The Hunter-Hargrave story begins with an app called Coffee Meets Bagel. Most people are familiar with how these apps function – you see some pictures and interests and then pass the ultimate judgment with a swipe. Drew’s experience with the app was textbook. Matt, on the other hand, was having technical difficulties and came across a profile with blank white photos. However, this did not blind him from the many green flags he was able to see on her profile. Luckily they matched, had great chemistry in conversation, and decided to set up a first date.
Matt’s research had found that dinner on a weekend wasn’t best for a first date so weekday brunch it was at Sabrina’s Cafe on Monday, February 26th, 2018. The food came out of the kitchen with an ease similar to that of the conversation. It all went perfectly. On the drive home, Matt sent Drew a follow up text asking when they could do it again. The messaging back and forth was on an upward trajectory and things were looking good. They continued to talk about their common interests and may have exchanged some trash talk regarding board games.
For date #2, Drew invited Matt over and was prepared to make him put his money where his mouth was. Not only was she about to destroy him in a board game he’d never played called Castles of Burgundy, but it was also more complex than any game he’d ever played before. Despite the colossal victory she had over him, Matt passed the test and was nervously excited to try all the other games in her collection – something they did throughout the many next dates.
After a couple short months Matt was traveling to Drew just about every day and they were starting to build lifelong memories together. In April it was official - Matt had made his first appearance on Drew’s Instagram. He was no longer ‘some guy’ and she was now his ‘main squeeze’. They attended the Franklin Institute Science Festival where they were given the most delicious free ChapStick and held a fuzzy green caterpillar thing. This date made The Franklin a special place in their hearts and was an influence in choosing it for the big day.
Drew loved to travel and began to plan more adventures. She was very organized and liked to make sure they had a thorough trip planned if they were going somewhere. In the months that followed they attended a wedding in Massachusetts, explored many parts of Philly, roadtripped to North & South Carolina, hiked Grandfather Mountain, and even went out to LA where he met her parents. Drew’s passion for traveling was passed down to her by them and they were ready to pass it on to him as well. They explained that they were planning on traveling with Drew for the holidays and wanted him to join. They invited him to fly with them to Bali, Indonesia. They celebrated New Year’s there and were excited to be starting 2019 together. They’ve since traveled to Panama, Belize, and almost 20 different states together with one of the most notable being Alaska for an obvious reason.
Leading up to the trip, Drew said something to Matt like “Oh how lovely would it be to get engaged in Alaska”. He very much appreciated her clarity and Matt began thinking about what he might need to bring with him. Wink wink. He also set up a zoom with her parents to share and include them in his plans. It was going to be wonderful to have them there for the proposal and they were ready to help him make it happen.
When getting ready for the trip there was talk of it being the rainy season. This particularly excited Matt because it meant he could pack his excessive and rarely used rain gear. It also meant that the first half of the trip didn’t provide the perfect day for their perfect moment. As they headed to Denali National Park, however, the clouds started to clear.
Denali was the source of many stories Drew heard growing up because her father was extremely into hiking, and climbing to the peak was something he had always wanted to do. As Matt vacationed with them he had also heard the stories and it became something that connected them all already prior to even entering the park.
On their one full day at the park, the weather forecast was clear, the scenery was beautiful, and the anticipation built. They loaded up onto the bus and began their journey into the park. On the drive there were a few locations that seemed like it could work but didn’t feel quite right, and so he gambled and continued to wait. During one of the stops, Matt secretly asked the tour guide about the upcoming stops and where might be the best place to get down on one knee.
They finally reached the spot the guide recommended. Denali was completely visible and there were no clouds in sight. Matt gave Drew’s parents a look to remind them to get the cameras ready as they had previously planned. Matt asked Drew if she wanted to walk down the hill a bit and they started to stroll down hand in hand. This was it. This was the spot he had been waiting on for 12 days. He got down on one knee and asked Drew to marry him. It was sweet, emotional, and perfect. They took lots of pictures and when they got back on the bus everyone cheered. Denali and Alaska will always hold a special place in their hearts.
Matt and Drew can’t wait to continue adventuring together, learning from each other, and creating memories all along the way.