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Philadelphia weddings: Heather Schmidt and Matthew Osborne

“I have got to come clean about this,” said Matt. “We watched an embarrassing number of Matthew McConaughey movies together that first week.”

MGWED01- Bride Heather Schmidt and her groom Matt Osborne during their wedding ceremony on the cricket court  6/15/19 at the Merion Cricket Club. PHOTO By Rebecca Barger Photography
MGWED01- Bride Heather Schmidt and her groom Matt Osborne during their wedding ceremony on the cricket court 6/15/19 at the Merion Cricket Club. PHOTO By Rebecca Barger PhotographyRead moreRebecca Barger Photography

Heather Schmidt and Matthew Osborne

June 15, 2019 in Haverford, Pa.

Hello, there

Fully embracing his role as rehearsal dinner emcee, Matt broke out his most deliciously embarrassing stories about the groom — his younger brother, Chris — and cracked his corniest jokes.

Impressed by his performance that March 2014 day in Houston, Rachel, the girlfriend of a groomsman, approached him. “I heard you live in D.C., and I heard you’re single,” she said. “I have some friends I’d like you to meet. We go out every Wednesday.”

Matt knew he’d have at least one thing in common with most of the group – the University of Richmond. He’d graduated from the school with a marketing degree in 2003, and his brother, much of the bridal party, and a good number of guests, graduated in later years. This included at least one of those not-at-the-wedding friends Rachel wanted Matt to meet.

That Wednesday, at a bar in Arlington, Va., Matt could hardly take his eyes off Heather (biology, 2007). She was sitting too far down the table for him to really talk to her. But he made up for that as the group walked to their second bar.

“We talked the rest of the night,” said Heather, who hails from Paoli and is now 35. “We had a lot in common, and it was an easy conversation.”

Topics included: A mutual love of dogs. The college peeps they both knew. Family. And Matthew McConaughey.

The next morning, Matt texted her an invite to watch McConaughey in True Detective that evening.

They consider that Saturday their first real date. “I picked her up in my car, and we went to brunch,” said Matt, who grew up in North Brunswick, N.J., and is now 38.

After brunch, it was back to his place for more McConaughey in Dallas Buyer’s Club.

“I have got to come clean about this,” said Matt. “We watched an embarrassing number of McConaughey movies together that first week.”

Heather laughed. “Matt [she means her man, not the actor] is pretty witty and funny. That’s what caught my attention.” She fell in love with his positivity, his good nature, and his good values.

Matt loved that she loved his jokes, and was drawn in by her beautiful brown eyes. He fell in love with Heather because “she’s the nicest person I’ve ever met. We share similar values and ethics, which is important. And she’s also more analytical and very organized, which is a nice balance for me. We protect each other’s blind spots.”

In December 2015, Matt was visiting his parents, Dottie and Skip, when his father unexpectedly died. Heather immediately drove to New Jersey.

Skip had worked at Citibank for more than 40 years, and the company held a memorial reception. Matt said he would put together a slideshow with photos and music. “Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to do that,” he said. “Heather looked it up, figured out how, and helped me put together a beautiful presentation. I was looking at these photos of my dad from a baby to the end of his life, and I was an emotional train wreck. She was my lighthouse.”

Heather, now a project manager with Samsung, worked for government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton back then. Matt, who is now a senior sales director for Anheuser-Busch, was already with the company, but in a different role. In 2016, Matt was promoted to a new role — in Boston.

Heather didn’t want to give up her friends and proximity to her family without a firmer commitment, but also didn’t want that commitment until they were both ready for it. So for about two years, they dated long distance.

The engagement

In September 2017, Anheuser-Busch told Matt his office was moving to Jersey City, N.J. That December, Matt took Heather’s parents, Laurel and Edward, to dinner and got their blessing to propose.

Everyone kept the secret until June 2018, when the couple took a trip to Bermuda. On their way from the Hamilton Princess to dinner, Heather began sharing lore about the Bermuda moon gates. “I was telling Matt the story of how these moon gates bring good luck in marriage, and so people marry under them, when we passed by one,” she remembered.

Matt stopped walking, and backed up. “Take a picture of me under it!” he said. Heather thought this was really weird — Matt doesn’t like to have his picture taken – but she took out her phone. “Come closer,” he urged. She walked toward him, snapping away as he knelt.

“Will you marry me?” he asked. She said yes, and they called their parents and the rest of their family, including Heather’s sister, Stephanie, who was still in the hospital with baby Paul, born the night before.

It was so them

Matt and Heather were married beneath a canopy of flowers on the lawn of the Merion Cricket Club. Brian, another University of Richmond alum and Matt’s best college friend, was ordained online to perform the honors.

Walking down the aisle with her father toward Matt, Heather knew the day was going to fly by. “Remember this,” she told herself.

Matt kept his late father’s Eagle Scout coin in his pocket. Skip had always carried the coin, which reminded him to do at least one good deed daily. “Having his coin in my pocket gave me a feeling he was there with me,” Matt said.

Brian wove in wonderful stories about the couple that had guests mostly laughing and sometimes crying.

The reception for 150 featured the band that provided the soundtrack to Dewey Beach summers for the couple and many of their friends: Kristen and the Noise.

“When we found out they are local and were available, it was a no-brainer,” Heather said. “Everybody was on the dance floor the whole time, which is exactly what we wanted.”

Awestruck

The couple’s first dance was to the Lumineers’ “Ho Hey.” Dancing and singing with her new husband, hearing their friends cheering and clapping, Heather thought, “This is the most amazing day ever. I’m dancing with Matt, and all our friends and family are here. I don’t know how it could ever get much better than this.’”

The night ended with Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and the couple on stage with their band. “We had a bird’s eye view of all the people who had come to celebrate this incredible day with us, and looking out at the love, the energy, and the fun being had was incredible,” Matt said.

The budget crunch

A bargain: The couple knew they wanted to work with photographer Rebecca Barger, based on her photography of Heather’s sister’s wedding two years ago. Rebecca gave the Schmidts a repeat customer discount.

The splurge: The band, which they say was worth every penny.

Honeymooning

Two weeks soaking in the beauty, relaxing on the beach, eating great seafood, and watching sunrise from the top of a volcano on the Hawaiian islands of Kauai and Maui.

Behind the scenes

Officiant: Brian Steiner, friend of the couple, Reston, Va.

Venue and food: Merion Cricket Club, Haverford, Pa.

Cake: Clay’s Bakery, Berwyn, Pa.

Music: Kristen and the Noise, Midnight Sun Company, Newtown Square, Pa.

Photography: Rebecca Barger Photography, Jenkintown, Pa.

Videography: Be Films, Haddonfield, N.J.

Flowers: Fleur De Lis Floral, Paoli, Pa.

Dress: Ines Di Santo, purchased from the Wedding Shoppe, Wayne, Pa.

Hair: Amanda D’Andrea from Amanda D’Andrea Hair, Philadelphia

Makeup: Kristina Borsello from Kristina Ruggerio Cosmetics, Wilmington, Del.

Groom’s attire: Hickey Freeman, Nordstrom

Transportation: Limo Today, Bensalem, Pa.

Invitations/Programs: Linda Broder, Pen and Paper, Bryn Mawr, Pa.

Rings: Cooke and Berlinger, Haverford, Pa.