MATT & BRYT

We often speak of God’s timing and not our own, and although anyone with a 1,000 ft pole could have told you that Matt & Brytnee were soulmates, this is a story about timing. It all started when Matt was born in 198… actually let’s skip a few years. It was Christmas of 2022 when Matt pulled Brytnee’s father aside to ask the most sacred question. With his blessing, Matt began the journey of ring shopping. He’d heard from a friend of a friend about a guy in Tennessee that had the goods. He promises it wasn’t some back-alley deal with a guy in a trench coat, but, who cares because the ring was PERFECT. Everything was going smoothly. As Matt began proposal preparation, he knew Bryt had just one true request: that it be caught on camera. She wanted to be able to relive it and reminisce until the end of time. Matt knew the exact place. He’d spent weeks planning the perfect road trip through some of their favorite spots to visit, with Maisel in tow, of course. Just as the magical road-trip was about to commence, it was unexpectedly and abruptly canceled. God’s timing had its first intervention.

Over the next several months, Matt would dream up all kinds of proposal ideas and destinations, but nothing would stick. He couldn’t, of course, share any of this brilliant planning with Bryt because he’d wanted to be able to surprise her with the most amazing and perfect proposal. AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DID THE DELAY IN GOD’S TIMING EVER GIVE BRYT

ANY EXISTENTIAL ANXIETY. Time passed and Matt was growing more eager to pop the question. NOT BRYT SO STOP ASKING. Then, one Sunday, in an effort to get out of bustling Los Angeles, Matt and Bryt decided to pack up their bags and their spots (Maisel) and head for Big Sur for a night of camping. It’s important to note, Matt and Bryt had been to Big Sur once before in the very early stages of dating. Their plans had been derailed by highway closures and they were forced to stay at the quaint and cozy, Blue Bird Inn, where they stayed up all night on their hotel room porch talking about life. Like something right out of a Lifetime movie or a Soap. They even mentioned falling a little more in love that night. Which brings us back to present day where Matt’s second proposal attempt is underway. The drive was five hours and he’d planned it so they’d get to the top where he would setup camp and the tripod right at sunset, position the “photo” perfectly, and as Bryt would turn to fix her hair, Matt would get down on one knee and express his unending love for her. BUT, upon arrival and after said five hours of driving, the road to the top was closed off. Thanks to all that California rain. This immediately leads us to proposal attempt number three as Bryt mentions how beautiful the ocean looks. Matt, an expert in pivoting at this point, finds a perfect spot on the beach where he spends 20 minutes setting up the perfect camera shot from the rocks nearby. The conversation was going so beautifully, everything was aligned. Just as the most important words of his life were about to escape his mouth, a group of rowdy beer-drinkers happen upon THE SAME SPOT as Matt and Bryt, killing the entire vibe. God’s timing was getting ridiculous. (Don’t tell him I said that.) Matt, growing more frustrated than ever collects the camera from the spot in the rocks and they head for the truck…. Again. It’s now dusk and the two are settling into their campsite for the evening when Matt remembers he has a BEAUTIFUL string of Christmas twinkle lights in the truck.

Proposal attempt number four… this is going to be beautiful. Setup the lights and by the campfire, he’ll ask the most beautiful girl in the world the most important question of his life. Apparently, it’s not Christmas in God’s timing either. Two years of troubleless twinkle and those lights had decided they’d twinkled their last twinkle right then and there. Brytnee tweaked

every single bulb on the string, but the lights had gone. Night turned to morning and Matt could take it no longer. It didn’t matter that they weren’t near the beach and the twinkle lights had gone out, he setup the tripod that morning for proposal attempt number five. It was their perfect little family. Just as Matt, Bryt, and Maisel settled into frame, the park ranger from the previous day had surprised them by bringing her pup to play with Maisel. A speechless Matt took that tripod back down for the hundredth time, tucked it into the truck, and once again they were off. The PCH is known for its legendary views and today was no exception. Bryt notices a stunning lighthouse just off the highway and Matt decides immediately this spot will be a breathtaking spot for proposal number six. And I really believe it would have been, if the road to it wasn’t blocked and closed. AND IN NO WAY DID THIS MAKE BRYT FEEL ANY TYPE OF WAY ABOUT GOD’S INTENTIONS, I WON’T SAY IT AGAIN. So many attempts is bound to make anyone hungry and it was a little while down the road when Bryt mentioned grabbing breakfast. Matt pulled into that same little town from a couple years prior when they stayed at the Blue Bird Inn. Most people might not give it a second glance, but, when you fall in love for the first time with the one person God intended you to find… a welcome sign can look more like a “welcome home” sign. That’s the thing about God’s timing and His intention for our lives. It’s no accident Bryt and Matt’s plans were derailed during their first trip to Big Sur and they had to stay in this otherwise insignificant hotel. And it’s no accident that after six “picture perfect” attempts to propose to the girl of his dreams that God brought Matt and Bryt to this exact same spot. Desperate to begin this next part of their journey together. What seemed like red light after red light were just a series of yellows. God bringing them to their knees in remembrance that even when things don’t make sense, he is abundant and good. No matter what we have planned for our lives, God’s plan is better. The grandest gesture of them all is his faithfulness. So, faithfully, in the parking lot of the Blue Bird Inn that morning, at his wits end, Matt pulled out the tripod for the seventh and final time. If you don’t know, the significance of the number seven in the bible it symbolizes completion and perfection. God’s timing completely perfected the moment as Matt tearfully spoke the most important words of his life to the most important person in his life. I don’t know about you, but I’d say God has some pretty spectacular stuff planned for these two pretty spectacular people and I, for one, cannot wait to bear witness to it all. All that’s left now….. is to celebrate.

-Beverly Sartain (bridesmaid)