A love story forged in the heart of central Pennsylvania, Matt and Courtney first met in State College, home of Penn State (We Are!)

As a recent graduate, Matt was an instructor in an outdoor bootcamp that Courtney attended. This is where they first met and became acquainted with each other in 2013.

Ironically, the seeds of their relationship were planted just weeks before Matt's departure back to his hometown of York, PA in 2015.

Even through the distance of a two hour drive, a special relationship continued to blossom. While it was a challenging situation with Matt working two jobs and Courtney traveling a majority of the state in a sales rep role, Courtney made the trip to visit almost every free weekend she had. This eventually led to her making the move to York, where they both continued advancements in their respective careers.

In 2018, Courtney moved into a new opportunity that required living in the Baltimore county area. Their relationship continued to evolve with the introduction of their first dog, a beautiful husky named Mya. 2021 brought the addition of a second husky, a wonderful male named Odin. As Courtney continued her rapid career advancement, an amazing opportunity brought this special family to the suburbs of Chicago in 2022.

After 8 long years of an amazing relationship, marriage simply felt like a formality. The time to propose was obviously past due! For Matt, what was most important was being together somewhere memorable, and the dogs had to be apart of this once in a lifetime experience. While traveling through tremendous sand dunes for a challenging hike, Matt found a truly special place on the secluded shores of Lake Michigan to finally propose after all these years, with Mya and Odin's whole hearted approval.

Two things that Matt and Courtney always shared from day one, was their love for dogs, animals, nature and outdoor adventures.

From hiking the infamous "stairway to heaven" in Hawaii, paddle boarding and kayaking Florida rivers and springs, exploring National Parks such as the Colorado Rockies, and walking a dozen miles to experience the streets of Amsterdam and London in all of it's beauty, Matt and Courtney knew that their wedding venue had to be much different than the traditional setting. They knew that it had to capture the essence and beauty of the outdoors, and it was really important to them that they created a memorable and exciting experience for their wedding guests.

While traveling to Washington State and exploring the diverse landscapes of the Olympic National Park, they were instantly blown away by the remote beauty this ecosystem had to offer. It was no debate that this was the place for their special day. Upon traveling back out in 2024 to visit a few prospective venues, they immediately fell in love with the property at Copper Creek, which was at the base of Mount Rainier. Of course, leading to another trip of fantastic adventures including hiking part of the snow covered mountain, it became clear that this was the perfect place to bring those important loved ones to celebrate their marriage and also experience one of the most amazing landscapes in the country.

Travel