The Journal

Issue date: 4/26/07 Section: LifeStyle

Media Credit: Photo Courtesy of Laura Mathews Laura Mathews, who graduated in 2006, poses for a photograph with her fiance, Tony Thirtle, who she met while studying abroad at Webster's London campus.

She was a bright-eyed American traveling across the pond to study abroad. Excited to be out of the country for the first time, she could not wait to meet new people and experience all London had to offer. Unbeknownst to her, she would come back to the United States in love and engaged.


Laura Mathews, a 2006 psychology alumna, will wed British military serviceman Tony Thirtle on July 28 in London. Mathews met her fiancé while studying abroad at Regent's College in London during the spring 2006 semester. Thirtle is a Grenadier guard whose job description includes guarding Buckingham Palace and the queen of England and fighting in war-ridden countries like Afghanistan.


Thirtle's entire battalion was sent to Afghanistan last year. However, due to a hearing problem, Thirtle was not deployed. While he could possibly be sent to other countries for peacekeeping missions, Thirtle will never be sent to war to fight.


"When I went over to London, I didn't want to start a romantic relationship," Mathews said. She said starting a relationship would be difficult knowing she had a limited amount of time overseas.


However, when she met Thirtle at a local pub two weeks after her arrival in London, her stance on having a relationship changed.


"I knew there was something special about Laura," Thirtle said.


However, there was not an immediate love connection until the couple saw each other after Thirtle attended a formal military function, Mathews said. She said once she saw him in a suit and tie, she looked at him in a completely different way.


"He had an aura around him. From then on, I looked at him differently," Mathews said.


The two began exclusively dating, living out what Mathews said could be considered a fairy tale because of a quick, unlikely romance. They even shared their first kiss with their favorite The Killers' song, "Mr. Brightside," playing in the background.


Weeks passed and their relationship flourished. Even though Mathews and Thirtle knew the relationship was growing serious, others had their reservations.

Continued...

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