is a researcher at a local BioTech company working on developing treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases. In April, I graduated with a PhD in Biology and am now researching bacterial meningitis at UC San Diego. While we love going to the beach, visiting unique cocktail bars with friends, and exploring the San Diego culinary scene, we are both introverts at heart. Our favourite way to spend time together is by cozying up at home and playing video games or by him reading while I crochet or craft. And, of course, we love our sweet pup, a Kai Ken that we rescued from the Korean meat trade.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

Matt and I both grew up in Tucson, Arizona. We first crossed paths in middle school when we were both incredibly awkward pre-teens. Our first impressions of each other were nothing notable. To me, he was just that boy in my math class. It wasn’t until high school that we became part of the same friend group. We were all huge marching band nerds — I played the tuba, and Matt played the clarinet. This resulted in us spending a lot of time together in the band room and before and after practice. Funnily enough, I first dated Matt’s best friend at the beginning of our senior year. After it inevitably didn’t work out, Matt and I grew much closer, and sooner than we expected, we seamlessly transitioned from close friends to dating. It immediately felt natural, like we had been together all along. And now, over 11 years later, that feeling hasn’t changed.

P.S. We’re still very close with his friend and my ex — he was Matt’s best man and his wife was my bridesmaid!

When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?

Megan: It’s difficult to pinpoint a singular moment where we knew for sure. At 17, we were both very ambitious and full of hopes for the future. However, it’s hard to know who you will end up with when you are young and hardly know yourself, let alone what a future may look like. Even though we promised never to hold each other back and trudged forward through the growing pains of early adulthood together. With each milestone, we continued to grow closer rather than apart, and the reality of spending a life together became all the more certain. We have shaped each other while also allowing the other the space to grow. I am so proud of who we both have become, and I know those two nerdy little middle schoolers would be, too. Getting to grow up together has been an amazing privilege, and I can’t wait to grow old together, too.

Matt: If I had to choose one moment in particular, it was when Megan first talked about applying to graduate schools. During that whole process, I never once had the thought that I wouldn’t follow her wherever she decided to go. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but looking back, I think that was a critical moment that pushed our relationship to the next level.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…

In the summer of 2022, Matt and I took our first international trip together to Holbox, a tiny Island off the coast of Cancún, Mexico. One of the nights, just before sunset, he took me on a walk along the beach where a photographer had been waiting. He got on one knee and proposed in the sand. It was private, intimate, and all-around amazing. We had so much fun getting to celebrate the engagement for the rest of that trip. On our last night, we walked the beach after dinner. We strolled to a deserted part of the beach where in the background, a live musician began playing our song: ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran. We stood in the water and held each other while we danced. The blue bioluminescence sparkled around us in the water with each sway, and shooting stars flew across a black, endless sky. To quote the song, “Dancing in the dark, with you between my arms…” It was perfect.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

The element we were most willing to splurge on was photography! Since it is one of the few tangible aspects of the wedding we will keep forever, and it was very important to us. We were very picky when choosing a photographer and spent countless hours scouring the web and Instagram. I was so happy to have found Eden! I truly do not have enough good things to say about her. She is one of the kindest and gentlest souls I’ve ever met, and her amazing work speaks for itself.

However, one of the most fun parts of our wedding was actually what we didn’t splurge on. As many of us know, florals can quickly become very expensive. I was so excited to have found the cutest little wine bar/flower bar called Cork and Stem in San Diego, which gave us an incredibly affordable option and a fraction of the other quotes we got. They purchased all the stems we needed in bulk, then hosted a workshop where our friends and family could build all our arrangements while sipping wine and snacking on cheese. It was a great way to extend the wedding fun; our friends and family loved it! What’s more, having our favourite people make our bouquets, boutonnieres, and centrepieces made them all the more special and sentimental.

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?

I’m very grateful that our wedding day was fairly seamless! I found myself a bit emotional and nervous when we first arrived at the bridal suite, but I quickly calmed down by watching Shrek and eating cinnamon rolls with my bridesmaids. A small moment that was funny and quiet in character happened right after the bridesmaids and I finished our hair and makeup and got in our dresses. Eden brought us outside and gave me a champagne bottle to pop and pour for the girls for a cute photo op. After opening the bottle, I thought it would be a good idea to take a pull straight from the bottle. I did not account for the carbonation, and the bottle immediately fizzed and exploded in my face. This resulted in immediate laughter from my bridesmaids and mom, and I was quick to follow. A huge shout out to The Pretty Parlor for doing makeup that can survive a champagne blast!

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story? The history of the ceremony dress, etc.

We may be one of the uncommon cases where the groom spent more on his outfit than the bride. Matt found this fantastic suit shop (Zeglio) in downtown San Diego that made him a completely bespoke suit, and it looked incredible, if I say so myself. It was such a fun experience getting to pick out every little detail of his outfit, from the fabric, the buttons, the texture of the shirt, the width of the lapel… the list goes on and on. Our more unique pieces were both family heirlooms. My necklace was a gold snake chain that belonged to my late grandmother, and the diamond set in it belonged to my mother. It’s my favourite piece of jewellery that I own! Meanwhile, Matt’s Rolex has been passed down through the generations. It was originally his great-grandfather’s watch that was gifted in 1963. When it was passed down to his dad, only the watch face remained with no band. It was sent to Rolex in Switzerland to be repaired and restored to its former glory. Then, it was passed down to Matt for our wedding.