Devyn + Matt by Kadi Tobin - Together Journal

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

I grew up in Miami Beach, FL and moved to north Florida my freshman year of high school. I played lacrosse through high school and college. I proposed to the love of my life senior year of college and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. My favourite thing to do with my wife is ride bikes to the beach. – MK

Matthew and I live in the town I grew up in. It is so nice to experience our married life in a town filled with childhood memories. My favorite thing is to experience all the little things in life with Matthew. I am an elementary school teacher and work in children’s ministry. I love the life we are building together!

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

The first time I saw Devyn was when we were 16 in math class. She didn’t notice me, but I noticed her. We didn’t talk or become friends until about a year later in gym class. My first impression of her was that she is beautiful inside and out. We stayed friends for the remainder of high school until I asked her on a date senior year. We’ve been together ever since! – MK

We first started to become friends in gym class when we were 17. I liked being around Matthew because he always made me laugh. We remained friends throughout high school and eventually he asked me out on a date. I was nervous and didn’t know what to say, but before I knew it, “yes!” flew out of my mouth. I am not sure why I was so nervous since we’ve been friends for years, but after that first date I realized we were much more than friends from school, I knew I would marry him. He always made me laugh. My grandmother always told me that we have to find someone that will make me laugh.

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

I knew Devyn was going to be my wife the second we had our first date. She is incredible. – MK

After our first date, I knew we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. There was nothing in particular that made me feel this way, I just knew that I never wanted to go another day without talking to him. On New Year’s Eve, about 8 days after we started dating, Matthew told me we would date all through college and end up getting married… and he was right!

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

I am the kind of girl that likes to know EVERTHING. So, the fact that he hid a proposal and very big party totally shocked me! For date nights we often pick up our favourite Hibachi and eat dinner on the beach. I didn’t think this date night would be any different from the rest, but I was mistaken. As soon as we got out of the car, I turned around and he was on his knee asking me to marry him. His sister came out from the bushes to capture the moment. I am so grateful for this, especially since I don’t remember much of it because of all the excitement and shock! We started to head back to my parent’s house. He surprised me with our families, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, and neighbors. We got to celebrate our love with everyone close to us. It was the most special day because we got to share it with everyone we love.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding…

We wanted our wedding to have an overall bohemian style, but still wanted some elements to be timeless. My dress and veil were timeless and elegant. I wanted to add that classic feel with vintage pearl earring and white gloves. Our amazing photographer, Kadi, helped make that dream come to life and snapped a few photos. Our florist, Sarah, made sure my bouquet was filled with roses to give me a classic look. She filled the venue with arrangements that brought in the bohemian style we wanted for the reception. We filled the reception with beautiful wood furniture and vintage couches to create a seating area for our guests. We used gold candlestick to light up the reception and give the venue a cozy feel.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

We were happy to splurge on florals! Our venue was a blank canvas, which we loved, but when you have a blank canvas that means lots of decorating. There is not better way to dress up a venue than with florals that are to die for. We told our florist that we wanted a bohemian, but timeless vibe and she did more than I could have ever imagined. My bouquet was filled with roses, which gave it a timeless feel. She filled the venue with the most amazing arrangements that elevated the venue. My favorite was the hanging instalment over our sweetheart table. I wanted our sweetheart table to be a focal point at the reception. The installation was filled with a mix of fresh and dried flowers, pampas grass, palms, and a beautiful floral garland. It was breath taking.

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

Our Ceremony was at a beautiful church with the most breath-taking doors. As soon as we saw the venue, we imagined being able to walk through those doors! About 10 minutes before we were supposed to start walking down the aisle, we heard the loudest thunder. We were all silent and staring at each other just waiting for the rain to start falling… and it did! We tried to wait out the rain, but couldn’t. We sent the bridal party through the side door instead of the beautiful doors we wanted them to walk through. The rain stopped for a few seconds, so I was able to make my way around the church and walk through the main doors with my dad. Although, it was stressful at the time, we made it work! Plus, people say it’s good luck if it rains on your wedding day!

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?

My dress was the Marley Dress by Jenny Yoo. There was a sash on the back of the dress that I removed and replaced with buttons. The buttons were inspired by another Jenny Yoo dress, The Whiteny Dress. I choose this dress because it was simple and elegant. I knew I would never look back and dislike what I wore on our wedding day. My veil was simple, but had a touch of elegance with little lace details along the sides and bottom. I wore my grandmother’s vintage pearl earrings. These were very special to me because she had them custom made for her wedding day. The earrings were my ‘something borrowed’ and helped tie together the classic look I was going for. Another special part of my outfit was my other grandmother’s white gloves. My grandmother loved to wear gloves with dresses, especially to weddings. Getting to wear her white gloves made me feel like she was a part of our special day, even though she is no longer with us. Later on in the day, my husband and I got to rock sunglasses that my sister in laws gifted us. They helped us achieve a vintage vibe and made us look way cooler than we are!