By Jamie Bates

It seemed Morgan Riemann and Matthew McCabe would never find themselves living in the same city, but their walk to the altar was destined to be.

Morgan and Matthew, both born and raised in Gulfport, attended different high schools in the same city. They were acquainted but not close. When they crossed paths again while attending Mississippi State University in Starkville, they forged a friendship that grew deeper even though Morgan graduated and moved to Jackson to begin a career in pharmaceutical sales. “I had a lot of friends living and going to school in Jackson after Morgan moved there,” Matthew recalls, “and I kept finding reasons to visit them more and more often. We always seemed to end up at Morgan’s house watching football games on television or hanging out in her back yard playing with her dogs.”

When Matthew was accepted at Louisiana State University School of Dentistry and moved to New Orleans, the two began dating quietly. A very private couple, they wanted to get to know and enjoy each other before going public with their relationship to friends and family. Around the time they realized how serious they had become, Morgan was offered a transfer to New Orleans with her company and moved there. Finally, they were officially dating.

Matthew’s career plan was to move back to Gulfport and practice dentistry with his father, uncle and cousin in the practice his grandfather, Edson McCabe, had established in the 1950s. With graduation pending, Morgan was becoming resigned to going back to a long-distance relationship until Matthew invited her for the fateful early-morning walk.

“When Matthew asked me to go for a walk to watch the sunrise in City Park, I assumed it was just his nostalgia for New Orleans kicking in,” Morgan says, laughing as she recalls Matthew McCabe’s marriage proposal last March.

“With dogs George and Gracie leashed up and the bride-to-be clad in pajama bottoms and a fleece top, the couple made their way to City Park. “I wanted to propose in a way that was unique and incorporated some aspects of New Orleans,” Matthew says. “We had seen the movie ‘Benjamin Button’ and loved the scenes shot in City Park. And as we approached the fountain shown in the movie, she gave me the perfect opportunity.”

Morgan saw a bench near the famous fountain and asked if they could rest a while. Matthew sat and she lay down, her head in his lap as she began recalling a dream she had the night before wherein Matthew proposed and they had eloped, to the chagrin of their families. As she finished, he said, presenting a small box, “Well, you’ve got some decisions to make then. Do you want to make our folks mad or not?”

The two celebrated later that morning with brunch at Brennan’s along with Matthew’s brother and sister-in-law, who were in the know about the proposal. As they glanced

around the famous restaurant, Morgan began formulating their wedding plan and wanted to include elements of the city they had both come to love. She had a couple of requirements: Father Louis Lohan had to perform the ceremony; photographer Neil Ladner had to be available to snap the photos; and the wedding date had to fall outside of hurricane season.

The couple wanted to be married on the Mississippi Coast for the convenience of friends and family and they wanted an intimate ceremony and small reception. Father Louis recommended tiny Sacred Heart Catholic Church in the Dedeaux Community north of Pass Christian for a family-only wedding ceremony. Morgan’s father, Ted Riemann, suggested the beautifully restored Oak Crest Mansion in Pass Christian for the reception. One look at the gorgeous home and grounds and Morgan fell in love. “The house, the size, the furnishings, the feel, it was perfect!” she says.

Matthew graduated from dental school, and Morgan took advantage of a job transfer opportunity, moving to Gulfport to live with her mother, Catherine Riemann, while she planned her wedding.

The groom’s aunt, local artist Cissy McCabe Quinn, arranged the wedding flowers utilizing pieces of family silver selected by the bride.

A limousine transported the wedding party to the church, where New Orleans musicians and a pianist entertained arriving family members.

“The ceremony was so intimate that everyone who saw us take our vows was close enough to hear every word. Close enough to see me put the ring on Matthew’s right hand instead of his left,” Morgan says, laughing.

And the couple’s destination in the limo that night? “New Orleans, of course,” Morgan says with a wide smile.