Golf fanatics tie the knot in wedding themed around their favorite sport

By Charlotte Penketh-King via SWNS

A pair of golf fanatics tied the knot in a wedding themed around their favorite sport - complete with "ring caddies" in jumpsuits and an evening "par-tee."

Matt Ziance, 32, taught his partner, Kate, 33, an ultrasound technologist, to play golf at the start of their relationship and now they both love the game.

The pair decided to incorporate their favorite sport into their wedding when they got engaged in August 2021 and themed the big day around the Masters Tournament.

The groom, his parents and the bridal party walked down the aisle to the Masters theme tune "Augusta."

The couple's nephews acted as "ring caddies" in personalized white jumpsuits - carrying golf ring boxes. Their flower girl carried a range bucket with balls, custom golf tees and rose petals and the pastor even mentioned marriage lessons that can be taken from golf during the vows.

Matt and Kate on the wedding day. (Taylor Kemp Photography via SWNS)

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Their wedding entrance saw the newlyweds attempt a lengthy putt across the floor with Matt wearing his very own custom green jacket.

Even their wedding cake was Masters inspired and they also had a neon sign with their names on in the shape of the Masters logo and a Masters flag replica featured on their welcome table.

Guests found their tables - which had flags and were labelled as different holes - using a "Green Jacket" seating chart, and Matt wore a golf-themed tie with custom socks and Nike gear for the after-party, called the "par-tee."

Both Kate and Matt were thrilled with how their unique wedding theme turned out and all of their guests, whether they were golf fans or not themselves, enjoyed a day to remember.

Matt, a senior account manager, who lives in New Canaan, Connecticut said: "It was a day unlike any other.

"We really wanted to personalize it, so our 'big day' felt 100 percent us, without any of the typical wedding day stuff.

"We wanted a personalized ceremony, a great party for our closest friends and family and of course, our favorite thing - golf.

"We couldn't think of a better way to make this 100 percent us than incorporating golf at every turn.

"We knew our favorite sport had to play a main part and that's where the creative juices really started flowing.

"The small details made our reception exactly what we wanted.

"Our pastor even revealed powerful marriage lessons that can be taken from the golf course in our wedding vows which I'm forever grateful for - it was priceless.

"I'm so thrilled we got to share our golf vision and celebrate our new life together with our closest friends and family."

Golf themed wedding cake. (Taylor Kemp Photography via SWNS)

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Matt had been a lifelong golf fan before meeting Kate - even almost running late for their first date after finishing a game at the golf course in June 2020.

Keen to learn more about her now-husband's passion, Kate signed up for golf lessons and scored her first hole-in-one on her sixth ever game.

The couple had played around 60 games of golf together within the first year of their relationship when Matt decided to propose in August 2021 with their favorite country singer, Spencer Crandall, serenading them as he popped the question.

With golf so heavily integrated into their relationship, Kate and Matt decided it would only be fitting to include their passion in their big day.

With Matt being a former member of the NBC Sports and Golf Channel marketing team, they were even able to arrange for a special message from Masters Tournament broadcaster Jim Nantz to be recorded and played at their wedding.

Matt and Kate loved having their special day at First Presbyterian Church and the Roger Sherman Inn in New Canaan, Connecticut on July 3 and have no regrets over theming their wedding around the sport.

"Matt and I always said that if we had a wedding, we would want it to feel completely authentic to us," Kate said.

"In a way, golf was a cornerstone of our relationship from the beginning.

"It was a passion that he had held for a long time, and I just started playing when we first started dating and I fell in love with it.

"It quickly became our favorite activity to do together and any opportunity we had to play we would take it - whether it was getting a last-minute tee time after work and trying to see how many holes we could get in or bringing our clubs with us on every trip and finding a course to play.

"All the small golf details really added up to create such a fun and light-hearted wedding and that is exactly what we wanted.

"You never really know how it is going to turn out until everything comes together and I couldn’t be happier about the wedding day.

"It gave everyone a glimpse into a big part of our relationship.

"Everyone seemed to have a great time and that was our number one goal."