GENEVA AND MATTHEW FEATURED IN THE LIMELIGHT | SAINT MARY OUR LADY OF GRACE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE VINOY RENAISSANCE ST. PETERSBURG RESORT AND GOLF CLUB | ST. PETERSBURG, FL

December 23, 2017 Rebecca Zoumberos

Matt and Geneva met on an evening out in Miami (January 3, 2014 to be precise). Matt had friends in town for the upcoming Florida State University (FSU) national championship game. Geneva had plans to be out of town but as fate would have it her flight was cancelled due to inclement weather anywhere north of Florida. She decided to make the most of it and headed out to dinner with friends.

The night ultimately led them both to Fado's Irish Pub where Geneva was immediately taken by Matt's charm. :) They both could tell that there was something special about the other. Several days later, despite knowing that the game could get quite intense, Matt invited Geneva over to meet his friends and to watch his alma mater, FSU, play Auburn in the 2014 national championship game. Fortunately, FSU ended up winning. Even better, Matt and Geneva hit it off and the rest is history!

After talking about it for a few months, Matt and Geneva decided to take a trip to Cuba in early 2017. They wanted to have the experience before life in Cuba significantly changed with the borders becoming more open and the possibility of increasing American influence. They booked their flights for February 2017.

The first day in Havana was spent taking a 2 1/2 hour taxi ride direct from the airport to the Valley of Vinales, followed by 4 hours of horseback riding in the beautiful countryside. Matt was looking for opportunities to propose but the timing was never quite right. That night, Matt attempted several times to get Geneva to go for a walk on the Malecon but she complained of complete exhaustion and his plans were foiled.

The next morning, the couple decided to venture out into the city shortly after breakfast. They walked by the Hotel Nacional down towards the Malecon. Once there, Matt climbed upon the breaker wall and asked Geneva to join him. Geneva turned down the request, stating she had on a dress and couldn't possibly get up on the wall. Matt requested again after which Geneva finally complied. He asked her for the camera she was holding, which she refused because she wanted to take pictures after climbing up on the wall. He finally got the camera out of her hand and got down on one knee.

This was quite the pleasant surprise for Geneva, who had no idea that a proposal was on its way. Matt asked his best friend to spend the rest of her life with him and of course, she said YES! They got the opportunity to celebrate the occasion with one of Geneva's closest friends (and maid of honor), Sara, and her boyfriend, Ramsen, who arrived in Havana later that day!

This sweet couple is fun spirited, dedicated to family and friends and each other, have a strong work ethic, intelligent, optimistic and energetic. They enjoy running, spending time with their puppy Kailani, traveling and going on adventures, spending time with their family, time at the beach, discovering new places/restaurants, visiting their friends.

They knew when they first became engaged that they wanted to get married before the end of 2017. They wanted to share the moment with all of their family and closest friends. It was a special moment for everyone to come together and enjoy a wonderful evening/celebrating of this amazing moment in their lives.

Matt is from Safety Harbor and we wanted a location that had a connection to home while maintaining elegance and romance for our wedding day. The bride's dress was chosen on a similar type of theme. Their wedding was elegant, vibrant, romantic, colorful and FUN! They were excited for the entire day. They both really enjoyed starting out the day spending time getting ready with their closest friends. Also very special was the first look with each other and the bride’s first look with her father. It was a joy to share in the ceremony with their loved ones, many made a long journey to be with them. Finally, they had a blast celebrating on the dance floor with all of their closest friends and family! aIt was fun celebration for Geneva + Matthew and all of their guests where they made amazing memories to last a lifetime.

The highlights of the ceremony was the entrance of the parents, bridal party and of course the bride; the moment the bride's father presents her to the groom, the vows, the first kiss, the exit of the newly married couple. The highlights of the reception: were the entrance of bridal party and bride/groom; bride and groom first dance; bride/father dance; son/mother dance; speeches, cake cutting, all the time on the dance floor! The vibe all night was one of excitement, energy and inclusion!

Congratulations to Geneva and Matthew!