These Golf Lovers Had a ‘Garden Party’ Wedding at Hackensack Golf Club

For their September 16, 2023 wedding, Katie and Matt wanted a “southern garden party” themed wedding. Plus, the pair met on a golf trip and the sport is a huge part of their lives so, of course, a Hackensack Golf Club wedding was perfect for them.

Their Story 

Katie and Matt met through mutual friends on a golf trip to Kiawah, South Carolina. “My friend invited me to spend two weeks in Kiawah during Covid-19 in a shared house with her boyfriend and his siblings and cousins,” says Katie. “Matt was one of the cousins, and we hit it off! We instantly bonded over our love of all sports, competitive nature, and being family-oriented.”

The Proposal

“We got engaged on a very cold day in December 2022,” says Katie. “Matt and I brought our dog, Rosie, on a walk in Matt’s hometown, where we were celebrating an early Christmas with his family. He popped the question on the walk and by the time we got back to his parent’s house, my whole family was there to join in on the celebration!”

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Their Hackensack Golf Club Wedding

For their September 16, 2023 wedding, the couple was inspired by southern vibes, lots of florals, bamboo, colors, and a “simple yet elegant” vibe, as Katie’s dad kept saying. “I love interior design, southern garden party-type themes, lots of hydrangeas, and a mix of all different types of flowers,” says Katie. “We basically wanted everyone to feel like they were at our home for a big beautiful celebration! We wanted the tables to feel like they were at our dining room table and wanted everything to feel personalized. We had art of our dog throughout, as well as the beach club Matt grew up going to at the Shore, where we now spend our summers. My parents live in Pinehurst, North Carolina, so we had the Putter Boy logo [from Pinehurst Golf Course] as well as our favorite golf course woven throughout the evening in the art on the menus, the escort cards and the signature cocktails. We met on a golf trip, and my parents live in a golf town, so it is a huge part of our lives and what we love to do together. Everything had a personal touch of things that meant the world to us. The wedding came to life exactly as I imagined and hoped for, and it was truly the best day!”

Favorite Moment 

Katie describes her favorite part of her wedding as: “Spending time with family and friends, allowing people to share in our love, and celebrating spending the rest of our lives together! It was really special to see all of the most important people in our lives in one place for us. Don’t take that for granted!”

Special Details 

The couple’s menus were a special details that Katie loved. “The colors brought to life everything we imagined and allowed the beautiful centerpieces to shine,” says Katie. “The menus had a lot of personal touches, as well as each guest’s name on the top, so hopefully, when everyone sat down, they felt extra love! It added up to be such a beautiful day of thoughtful detail woven throughout. I love how everything is tied together. My love for interiors, along with my family’s help getting vases from every Michael’s in the tri-state area, to meeting with the florist and the folks at Hackensack Golf Club to seeing the tablescapes come to life, made every single detail so special! Everyone had such a special role in the day and allowed it to come together so smoothly.”

Advice

“Everyone says this, but stick to your guns and enjoy the process,” says Katie. “As a type-A gal, I find it very difficult to give up the reigns and allow people to help me. But planning a wedding takes an army! Let people help you, and trust them to get it done; they always do! All of the headaches were 100 percent worth it. Seeing everything come together was truly magical. My husband is very calm, and he balances my sometimes stressful energy. So we really were able to be calm and just have a ton of fun on the day of the wedding. Everything fell into place.”

Honeymoon 

“We went to Montauk for the week right after the wedding, and it was perfect,” says Katie. “We did a lot of relaxing and enjoyed the sunny and 75-degree late September days.”