Matthew and Sarah met on the Sovereign Grace Singles dating website in March 2023. They messaged casually at first as Sarah was working tax season hours, but after tax season was over things started to pick up and they soon started having regular video calls, eventually deciding that they wanted to meet in person. On June 2 Matthew flew from Fresno, CA to Huntsville, AL to meet Sarah and her family in person for the first time. The day after returning home to Fresno Matthew started looking at engagement rings, though he knew they needed to take some more time to figure things out. In July Sarah and her father reciprocated by flying to Fresno for the first time, and Sarah and Matthew began alternating regular trips back and forth to see one another after that.

On October 27th, while at a contra dance event hosted by Sarah’s brother’s church, Matthew asked Sarah if she wanted to go outside for a breath of fresh air, at which point he asked her to marry him (ok, she knew he was going to be proposing that weekend but thought he was going to do it the following day…he did need to get her input on the ring, after all, though he is very proud to say that he ended up getting exactly what he would have gotten even without her input).

The couple immediately started making plans (Sarah had already checked out books on wedding planning from the library), and before long had solidified plans to be joined as husband and wife on May 18, 2024 at Christ Presbyterian Church in Owens Cross Roads, AL, where Sarah and her family are members. They will be starting their married life by living on the farm where Matthew works near Riverdale, CA. Matthew and Sarah are grateful to the sovereign God of heaven and earth who has been preparing them over the course of their entire lives to love each other, has gifted them both with grace through saving faith in Jesus Christ, and pray that he will guide them through every moment of their married life.