6.29.2019
On a beautiful Summer day, Matt and Eni were married at Wedgewood Brittany Hill in Denver. It was a joyful, emotional day, and included some of the best dancing I’ve seen at a wedding reception!
Eni’s bridesmaids rocked mismatched dresses in different shades of blue, while Matt’s groomsmen (and a ring-bearing pug named Gizmo!) wore bright yellow bow ties that matched the handmade sunflower bouquets. Eni wore a gorgeous lace dress with a low back and a long train, and Matt wore a navy suit complimented by a man-bun he grew out just for Eni.
As Eni walked down the aisle, Matt smiled with tears in his eyes. He recounts this moment in his own words: “Seeing Eni come down the aisle is maybe my most cherished memory. She was so beautiful. I hadn't even seen her dress prior to that moment. I was wrecked. I'll forever be grateful that her beauty balanced out my ugly crying at that moment.” When she reached the end of the aisle, Eni joined Matt and her mother (who was dressed in a stunning royal blue Nigerian dress) for a prayer. Their ceremony was filled with equal parts laughter, happy tears, and prayer. They took turns reading their heartfelt vows, which was emotional for everyone who witnessed it!
After the ceremony, we took some portraits around the property (and even some in a parking lot though you could never tell!) Then they entered their reception as a married couple! There were several wonderful speeches, and as I mentioned before, some incredible dance moves. For Eni, the dancing was her favorite moment of the day. In her words: “Seeing all of our friends and family, diverse as they are, coming together to dance along with equal enthusiasm for Meat Loaf and Crime Mob was so cool!” Everyone danced the night away and then sent off Matt and Eni into married life with two giant sparklers.
Below you can learn a little bit more about their story, and what they thought of their wedding day!
How They Met
“By perfect timing, we were both in Pittsburgh, PA in 2015-2016. Matt was finishing his PhD at Pitt, and Eni was serving in the Americorps Health Corps. She showed up to his Bible Study one night, and the rest was history!”
The Proposal
Matt: “Eni hates how I tell this story, so I'll just leave it at: After making multiple attempts to drag her away for a cute engagement and being rebuffed due to med school responsibilities, I told her that we should make pizza together and watch the newly released season 2 of Stranger Things. In between episodes I gave her a card that said for the first time what I had felt for a long time, "Eni, I love you". As she was reading it I retrieved the ring, got on one knee, and asked her to marry me. She responded, "What is happening?" but eventually said yes.”
What they Anticipated Most
“In keeping with Eni's heritage, we had a traditional Nigerian (Yoruba) engagement ceremony last November. It was the biggest party I imagine we'll ever throw. Pretty much anyone in the community is allowed to come at basically anytime, and it was a logistical feat for which Eni, her mom, and our day-of coordinator, Lori, deserve a ton of credit, among others.
All that to say, we were really looking forward to having a more intimate, 70 person wedding where we hoped we could really make our closest family and friends feel like we wanted to celebrate their impact on our lives and they (hopefully) wanted to celebrate us! The fact that it would happen in Matt's native Colorado - we live in NC now - was a huge plus for him.”
Favorite Detail of the Wedding Day
Eni: “Oh, man. So many cool details. The Rocky Mountain sunset, the very personal craft beer selection, Gizmo, our ring-bearing pug... We think for us a sentimental and beautiful highlight was the boutonnieres and bouquets. They were made by Matt's twin sister's best friend, Celeste. She's been like another sister to Matt and his sisters for years and years. Matt definitely played the antagonistic brother to her at times, but she did such a lovely job on all of them and made us feel so loved. Runner-up would be the man-bun that Matt grew for 16 months at Eni's request.”
Matt: “Thankfully it only lives on now in memories and Gabrielle's wonderful photos.”
What They Are Looking Forward to Most
in Married Life
“For both of us, it's traveling before we have kids, and then having kids. We're going to visit family in the UK this spring, and then we'll take our honeymoon in Japan next summer. Hopefully, we can get to Norway, Continental Europe, and maybe Patagonia before we start thinking about little ones.”
Advice To Other Couples Planning A Wedding
“I think it's probably a personality thing, and though we really, really enjoyed the Nigerian ceremony, having an intimate wedding with our closest friends and family was lot less stressful, less expensive (or at least allows you to splurge more per guest), and overall what I think both of us envisioned in terms of an ideal wedding experience.”
Check out Matt and Eni’s wedding day below!
