Tiffany + Matt

Although Tiffany met Matt in June of 2011 at a Taco Mac, there was already somewhat of a history between them. On Tiffany's first day on the job at PF Chang's, the chef hit on her. Tiffany quickly and confidently shot him down. And just as soon as she did, Tiffany's friend, who overheard the exchange, immediately said to her, “You need to marry Trivett.” 

Coincidentally, not one but two of Matt’s friends, after meeting Tiffany, later told Matt that they had just met his wife.

And so Matt did what most men would do: He began to Facebook-stalk Tiffany. Her profile pic at the time was an image of her amongst camels in Egypt. And he compared this picture with his own profile pic at that time, which was a picture of himself hanging out of the car taking a picture of himself...And he remembers thinking, “This girl is way cooler than I am.”

And so at Taco Mac that night in June, Matt played it cool. 

And so did Tiffany.  

In the ensuing weeks and months, they went to coffee shops, attended pool parties, hiked together, played music, went jogging and rock climbing, worked out, and took road trips to Nashville and Baltimore. They even tried to write a book and a sequel together, neither of which exist today. 

And in October of 2012, one evening at Matt’s parents’ cabin in Blue Ridge, Matt walked Tiffany outside to the balcony, where the stars were, as they described it to me, amazing. After watching Tiffany twirl beneath them for minutes, he brought her in close, got down on one knee, and asked for her hand in marriage.

…Which is what brings us to today, and this celebration.

photo by Erich McVey

Josh + Liz

The first glance for these two occurred in March of 2011 at the house party of a mutual friend. Liz was coming back from the embassy in Moscow; Josh, from the embassy in Bulgaria. Josh saw Liz seated from across the room and remembers thinking, “Who is that person?” He walked over to her, flipped an empty chair around, and cornered her in the living room. And they talked.

For six straight hours.

Only when they went back outside to get drinks did they realize…that cops had broken up the party, everything had been moved inside, and everyone was gone.

A few days later, Josh took Liz to what they remember as a “swanky speak-easy.” Josh wore a nice suit, which made Liz think he had a nice job.

In the ensuing months, they went to restaurants, played cribbage and backgammon together, talked about politics, foreign affairs, Congress, the world. And sometimes they read together, not talking at all. 

In the ensuing years, they explored important questions, traveled the world together to places including but not limited to Iceland, Guatemala, Mexico, Belize…Montreal, Paris, Istanbul, Jerusalem, San Francisco, & the Cape. They shared goals and dreams, and eventually they began to be able to see one another as a partner.

And then in September of 2012, Josh replicated his and Liz’s first trip together by traveling to Reykjavík, because as he put it to me, “I just wanted to take Liz back where I saw her the happiest.” One evening, after visiting a geothermal spring and the restaurant Blue Lagoon, Josh pulled out a ring box. And Liz almost fainted…because the box was empty. Because Josh wanted Liz to pick out the ring, which she eventually did, in Paris.  

But it was in Reykjavík, that he asked for her hand in marriage.

…Which is what brings us to today, and to this celebration.

photo by Joy Thigpen