The Lucky Lady: Rebekah Matthews, 25, 3rd Year Law Student
Her Leading Man: Zachary Thomas, 25, Systems Engineer
The Big Day: May 9th, 2015
How did you meet your man?
I met Zach at a Christmas dinner for my church in Lithonia. Funny thing is, I had heard of him, but thought he was dating a girl that I had recently befriended in an effort to encourage her to come to church. Someone tried to “set us up” but it failed horribly, I actually blew him off as corny that day.
Were you looking for love at the time?
No, I thought I already had love. Ironically, when Zach and I met, I was currently dealing with the remnants of another relationship. I had been dating someone on and off for a couple of years but he could not commit. So things were very rough when I met Zach and so I honestly didn’t give him the time of day because I was focused elsewhere. But he was persistent, and told me that he was willing to wait until I got over the other guy.
Was it love at first sight?
It was not love at first sight for me. I felt something after talking with him the second time we met, but I definitely tried not to feel anything because I was still hung up on another guy.
Describe your most romantic date ever?
Zach took me to Augusta with him for the first time after we started dating. He took me to the riverfront and we just walked, and talked and looked into each other’s eyes. It was night time, so we looked at the city lights and bridge overlooking the water. At the end of the date, we walked through a waterfall and held hands. It was simple, yet perfect!
At what moment did you know he was “The One” for you?
In April of 2013, Zach was in town again for a church event and I picked him up from the airport. We wanted to hang out but a few days earlier my father’s doctors informed us that he was not doing well and would likely pass away soon. The night he landed in Atlanta, I had to stop by my parent’s house and when we got there he did not look well. Things shortly went downhill and he was fading fast. Family members started to come by and I could not leave. Zach refused to leave my side (though we were not dating yet), and we were together when my father took his last breath. Family members who had never met him before told me he was a keeper. I ignored this for months, but I knew from this day, that he was the man for me.