How It Began
Matt saw Laura for the first time on their first day of preschool. The two quickly became friends and it was clear that Matt liked her because he followed her around the whole time. Laura liked the attention, so she didn't mind.
However, it was clear from the beginning that Laura only liked Matt as a friend because she thought he was goofy. Still, they loved being friends and spending time together. It didn't take long for them to become inseparable.
Always Together
The two little friends quickly started hanging out together after school. Their parents began setting playdates for them almost every day, where they would run around outside and play in the pool.
They also loved watching movies together, and the cutest thing about it was that they held hands while watching them! Matt always quoted lines from The Lion King to Laura because it was her favorite movie, and she was very impressed by his reciting skills.
He Tried To Impress Her
Matt was always showing off and trying to impress Laura, and it worked most of the time. She also tried to impress him by teaching him simple things like the ABC, and he thought she was the smartest girl in the world.
It was clear that Matt had a huge crush on Laura, and one day he even proposed to her in class. He professed his undying love for her, but their classmates made fun of him for it so Laura didn't take him seriously.
Preschool Buddies
After his failed marriage proposal in preschool, Laura and Matt remained the best of friends. They never imagined that this event would foreshadow their future...
The two were inseparable all throughout preschool but, when the time to start first grade came, the two were separated in different classes, which was extremely difficult for them given that they were used to spending every single day together.
Separated
It was hard for Matt and Laura to be in different classes, but they eventually got used to it. They usually saw each other during the weekends for their regular playdates, but that was about it.
Matt and Laura were still best buddies but did not get to play as much as they used to. Their parents reassured them that playdates will be scheduled on the weekends.
Losing Contact
But things quickly changed for the worse. Laura's family moved to a different district, which meant she had to attend a different school altogether. The two best friends went from spending every weekend together to only communicating through one Christmas card a year.
Although hang out together was very important to them, they couldn't do it as often as they wanted to. Slowly, they began to lose contact and eventually stopped seeing each other completely.
Could It Be?
The years passed, and Matt and Laura almost forgot about each other entirely. The two were just a distant memory to each other, but they hadn't spoken in over a decade. Then one day, everything changed.
Laura was already in high school when she suddenly saw Matt's name pop up on a friend's phone by total chance. She had to take a second glance and ask her friend: "Is this guy on your phone named Matt Grodsky?"
Old Memories Come Back
Laura hadn't thought of Matt in years, and now she suddenly saw him on a friend's phone. This brought back a lot of fond memories from her childhood, when she and Matt were inseparable.
She then told her friend all about her history with Matt and how the two were best friends when they were little. However, she felt a little shy and didn't want to contact Matt after all these years cause maybe he would think it was weird.
Playing Cupid
Laura's friend thought Laura and Matt's story was extremely adorable and encouraged Laura to reach out to Matt. After she refused, her friend realized she had to take matters into her own hands and set them up on a date.
But Laura wasn't having it. Just because they were inseparable as children it didn't mean they would be compatible now. However, it was already too late to say no, because her friend had already sent Laura's number to Matt.
Reconnecting
As soon as Laura's friend contacted Matt and gave him Laura's number, he texted Laura. He was very excited and intrigued about reconnecting with his childhood friend and wanted to see how she had been doing all those years.
After texting for a while, Matt decided to be brave and ask her out. Laura said yes, and the two agreed to go see a movie together. When they met in person, it was as if no time had passed at all.
In Love
Matt and Laura had experienced what can best be described as love at first sight, or actually, second sight. As soon as they saw each other again after all those years, they knew they wanted to be together.
It didn't take long for them to officially become boyfriend and girlfriend after that. The two were still attending different high schools but now that they were older, they could drive back and forth on weekends to see each other.
Going To College
Soon after they started dating, the young couple graduated high school and were ready to start going to college. The two were going to different colleges, but they were never worried about that. In fact, they were more than happy to take on the challenge of a long distance relationship.
The biggest problem they had was that they were in different time zones, but they found ways to work around that. They often called each other on the phone, had video calls, and sent each other letters to keep the relationship alive.
It Was A Tough Decision
The first time they were separated they lost all contact with each other, yet that happened when they were just children. Deciding whether to stay together despite being 1,000 miles apart was tough, but the feelings they had for each other were strong and they wanted to stay together.
“Right after we graduated from high school, we were pretty hesitant,” said Laura in an interview with People Magazine. “We were like, ‘Do we stay together? Do we try to make it work?’” Luckily, they decided to make it work, and it definitely paid off.
Separated For Six Months
The biggest challenge they had to face during this time was not seeing each other at all for six months. They were both extremely busy with school work and exams and could not take time off to make the 1,600-mile trip to meet.
Luckily, they passed this test and the distance made their hearts grow fonder. After they reunited, something clicked in Matt's head, and he realized that he never wanted to be apart from Laura ever again.
Back To Where They Met
After planning it for a long time, Matt decided it would be nice for him and Laura to go back to the place where they had first met all those years ago. Laura thought it was a cute idea and did not suspect anything else would happen.
The two celebrated their fourth anniversary by having a picnic outside the preschool where they had met all those years ago. But towards the end of the date, Matt surprised Laura with an unexpected move...
A Big Surprise
“I convinced Laura that we were going to a picnic at the preschool,” Matt explained in an interview. However, he had even bigger plans in mind.
“We had just finished up our junior year of college, so I framed it as a nice relaxing date,” Matt told the Huffington Post. Laura did not suspect anything, but Matt was about to make a move that would change their lives forever.
He Proposed!
As they were finishing up their picnic at the place where they first met, Matt suddenly got down on one knee and proposed to the love of his life. Laura could not believe it and started crying right away.
Laura described the special moment by saying “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, is this happening?’ I saw the ring and was like, ‘This is gorgeous. I’m so happy. I had no idea.” Needless to say, she said "Yes."
He Planned It For Months
Although it all happened quite fast for Laura, Matt had been planning the proposal for months. He actually asked Laura's father for his blessing and bought an engagement ring way before the proposal took place.
Matt also asked his brother to go to the preschool with them and hide until the moment he proposed so that his brother could take pictures. He even hid a bottle of champagne inside the picnic basket to celebrate afterwards!
He Couldn't Wait
It is a little unusual for a couple to get engaged while they are still in college. Most people will wait until after graduation to get married, but Matt was so in love with Laura that he could not wait any longer.
After all, their relationship had been in the making since they were in preschool, so they knew that they were meant to spend the rest of their lives together. It just didn't make sense to wait!
Tying the Knot
Laura and Matt tied the knot a year and a half after they got engaged. The ceremony took place on December 30, 2016, at the Arizona Historical Society.
Matt's uncle, who officiated the marriage, said these wonderful words during the ceremony: “For most kids in preschool, it’s about finding your snacks and your sleeping mats, but for them, it was about finding their soulmates."
Like A Fairytale
Remember we said that Laura's favorite movie growing up was The Lion King and that Matt quoted it to impress her when they were little? Well, their wedding son was Can You Feel The Love Tonight?, a song featured in the movie.
“Our favorite part of the wedding was the dancing and having everyone we love there to celebrate with us,” Matt and Laura said in an interview with People. “We tore it up on the dance floor and it was great being surrounded by everyone who played a part in bringing us together,” they added.
A Lovely Honeymoon
Of course, you can't have a fairytale wedding without a dream honeymoon. The happy couple went to Maui for two weeks to celebrate their marriage and had a wonderful time there.
Although it was great to have a big wedding with all their friends and family, the couple enjoyed their honeymoon the most because it was just the two of them. Finally, they were together and this time, it was forever.
Going Viral
Once they came back home from their honeymoon, Laura thought it would be nice to make a Facebook post celebrating their marriage. She uploaded a picture of her and Matt as kids next to a current picture of them.
Somehow, unexpectedly, people started sharing her post and before they knew it, their story went viral. The couple could not believe it but were happy about the fact that thousands of people were touched by their sweet love story.
Spreading Like Wildfire
Their story became even more popular when an Instagram account called “The Way We Met” picked up their story and shared it, resulting in 30,000 likes and about 1,000 comments!
Soon enough, different media outlets were reaching out and asking them to tell their love story. They gave interviews for big outlets such as The Today Show, People Magazine, and The Huffington Post.
An Inspiration
After such a long road, Laura and Matt were living the dream life they always wanted. Not only were they married and adopted a dog together, but now their story was inspiring thousands of people all over the world.
Stories like this are refreshing and help people believe in the power of true love. We don't know what's next for this lovely couple, but judging by their history, we can only assume it is a happily ever after.