September is a big month for Matt Pohren and his bride, Dr. Lindsey Beard Pohren.
They had their first date at Benson Brewery on Sept. 27, 2019, after meeting on the dating app Bumble. It lasted more than five hours.
Matt proposed to Lindsey on Sept. 24, 2022, and they were married on Sept. 30, 2023.
“We both wanted a fall wedding, and we are very happy that it was able to work out,” Matt said.
The proposal involved months of planning and trickery, and friends and family were in on the scheme as well.
Matt had a photographer in the Victorian Gardens at Lauritzen Gardens who took pictures and video while pretending to concentrate on the flowers. Both families were hiding in the main building and came down to also surprise Lindsey after the proposal.
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“Lindsey had no idea the proposal was coming, it was a complete surprise to her,” Matt said. “After the proposal, we had lunch reservations at M’s Pub and dinner reservations that night at 801 Chophouse with our families.”
Classic meets fun
Their colors were black and white with blush and gold accent tones for what they wanted to be an elegant occasion as well as a fun experience for their guests.
There was a lot of fun, they say.
Matt, after working with the DJ, videographer, photographer, wedding planner and bridesmaids, surprised Lindsey by singing her a rap song from a favorite Christian rap artist, Trip Lee. The song was called “Good Thing.”
Lindsey and her dad did a mashup of songs and dances for the father-daughter dance, which included “Butterfly Kisses,” “U Can’t Touch This,” “Jump On It,” “Party Rock Anthem,” “Shake Your Groove Thing,” and “Bye, Bye, Bye.”
Lindsey’s veil fell off halfway through the ceremony, which was met with smiles and chuckles from the 180 guests.
“Ultimately, everything else went pretty much as planned,” Matt said.
Cool dances a theme
The couple said the sweetest moment of the day was their first dance.
“We did a choreographed dance working with a dance instructor over five lessons and a lot of practice on our ends to pull it off. We were both really happy with it, and we got a lot of nice compliments.”
Their dance instructor for the Lionel Richie song “You Are” was Alex Pacheco with Simply Ballroom of Omaha.
They had light-up glow sticks during the dance party portion of the reception. They also provided white flip flops of all sizes for women to change out of their heels and into something more comfortable for dancing.
Matt’s groomsman gift was all white Nike low top shoes they could wear all night at the reception, as he had a special black shiny pair of Jordan lows that he got and used for the evening. “We took some fun photos with them at the reception as well.”
A late-night soft serve ice cream sundae bar kept everyone’s energy up, and was a huge hit.
Gifts keep giving
Matt’s parents gave them their save the date and wedding invitation as a framed compilation, a unique gift that they have hung in their home in the Keystone neighborhood.
Lindsey’s parents gave them six wine bottles to enjoy together for different “firsts” in their first year of marriage: first Christmas, first New Year’s, first Valentine’s, first dinner party they host, first baby and first anniversary along with engraved wine glasses.
Besides the rings they gave each other, Lindsey and Matt wrote love notes to each other and read them to each other at their first look as well as personal vows they said during the ceremony.
Matt wrote that Lindsey was his best friend, partner and his No. 1.
“I promise to always love you unconditionally and with all my heart and breath,” he said.
“So, grab your running shoes, your theater attire, your best Christian rap single; your Husker, 49ers and Chicago Bulls red, Viking purple, Gopher gold, and your T Pups, Creighton and Tar Heel blue and let’s do this thing.”
Lindsey said she was overjoyed to become Matt’s wife.
“You are the love of my life and my best friend. You are the man I want to raise children with, and I look forward to being a parent together, Lord-willing, and watching our kids grow,” she said. “I promise to keep laughing with you and to share all of life’s joys together.”