Chance Meeting at Tanning Salon Leads to Altar

By Heather Cass
When Lori Himes stopped to chat with friends at a Warren area tanning salon, she had no idea that her bronzed prince charming would come out of one of the tanning booths. Lori had just finished up a workout in the gym next door to the salon when Matt Clickett came out of the tanning booth and put an end to all conversation in the room.

"I remember there was absolute silence in the room when he walked out without his shirt on and I thought 'Who is that?'" Lori said. "He had beautiful green eyes and an awesome smile, but I decided not to think too much about him because they (the girls working at the salon) told me he wasn't from Warren and I figured I'd never see him again," Lori said.

But, apparently, Matt didn't feel the same way. The very next day, he asked the girls at the salon about Lori and left his business card for them to give to her. Lori said she took the card home and pondered calling him a thousand times, but never got past the first ring without hanging up. Six months later, at the urging of her friends, Lori finally called Matt. She said he almost didn't remember who she was. "But, once I explained who I was, we talked for hours; as if we'd known each other forever," Lori said.

The two made plans to meet in Erie the following weekend for their first date. "As it happened, that night, they were having a birthday party at the house for some of his family members. So, I had walked into a first date with his entire family," Lori said. After the family party, the two spent the night out dancing and talking and had an early morning breakfast. Lori had spent the night in Erie because it was too late to drive back to Warren, so in the morning, Matt took her to Presque Isle's Beach 10 and they walked hand and hand and talked about future dates. "I remember feeling like, this guy is the one!" Lori said. "I know he felt it too because while we were sitting on a log watching the water, he said 'this feels nice," Lori said. 

Fast forward seven years to June 21, 2002. Matt & Lori are, once again, on Beach 10 watching the sun set when Matt pulls a diamond ring out and asked Lori if she would "love him forever."

"I think every emotion ran through my body that moment. I had blurred vision, I laughed, I cried, got nausea, jumped around a lot and, ten minutes later, screamed 'Yes,'" Lori said. "I couldn't believe it. The day I'd waited seven years for had finally arrived," she added.

The waiting is almost over as Matt & Lori are set to become husband & wife on October 4 at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Erie. Their reception will be held at the Erie Maennerchor Club and their wedding color is Amethyst.

Matt & Lori were chosen as the Erie Times-News "Couple of the Year" through a random drawing of all the attendees at the Bride's World bridal expo held in January of this year at the Ambassador Banquet & Conference Center. The couple won a plethora of great bridal gifts from the expo participants including: tuxedo rentals, travel gift certificates, wedding bands, a veil, an engagement photo, a night in a jacuzzi suite, and much more.

We asked Lori & Matt to share some of the details about their wedding planning process with us (and you!) and here's what they had to say:

Who's doing the majority of the wedding planning?
We are equally involved in planning the wedding and sometimes, I think Matt is even more involved than me.  He wants everything to be perfect!

What was the hardest detail to plan?
Who we would have in the wedding party. We have so many friends and family that we ended up putting pretty much everyone in it!

What plans are you putting off until the last minute?
The honeymoon because we don't know if we'll have any money left! We are thinking about going to Riviera Maya in Mexico.

What was the hardest wedding-related decision you've had to make?
Who we are inviting to the wedding. Because, of course, you want to invite everyone, but there is only so much room and it is far too expensive to invite everyone.

The easiest thing to plan?
The wedding date. We both love the fall, the church and the reception hall.

Did you have a budget?
No, but we have been very conscience of cost and have really shopped around for the best deals we can afford. There's no doubt it will be a financial struggle, but it will be worth it - we are both so excited to get married!

How did you feel when you found out you'd won "Couple of the Year"?
I was at work when Matt called to tell me there was a message on the answering machine from the Times saying that we had won. When we found out everything we had won, I remember crying in disbelief. We never win anything!  We couldn't have won it at a better time, we are using almost every bit of it and it has been a HUGE financial help to us.

Do the Bridal Shows help when planning a wedding?
Yes, we went to get ideas, see the different styles and see if there were any specials being offered. Everyone needs to go to at least two bridal shows to get some ideas flowing.

Are you incorporating any special things into your wedding?
We are writing our own vows because we feel that, in eight years, we have more personal things to say to one another than the basic vows.

What advice do you have for brides who have just begun planning their wedding?
Save, save, save your pennies & start planning as early as you can!

How many are in your wedding party?
We have eight people on each side. We know it's a lot of people, but we wanted them to be with us on our special day.

 "Matthew and I are truly in love and it is the best thing in the world if you have someone to share it with. We cannot wait to have children and build a life together forever. We promised, long ago, to always be there for one another and, on October 4, we will seal the deal with all of our family and friends to witness it, Lori said.   "Finally, we'd like to thank the Erie Times-News and all the wonderful sponsors of the 'Couple of the Year' Contest. We hope you'll continue to do this for future brides and grooms!" §