Amanda & Matt | Family Life, 10 Years Later

Amanda and Matt won our honeymoon contest, got married, and jetted off to Aruba for their week-long honeymoon adventure. Now we’re congratulating them on their upcoming 10h Anniversary and happy to hear what they’ve been doing since their honeymoon!

“We live in Dutchess County, New York,” they tell us, “about 30 minutes north of where we both grew up. We bought our home in 2016, knowing we wanted a house with space for our growing family.”

They have “three amazing kids!” Sophia is 7 years old and in second grade. “She’s the best big sister, stays busy playing travel soccer, and also loves shopping! Cameron is 6 years old and in first grade. He’s most definitely his father’s son and loves all things sports! At any point he can be found playing, watching, or talking about sports. Callie is 2 years old and keeps us on our toes! She loves to dance and do anything her big sister and brother are doing.”

 Matt is a Physical Education teacher at a high school in Westchester County, NY. He stays busy between work and coaching the Varsity Boys Basketball and Varsity Boys Lacrosse teams. Amanda is a Second Grade teacher at a private elementary school in Westchester County, NY. “It’s the same school the proposal took place at 10 years ago!”

No stay-at-home parents here! “We both work full time as teachers, traveling 2+ hours a day to and from work. Life is hectic, leaving the house at 6:15am with all three kids and not returning home sometimes until after 7pm because of sports practices. Dinner is often on-the-go and we’re up late making sure everything is set to do it all over again the next day. There is not much down time in our lives these days!”

 Sports practices and games take up the majority of their free time at the moment, “so being together to cheer one another on is something we love to do. When we’re home, outside is where you can find us! Scooters, bikes, basketball, or a walk around our neighborhood. We just love being outside. We also love movie night! Snacks, blankets, and laying together on the couch!”

They enjoy activities, with Matt playing outside with the kids, Amanda baking together, Sophia on family vacations, Cameron asking for movie nights, and Callie playing outside with her siblings. 

What worked for their wedding? “For our wedding favor, we decided to donate money to a charity. With us both being teachers,” says Amanda, “we felt the money we would have spent on favors would be put to better use supporting children’s education. Also, we got married at the church in our hometown and there was a block of time before our reception started. We made sure to take pictures during that in-between time so we could be fully present and enjoy every minute with our guests once the cocktail hour began. 

What was the best advice they got for there wedding? “To take a step back at some point during the night to just watch and take it all in,” says Matt. “Every person in the room was there to celebrate us, and it’s such a special feeling to know that so many people love and support our love.”

Not all advice was useful. “Someone told us to make sure we sat and ate. Someone else said to stop at every single table to thank everyone for coming. Insteads, we danced, mingled, and had fun all night. We saw everyone in passing or on the dance floor. Everyone knew how grateful we were for them to be there. We would rather meet them on the dance floor than have them sit and wait for us!”

So many wedding memories! “But one of the best ones was seeing our students at our ceremony,” says Matt. “We invited them to the church since they played such an important role in our proposal, and we have a picture with them all.  It’s still one of our favorites!”

Amanda tells us about another top memory were. “The speeches given by Matt’s brothers, who were the best men, my sister, who was maid of honor, and my dad. Every speech was heartfelt and special, with some teasing mixed in. We felt all the love and time they poured into what they said.” 

Despite their buy schedules, they manage to keep the spark in their relationship. “Life is busy,” they acknowledge, “but we always try to make time for just us. Whether it’s a date night, which doesn’t happen too often (!) or ten minutes to sit down and talk about our day after a late-night practice, we always make time to connect about the little things.”

See Amanda & Matt’s Honeymoon-Winning Story and how he proposed in the school were they both worked!
And here’s Their Honeymoon Adventure in Aruba!