Real Pittsburgh Weddings: Matthew Wells and Ruth Cosse

The couple was married at the Carnegie Museum of Art.

6 hours ago

Jamie Crow,

PHOTO BY ADAM MICHAELS PHOTOGRAPHY

Matthew Wells & Ruth Cosse
April 18, 2025

PHOTO BY ADAM MICHAELS PHOTOGRAPHY

When Matthew Met Ruth

Matthew Wells and Ruth Cosse nearly met several times before finally connecting. The couple attended Morehouse College and Spelman College, respectively, for their undergraduate degrees — just a minute away from each other in Atlanta.

A few years after graduating, they each moved to Washington, D.C.; in June 2018, they both attended a mutual friend’s event … but still didn’t meet. In November 2018, at a mutual friend’s “Friendsgiving” gathering, Matthew and Ruth finally connected — and made brunch plans for a few days later.

“It really was the right place at the right time,” Ruth says.

PHOTO BY ADAM MICHAELS PHOTOGRAPHY

She Said Yes

After four years together, and following their move to Nashville, Tennessee, Matthew began planning a surprise proposal.

He came up with an unassuming cover story: Ruth’s friends would invite her to see the holiday lights at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. Paying homage to their Friendsgiving meeting, Matthew used the hotel’s holiday display as the backdrop for a November engagement.

Once at the hotel, Ruth was ushered to Matthew’s setup, complete with rose petals and candles. The couple’s celebration had drawn a crowd of onlookers who cheered them on after Ruth said yes.

PHOTO BY ADAM MICHAELS PHOTOGRAPHY

The Big Day

Though Matthew and Ruth aren’t originally from Pittsburgh, Ruth has generations of family ties to the city. Wanting to honor both of their sets of parents, who each got married in April, the couple decided to get married in April 2025 at the Carnegie Museum of Art — a venue that, in Ruth’s words, “speaks for itself.”

A harpist played Matthew’s walk down the aisle to a theme from the “Final Fantasy” video-game series and Ruth’s processional to “Why I Love You” by the singer MAJOR.

To ensure their guests felt valued and appreciated, the couple wrote personalized notes to everyone, which were displayed as part of a seating chart among family members’ wedding photos in antique frames. “We stand on the shoulders of giants,” Matthew says. “We need to pay homage to those who have paved the way for us.”

PHOTO BY ADAM MICHAELS PHOTOGRAPHY

Happily Ever After

Matthew and Ruth, both 32, live in Nashville, where Matthew is a first-year resident of psychiatry at Meharry Medical College, and Ruth is a digital marketing manager for an education nonprofit.