Once upon a time in 2014, Matthew was strumming away in a band with friends. It was at a recording studio where we first met. Taylor was there with her best friend, whose father happened to be one of the band's guitarists. We came to watch them play and exchanged a brief hello, not knowing that four years later, our paths would cross again in the most unexpected way.

Years went by. Taylor was now living with her best friend and working at an art consultant firm. One day, she jokingly mentioned that she wanted to keep her initials the same if she ever got married. That little comment made its way to Matthew, whose last name also started with a “T” and something about it just stuck.

The first chance to reconnect was at a Christmas party, but Matthew couldn’t make it. The second was New Year’s Eve and this time, he showed up. Taylor was initially awkward and tried to avoid him, but destiny had other plans. We eventually found ourselves outside, talking under the stars. We clicked instantly, talking the entire night. As the clock struck midnight, we shared our first kiss though Taylor, thanks to a bit too much to drink, didn’t remember it the next day!

The very next day, we had our first official date at Versace. Six months into our relationship, we decided to move in together, along with Taylor's adorable puppy, Azalea, and Matthew’s cat, Callie. We found an apartment in Coram and made it our home for a year. Despite our crazy neighbors in the complex and Azalea's mischievous antics that cost us our security deposit, we cherished every moment.

Towards the end of our lease, Matthew's grandmother passed away, leaving her home to his mom. We helped his parents clean and prepare the house for estate sales. Eventually, his mom offered for us to live there, provided we took care of the expenses and upkeep. We agreed and have been happily living on Warner Lane for the past five years. Our family grew with the addition of Matthew's grandma's two cats, Blaze and Tigger.

Life has thrown its share of challenges our way. Recently, we lost our beloved cat, Tigger, to cancer. His passing broke our hearts, but it also showed how strong we are together. We’ve set up a memorial for Tigger and are giving extra love to our other pets. This tragedy reaffirmed that as long as we have each other, we can get through anything.

In our professional lives, we've always supported each other. We've worked together at a mail house, then at Dr Print before COVID hit, and finally at Broadridge. After three years, we both moved on to better opportunities, Taylor as a Purchasing Coordinator at Designs for Vision, and Matthew as a Setup Mechanic at Piping Rock.

In August 2023, we embarked on a trip to France where Matthew planned to propose. He had secretly planned the entire trip and even devised a way to get Taylor’s ring size without her knowing. Nervously, he carried the ring through airport security and all the way to the Eiffel Tower. Under the pretense of filming a YouTube video, he got down on one knee and asked Taylor to marry him. Her response was a mix of surprise and joy: "Are you fucking kidding me?!.........YES!!!" The moment was perfect, and we couldn’t have been happier, even though Taylor wishes she was not dressed so casually lol.

Traveling has become a significant part of our relationship. Our first trip was a road trip to Georgia with friends, followed by skiing in New Hampshire and then a Caribbean cruise. France was certainly a memorable destination, and recently, our friends from France visited us in New York. We had an incredible two week vacation, visiting places all over Long Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and even Canada!

Now, as we stand on the brink of our next big adventure, we are so grateful to have you with us to celebrate our love and future together. Thank you for being part of our journey. We can't wait to share this precious day with you and create some more unforgettable memories.

With love,

Matthew & Taylor