Regent Engagements: April Showers, Bring May Flowers, for June Brides!

With flowers in bloom and the evening sky glittering with cotton candy clouds, springtime is upon us, and love is in the air!

Our picturesque campus, with its brick pathways, rich greenery, and stately archways, has become the perfect backdrop for quite a few heartwarming Hallmark moments. As such, the Regent community is excited to congratulate these recently engaged couples. 

Gabe LuBonovic & Cora Houseworth 

Under the open sky on the Regent library plaza on September 21, 2019, Timothy Venable introduced Cora Houseworth to Gabe Lubonovic. Little did he know that Regent’s Night of Worship followed by a friend group going to cookout would lead to the pair falling in love. As the night went on, the other friends in their group faded away, and Gabe and Cora ended up only talking to each other the entire time. 

This meeting during their freshman year happened right before the covid pandemic. The next semester, news struck that classes would be transferred online. While many students easily made plans to travel home, Cora had a problem. Her family was currently living in Italy, and with travel restrictions, there was no way she could stay with them. Although the young couple had been dating for a little less than five months, Gabe’s family graciously extended hospitality to Cora, offering for her to stay with them through the pandemic. “It was such a sweet time of bonding with his family, specifically his little sisters. It allowed Gabe and me to grow very close in a short amount of time” says the bride-to-be, Cora Houseworth.

A few months later, Cora’s family gave their blessing to Gabe when he asked for Cora’s hand from her father. With the help of two good friends, Timothy Venable and Christian Charrier, Gabe planned a surprise beach proposal during a vacation visiting Tim. Pretending to be “spontaneous,” Gabe invited Cora to go on an evening walk along the beach. As the couple strolled away, the Venable family quickly set up a picnic, and Tim hid close by to capture the big moment. Cora was soon surprised when they returned not only by the picnic on the beach but also by the beautiful glittering ring and sweet proposal. 

Their ceremony will be held on Friday, June 17th, 2022 at Gabe and Cora’s local church. The bride has planned for a “bright and fresh” feel to the indoor ceremony with a color palette centered around sage green. A journaling Bible will welcome guests to write a note or highlight a key passage for the newlyweds. Keeping with tradition, the groom will see his bride for the first time as she walks down the aisle, but Cora and Gabe have planned a first touch before the ceremony. The close moment will allow them to talk and pray together before their big moment. 

Happily Ever After to the Future Mr. & Mrs. Lubonovic

Tim Matelski & Jenna Page 

Surrounded by laughter, sunburned cheeks, and canoes, summer camp is a place for life-changing moments. For Tim Matelski and Jenna Page, that moment came the summer before they entered their senior year of high school in 2019 when they both began working as counselors at the same camp. They soon began dating, and their hearts grew closer despite the long-distance relationship that followed when Tim’s family was stationed in Japan during their senior year. 

They continued their relationship as they came to Regent, and have now been together for two years and nine months. Tim and Jenna love the outdoors, especially going on walks and hiking, so after Tim received a blessing from Jenna’s parents, he decided the perfect spot to propose would be on a hike. Under a natural tree tunnel at Jenna’s favorite hiking spot in Ohio, Tim asked Jenna to be his wife and she agreed. The beautiful day turned into a precious memory as a brilliant sunset followed their decision to spend the rest of their lives together. 

It is a time-honored tradition to have something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue at the wedding. For this couple, something borrowed comes in a sweet form as they will share the same wedding anniversary as Jenna’s parents. The Christmas-themed wedding will be held on December 16, 2022!

Happily Ever After to the Future Mr. & Mrs. Matelski

Xavier Steele & Susan Hicks 

Coming to college can be very exciting! You see new things and meet new people. The latter is especially true for Xavier Steele and Susan Hicks who met over the Regent’s Class of 2024 Instagram page, not realizing they would fall in love less than two years later. The couple finally met face-to-face on August 18, 2020, their second day of freshman move-in! The two hit it off immediately, and Susan initiated a closer relationship by asking Xavier about starting a Snapchat streak. It’s 661 days later, and they are still going strong! In June, Susan and Xavier will celebrate two years together. The couple loves to explore together, from hiking in northern Virginia, exploring New York City and Time Square, and visiting as many malls together as possible, including the second-largest American Dream Mall in New Jersey. 

On October 20, 2022, as the sun slowly rose over the Atlantic and turned the sky a brilliant amber, Xavier and Susan became engaged. The two celebrated with a sunrise picnic as the waves lapped the shore, echoing their congratulations. “We were blessed by God to meet at Regent, and we’re excited to get married and start our lives together,” says Xavier. 

Glittering in gold, red, and green, their Christmas wedding will be held on December 30, 2022. Striving to turn little details into beautifully woven bits of family history, Susan will be wearing jewelry given to her by her grandmother on the big day. 

Happily Ever After to the Future Mr. & Mrs. Steele

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Emily Coston

Emily Coston is a staff writer for The Daily Runner.