If you’re thinking about going the (long) distance, read this

No matter how far the distance, listen to your heart.

Whether you’re two or 2000 miles away, listen to your instinct. Ashley and Matthew are living proof that chasing a feeling and going the (long) distance with someone special is worth it. This is their long distance story.

Matthew caught Ashley’s eye while at a club in Las Vegas, Nevada. After a few hours and a few more shots, Ashley daringly asked Matthew to take a picture of her and her friends. The two exchanged phone numbers and parted ways. Matthew drove back to California while Ashley flew back to Ohio. After a few short, surface-level text conversations, they lost touch and resumed their normal lives.

Two years later, Ashley received a Facebook friend request from that same Matthew. Again, a small series of basic messaging conversations fizzled out. A few years slowly passed. Ashley thought about Matthew, and Matthew Ashley. Almost an entire continent’s length away from him with few words ever exchanged, yet Ashley occasionally went back to the what if’s with Matthew…was he the one, and did she miss the relationship of a lifetime? Another Facebook message from Matthew months later, another fade-out.

And one more message half a year after that.

Which led to a three-hour phone call.

That turned into nightly three-hour phone calls.

After a few months, Matthew booked a flight to Ohio. Before stepping foot off the plane, Ashley knew Matthew was it. Matthew confirmed she was the one on the ride over. What Ashley describes as “two years and a lot of Verizon minutes later,” she moved to California to be with Matthew and his two all-star children.

Matthew proposed to Ashley as coolly as when they first met, during the sunset on an empty beach. Luckily, Ashley had a hunch, and packed her “I DO” tank top, which came in handy after the sun fell.

Check out the photos taken of these two on their wedding day. With the help of Gisele Chalhoub of Weddings By Gisele, their wedding was nothing short of perfect. Now that you know their inspiring love story, the pictures should have so much more meaning behind them. This long distance story is one of relatability, of soul, of hope, and of trusting that feeling. Ashley and Matthew’s wedding, and the long distance story behind it, stands for what so many people fantasize about, just as much as they dismiss as unrealistic.

If you have a feeling, don’t dismiss it. Find that person. Reach out.