In 2001, Cindy had given up on finding love on match.com, and had all but deleted her account. A good friend had asked Cindy to show her how match.com worked, and she obliged and opened her account to do a search when Joe's profile showed up at the top of the list. Her friend convinced her to give it a last go around and re-activate her membership. After emailing and speaking on the phone, Joe and Cindy met in person on the day after Thanksgiving to begin their holiday shopping together and enjoy a meal. Every year on the anniversary of their first date, Joe and Cindy would return to the same restaurant and have dinner and exchange a gift. Six years later to the date, they were having their anniversary dinner, and when Cindy opened her gift, expecting to find a lapel pin she had wanted, found a Canary diamond ring instead! Joe got down on one knee and asked Cindy to marry him, and she said yes!

All wedding photos courtesy of: Hitched Studios

The wedding was planned to be held in Massachusetts, easily accessible for most all family and friends. When guests arrived to their hotel rooms, they were greeted with lovely homemade welcome baskets! Cindy states, "My family operated an apple farm and I located small apple baskets as the containers for the gift baskets. Adding to these a packet of maps assembled (for free) by the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce, a box of chocolates made by Colonial Candies, located in Bolton, Altoids, bottles of spring water, and blueberry muffins made by me (from scratch) out of blueberries organically grown at our farm and scheduled events that each guest would be participating in during the weekend!" Some of the events included a golf outing for the gentlemen and a "lunch and punch" party at Cindy and Joe's farm for the ladies.

The couple chose The International in Bolton, Massachusetts for their wedding. When the date was chosen, the couple was happy to find out it was acutally Kentucky Derby weekend! Both huge fans of horses and devout riders, the Derby theme kicked in. Each Table was named after horse shows that Cindy and Joe had shown in together and ribbons that were actually won in those shows were used in lieu of the table number. Joe and Cindy currently own 7 wonderful horses!

Sad times of both Joe and Cindy loosing their mothers during the wedding planning process, and having previously lost their fathers as well, did not dampen their spirits completely. Cindy says that " planning our wedding provided a happy diversion". To honor them, Cindy and Joe provided framed photographs of their parent's wedding days for display at both the ceremony and the reception, along with a wreath and a candle. They also used the same cake topper that Cindy's parents used on their wedding cake, and recited the same vows her parents shared in 1944! Ave Maria was sung during the ceremony as well, as it was Cindy's mothers favorite song.

Another important element of the wedding was the music, especially since Cindy played the organ and harpsichord throughout college. She handpicked each piece that was played during the ceremony. The cocktail hour consisted of Jazz piano and there was a band for the reception. All of the music was booked through www.gigmasters.com.

To bring happiness to mind, Cindy chose Lilly of the Valley as an accent for the wedding. It was used along with other lovely spring flowers to cheer up the centerpieces and the cake as well, which was designed by Enchanted Wedding Cakes. The couple also used potted Hydrangea in their decor, which they, and some of the bridal party and the Officiant, got to plant in their yards! The florals were provided by Le Jardin and accented the linens provided by Table Toppers.

Donna Kim of The Perfect Details provided wedding planning and coordination. Cindy tells me, "After looking at Donna's website and realizing that not having my Mom with me on my wedding day to coordinate things would be a problem for me, I needed someone to smooth out any rough spots". Donna and Cindy have continued to work together after the wedding, and she is now designing the stationary for Joe's son's rehearsal dinner for his June 2010 wedding!

Cindy's wedding dress was custom made by Michael McDonald, and was found after she had actually already purchased another dress which she had regretted, but thankfully was able to put up for sale on www.preownedweddingdresses.com. Her veil was also custom made, and much of her jewelry was borrowed from friends. The attendant's dresses were found at Talbots and at a steal for $80! The men coordinated with these navy dresses by wearing navy vests and ties with their tuxedos.

Joe's brother has Downs Syndrome and lives in a group home that is part of ARC Morris in New Jersey. A donation was made to ARC Morris in lieu of favors, and a photo of Joe's brother and the other residents on a vacation trip was displayed. Joe's brother was able to attend the wedding from New Jersey as well, which really made their day complete. A donation favor is a great way to incorporate something dear to your hearts into your wedding, and pass the information on such a fabulous cause to your friends and family.

True love was found on match.com and brought together a family now sealed by a day full of wonderful friends, happy memories, new traditions, and a love for horses. Congratulations Joe and Cindy!

Cindy was kind enough to share some personal photos of her and Joe and their horses as well! Thanks Cindy!

This horse, Casey, actually holds the same birthdate as Cindy's late mother, and his number at the auction where she bought him was the same as her birthdate. She says, " I do believe everything happens for a reason".

Here and Joe and Cindy on their farm with one of their retired horses.

and this one was just too cute not to include for all of you animal lovers out there!