Today on LDS Bride Blog we are going to tell you all about Matt and Josie, their marriage in the Gila Valley Temple, and the sweet love story that started it all. Also some darling photos of our very own "Charleston" gown!
Gila Valley Temple | Charleston Gown
Matt and Josie met at a stake dance in August of 2012. Josie thought Matt was cute so she went and asked him to dance only, to find out he was 14. She was 17... so they didn't really hit it off. They remained friends on social media, though. When Josie graduated from high school she got into a relationship with a guy from the same little town as Matt, and it turned out that they were actually friends in high school! That's when Matt and Josie's friendship kicked into a higher gear.
When that relationship ended, Josie's heart was broken and she was left way down in the dumps. Matt was the sweetest friend to her and helped her mend her heart, find her way in life, and come back to church. When Matt graduated and left on his mission, Josie was determined to be as good a friend as he'd been to her and to support him throughout his time away. Somewhere along the way in the midst of all of those emails and handwritten letters, they fell in love. When Matt came home they decided to give dating a try and, in their words, "we just worked too well to deny".
They got engaged on November 18, 2017. After Josie got off work they were headed up to her grandparents' for an early Thanksgiving. As they were driving through one of the many tiny towns in Arizona, Matt suggested that they take a quick detour and drive past one of their favorite spots since it was on the way. They drove up to "their spot", which is just a cute little bench by the river in the middle of nowhere. They pulled up and the bench and little tree were lit up with fairy lights. Matt cracked a joke, "Oh, you think I have a ring in my pocket or something?" Josie just looked at him. Matt continued, "Well, these pants are pretty tight so I couldn't even hide a ring if I wanted to." Then... he got down on one knee. "But I could hide it in my boot." And there he asked Josie to be his wife, and she was smitten! (total heart eyes over here, not gonna lie) Smooth, Matt. We approve.
So, her dress. She had tried it on in a store in Mesa, AZ in December of 2016 when her best friend was buying her wedding dress. Josie didn't have a boyfriend at the time but she saw the dress and her friend (and friend's mom) basically forced her to try it on while they were there. It was the perfect dress! That was it. But, as she wasn't even dating anyone she didn't buy it and went on her way. Nearly a year later when she got engaged, she went back to that store and they no longer had the dress. She shopped around locally and online and couldn't find it anywhere. Josie was heartbroken. That was THE dress. Finally she found it on LatterDayBride online, and literally did happy dances with her mom. They ordered the Charleston and when it arrived it fit just as perfectly as the dress she'd tried on in Mesa! And well, it was her DREAM DRESS!
Matt and Josie were sealed in the Gila Valley Temple on March 10th. Josie said, "It was a cloudy and breezy day, but it made our pictures come out really nice! It was a beautiful day and I got so many compliments on my Charleston gown. It really was perfect and made me feel like a princess!" They did a first look and couple's session at Eastern Arizona College before their sealing, and then portraits at the Gila Valley Temple temple with their family afterwards.
Following the sealing the two families joined together at a local barn, complete with a mason jar chandelier, where they celebrated and danced the evening away!
We need to talk about this incredible bouquet wrap. It was handmade for her by her grandpa and featured their family brand on it! Also, Matt's parents did all the florals for the wedding. Amazing! 
Photographer: Marquette Laree
Hair: OlliJeffs Hair
Makeup: Lacy Hatch
Photographer: Marquette Laree 
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