Matt + Allison met each other through mutual friends on the night of Matt’s 22nd birthday. Allison and her girlfriend, Laura, were out for dinner when it was suggested that they meet up with Laura’s boyfriend (also a Matt) who was celebrating his friend’s birthday at J. Ghardella’s Tavern.

There was an instant, magnetic connection between Matt + Allison. Unfortunately, Allison was dating someone else at the time, but that didn’t stop Matt from flirting. He somehow convinced Allison to let him crash at her college house along with Laura and her boyfriend. He was careful to be gentleman-like on the walk home from the bars. He managed to convince Allison to link arms after being shot down by her for trying to hold hands.

Allison tucked-in Matt on her couch with a glass of water for the night. In the morning, Allison generously offered to drive the boys home to their friend’s place, because back then Ubers didn’t exist. Allison figured the flirtation the prior night was due to a little liquid encouragement, and that it would fizzle out in the morning. To her surprise, Matt hugged her three separate times before they parted ways.

Allison was left bewildered why this stranger was more attached to her than her on-again off-again boyfriend of the time. That led her to finish any ties with said ‘ex’ and move on to her ‘Hot-Girl-Summer’ of 2016. She didn't think she would want to jump back into a relationship, and she could not have predicted how differently that summer would pan out.

A few months had passed and Laura was still hanging out with the “Matts.” She was excited that Allison was single and determined that she set up Matt + Allison. Come August, Matt texted Allison to ask her on a date. They went out for a double date at Luna’s and then went to the movie theaters, because Matt’s romantic surprise to walk the Grand Haven Pier got rained out.

While Allison thought Matt was just a part of her ‘Hot-Girl-Summer’, he proved to be otherwise. She did try to ditch him a few times, but he refused to let that happen. For instance, when Allison said she was too busy to see him for the week because of nursing school, he surprised her on her porch with McDonald’s breakfast at 5:30 am before she left for her clinical rotation.

Eventually, she had no choice but to fall for him and stop trying to run away. She knew he was the one when he whispered, “I love you,” in his sleep while she was leaving for class. He knew she was the one when he brought her into a surprise family BBQ and his family accepted her right away.

Flash forward to February of 2022. Matt proposed to Allison on the Blue Bridge in Grand Rapids after 6 years of growing up and growing in love with each other. Now that they have laid out the foundation of their relationship, they are ready to build on top of it.

Photos