The story of Matt and Jessica starts in early July of 2022 when Matt decided impulsively to download Hinge late one Saturday evening. Jessica was the first person he interacted with on the dating app “designed to be deleted”, and as it would turn out the only one he ever needed to.

After a few exchanges a date was set up for the following weekend, and the love story was able to truly begin.

Jessica showed up fashionably late to the first date, keeping Matt sweating inside a bustling Kirkwood Mexican restaurant. They spent the night sharing stories and getting to know about each other’s friends and families. Their compatibility was instantly apparent and the two of them would eventually spend the evening walking the streets of Kirkwood getting to know one another quickly and deeply.

Over the next several months their bond would grow quickly, Jessica was soon packing her bags for extended stays in the city at Matt’s apartment. And Matt was becoming acquainted with Jessica’s family who had welcomed him into their homes and hearts.

In the fall Jessica would take trips to Quincy, Illinois to break bread and watch football games with Matt’s family, learning the paramount importance of the Kansas City Chiefs and winning card games.

Later after a year of packing bags each week to spend time with each other, Jessica had had enough so they began searching for a home. Months of tireless searching later, they found their match and moved into their new home in O’Fallon. They would soon welcome a new member to the house, Kelce, an adventurous and loving yellow lab who completed the transition, turning their new house into a home and bourgeoning family.

The last step in the journey was of course a wedding ring. And on December 26th, after several days surrounded by the love of family and reminiscing on lives lived up to now, Matt got down on one knee and asked Jessica to be his wife. She was caught completely unaware, asking “IS THIS REAL!!!”. Yes Jessica, it is real. Matt put a ring on her finger and the rest of the story has yet to be written.