Before the rest of her class walked across the stage to receive their diplomas, senior Tawney Hummell walked down the aisle to join her new husband, Matt Colombo. The couple met in October 2012 through a mutual friend, and married May 13.

“Matt took me to my first Blues hockey game against the Florida Panthers because I moved here from Florida in 8th grade. When the Blues scored the last goal of the game, he got down on his knee and proposed to me!” Hummell said.

The guests invited to the wedding were only family and close friends, including Senior Class Principal, Mr. Terry Martinez.

“I got to know Matt when he was a freshman, and through different interactions and things we’ve had to do together I was able to get to know him very well,” Martinez said.

The ceremony took place at the Conservatory in St. Charles, with a reception afterwards at the Isabel House on The Principia campus.

“My favorite part of the wedding was when I saw her walk down the aisle with her beautiful smile in that fluffy, amazing dress,” Colombo said.

Hummell’s dress is off-white and strapless with flowers on the top. The bottom of the dress was decorated with lots of poof and ruffles with a long train. She also wore beige high heels, pearl earrings, a pearl necklace that belonged to her great-great-grandmother, along with a bone white veil adorned with pearls that belonged to Matt’s sister.

“It was really fun to be there and just really cool to watch the whole process, I was sitting there thinking it was crazy that they’re adults now. My favorite part of the wedding was their vows. When they both said them to each other it was very sweet,” Martinez said.

As adults, the newlyweds are now living in a house together, and intend to continue their education in the St. Louis area.

“Tawney is going to St. Louis Community College in Wildwood and I hope to attend Lindenwood for hockey,” Colombo said.

The couple has big travel plans for their honeymoon.

“We are going to save up money, and then we will be going on our one year anniversary to Rome, Italy,” Colombo said.

Mr. Martinez recognizes that their relationship has changed them into the people they are today.

“I knew of Tawney, but I got to know her more when she started dating Matt. I could tell that she was incredible for him. He was a completely different person when he met her. You don’t really want to completely change your personality when you meet somebody, but he changed for all the right reasons,” Martinez said. “She helped ground him and helped him realize what was important.”