Photos by Turtle Pond Photography

PERFECTLY MATCHED
Jennifer Martell was in the process of canceling her Match.com account when an unanticipated message was sent to her inbox. Her immediate reaction was to ignore the communication because her account would expire in 24 hours. But a voice inside said she could miss something special. After all, "What if he's the one?!" she half-jokingly asked herself as she clicked to open the letter.

The unknown sender was Clint Brown, a fellow South Bend resident currently working at Notre Dame. Instantly intrigued she emailed him a response and a connection instantly sparked. On back to back nights the new acquaintances talked for three hours on the phone, exchanging personal stories and finding many similarities.

The fast friends planned to meet in person after one week even though the meeting was predestined. Clint drove to Jennifer's home to pick her up, they went to a movie, enjoyed lunch together, strolled through Beutter Park talking for hours, then ended up at Jen's house to share another movie. The day passed like a dream and, in retrospect, Jennifer admits, "I never believed in love at first sight, but one day is all it took."

Not much time would pass before the couple went shopping for rings. When Jennifer finally found her diamond match, the jeweler informed the couple her ring of choice would be shipped in about a month.

The very next day, October 14, 2006, Clint asked Jennifer if she would mind a stroll through Beutter Park. Her boyfriend was involved in an inner-office "step challenge" utilizing pedometers to track employees' steps, and she knew it would be nice to support him, but, it was just too cold outside at the time. As the couple headed out the door for dinner, Clint asked again, "Want to go for a walk on the way?" Time was short and they were running late; Jen's answer was "no." Following dinner on their way to a play with her parents, Clint asked a third time, "Want to go for a walk on the way?"

Thinking his persistence was proof of his commitment to the office challenge, Jennifer agreed and Clint drove to Beutter Park In no time at all Clint was on bended knee with the exact ring Jennifer picked out just one day prior. After a gleeful, "Yes!" Jennifer learned Clint had prearranged for the jeweler to misinform her about the ring's availability. A true surprise, indeed!

The July 28, 2007 wedding arrived swiftly. Location of the ceremony and reception were ideal: Jennifer attended St. Mary's as an undergrad and, therefore, the ceremony took place on campus at the Church of Loretto, whereas

Clint's affiliation as an employee of the University of Notre Dame, was great reason for the reception to be held on his campus at the beautiful and spacious South Dining Hall. The dominant colors for the summer wedding were a flirty and fun Tiffany blue and neutral ivory, inspired by their first engagement gift, wrapped in the signature Tiffany's turquoise blue gift box with ivory ribbon. The day was a magical experience for the two, but when asked to put her feelings into words, Jennifer said the day's beauty was summed up in the look her father and Clint gave her when they saw her in her bridal gown. "There are no words--those two looks were all that mattered."

For their honeymoon, the couple traveled to New York before boarding a cruise to the eastern Caribbean. During their stay in the Big Apple, a close friend and co-worker had helped arrange for tickets to Live with Regis and Kelly. Not only were the tickets for front row seats, the newlyweds were briefly interviewed by Regis on tape and personally invited to spend time with the Notre Dame grad and famous TV personality in his very own office. Because the show was pre-recorded, the couple returned from their honeymoon and enjoyed reliving the experience as they watched themselves on TV.