OUR STORY
GROOM
Matt Gall
BRIDE
Megan Kersh
Like many modern DC couples, Matt and I met on Bumble. His tagline, "Midwesterner living in DC", was a natural conversation starter. After a few messages, I found out that he grew up within an hour of where my parents were raised in Northwest OH. A few days go by and I asked him out with the lure that DC was finally at the perfect (but brief time) of the year where it is pleasant to enjoy drinks outdoors. When agreeing on a location, I learn that he works a 5 minute walk from my office. We enjoyed several mojitos, talking and laughing as we enjoyed the swirl of DC life around us. Call it chemistry, instant connection, (and a touch of convenience?) - we exchanged numbers and soon planned a second date, Tony Packo's on the roof. We made it through our first college football season together that year and have been inseparable ever since!
THE ENGAGEMENT STORY
I had initially went ring shopping over Thanksgiving with my mom at a local jewelry store in Toledo. My family has been going there for years, so I figured this was a good place to start for not having a clue about what I was doing aside from having a few pieces of intel collected from friends.
Megan and I went back to Ohio for Christmas. I was able to sneak away for a while and went to pick up the ring while she took a nap back at my parent’s house. I then decided that the day I was going to propose was December 23. We woke up early that morning to have breakfast with my friends who were in town for the holidays. I suggested to Megan that she wear something more than her typical leggings/workout attire to breakfast and mentioned subtly that she might want to fix her hair a bit.
I was quite nervous all through breakfast as I had the ring in my coat pocket that was sitting on the back of my chair. As we parted ways as breakfast ended, I suggested to Megan that we go take a picture of a covered bridge in Delta, Ohio that donned her mother’s family name and that we have it framed for her for Christmas. We stopped at my parent’s house and I quickly found my mom’s camera and tripod. I gave myself a quick tutorial on how to use the camera and timer setting while Megan took a quick work call.
When we arrived at the covered bridge, I set up the camera and took a few pictures of the bridge itself. It was a perfectly clear and sunny December day. I then told Megan to get into the frame and that I would take a few with just her. She begrudgingly obliged. After a few pictures, I hopped into the frame (to test out if I would fit in for the proposal itself). I went back to review the photos, and it worked.
Now was the time. I set the timer again and jogged back into place. I’m not sure exactly what I said, but it was something like “Megan, I love you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, will you marry me?” She said yes, and I gave her the ring! After embracing for a few moments after the proposal, I ran back to check the photos. Success!
Megan claims she was suspicious because I was “acting weird all morning”, but I truly believe she was 100% surprised by the proposal. We celebrated by getting donuts at a nearby bakery and headed back to my parent's house to share news with our friends and family!