A match made during March madness leads to a win and a JUne wedding.
Chelsea Gometz & Thomas Booth II
Daniels | 6.26.21
photographed by Melissa Kincaid Photography
Written by Julie Perine
Chelsea Gometz and Thomas Booth II may or may not have ended up together had it not been for college basketball. That’s a gamble neither would want to take.
Both from Fayetteville, the pair have known each other most of their lives. “I always knew who she was and thought she was a very beautiful woman—and every time I did talk to her she had a fun personality, which obviously attracted me even more,” Thomas says.
They began texting, and Chelsea joined Thomas’s March Madness pool. “I ended up winning, and we had to meet up to get my winnings,” she says. “That’s what started it all.”
It didn’t happen immediately, but Thomas finally asked her on a date. And he left a good impression. “He was a good guy and treated me very nicely. He was mannerly and did all the right things,” she says.
With Chelsea attending Marshall University and Thomas at WVU and, eventually, Wheeling for physical therapy school, they spent a lot of weekends traveling to see each other. It’s no surprise that sports played a big role in their dating years. “Our No. 1 thing to do was going to college or pro sporting events and making long weekends out of them,” Thomas says.
Although the couple had dated six years, the wedding proposal still came as a surprise. “I never thought I’d see the day. It was a complete shock,” says Chelsea about the memorable events of June 6, 2020. Thomas had chosen the Summit at The Greenbrier, the spot where he had intended to ask her to be his girlfriend several years before. He’d gotten cold feet that day but was determined it would not happen this time. Although he had the day planned to a T, things didn’t go smoothly. He had trouble getting Chelsea there, because she insisted on taking a day trip to Charleston to purchase a car. And when he finally got her to The Greenbrier, she received a phone call that a coworker had tested positive for COVID-19 and she became afraid to go into the restaurant.
She did go, of course, and didn’t suspect a thing even when Thomas ordered champagne. After all, she had just made a big purchase, and Thomas had recently passed his physical therapy boards. “When they brought the champagne out, I toasted to Thomas and took a big drink,” she says. “He said he thought there was something in my glass.” It wasn’t a bug as she suspected, but a diamond ring. “I don’t even remember what I said or did,” Chelsea says. “I just know I couldn’t wait to say ‘yes’ and start planning.”
It wasn’t just any diamond ring. The yellow gold band and solitaire stone had belonged to Thomas’s great-grandmother. It happened to feature just the simplicity and elegance Chelsea wanted. She also knew that she wanted their wedding to be classic and timeless and that she would observe the traditional somethings old, new, borrowed, and blue. But she wanted to kick it all up a notch with a choreographed first dance. The couple had some work to do. “We took some lessons, probably five or six,” Chelsea says. “No one but our parents knew about it.”
On June 26, 2021, a vintage white car delivered the bride to Glade Springs Resort, where the early-evening ceremony would take place in the courtyard. It was a backdrop of ivory and white flowers. “We used lots of hydrangeas and roses, with a touch of lavender roses and silver dollar eucalyptus,” Chelsea says. Rose petals covered the aisle as Chelsea, in a fitted strapless Justin Alexander wedding gown with chapel-length train, took her father’s arm. Her shoes were blue, and a Cymbidium orchid was tucked inside her bouquet, just as her mother, aunt, and grandmother had carried in their own wedding bouquets. A nod to both sets of parents’ weddings, “Annie’s Song” played as a prelude. Chelsea and her dad walked down the aisle as “Your Song” played, after which she and Thomas exchanged wedding vows they had written themselves under a flower-covered arch.
The ivory and white floral theme was carried over to the reception, also held at The Resort at Glade Springs. Every other table had candles and centerpieces of greenery, which Chelsea made herself, and the others had tall centerpieces with real flowers. The choreographed dance was a hit. “It started out slow with ‘At Last’ then transitioned into “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,’” Chelsea says. “Everyone was surprised and were clapping along.”
Another high point was the cutting of a simple classic three-tiered wedding cake, which featured a sports theme. “Cake is one of my favorite things, and we gave guests the option of white, lemon blueberry, and chocolate ganache,” Chelsea says. The reception appropriately ended with “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” after which the newlyweds were given a sparkler send-off to their honeymoon in St. Lucia.
The couple resides in Oak Hill, where Chelsea works as a dental hygienist and Thomas as a physical therapist. They remain college basketball fans and still cheer on their favorite teams: WVU and University of North Carolina. They have never again taken dance lessons. “That was a one and done,” Thomas says. Soon, the Booths will be a party of three. “I’m pregnant and due the day before our wedding anniversary,” Chelsea says. “We are super excited!”
Bride’s Gown
Justin Alexander, Charleston
Bridesmaids’ Dresses
Show Me Your Mumu
Groom’s Attire
Men’s Wearhouse, Charleston
GROOMSMEN’S ATTIRE
Men’s Wearhouse
PLANNER
Mia Bella Originals, White Oak
COORDINATOR
Gail Ray
INVITATIONS
Maggie Harless of Harless Printing
FLOWERS
Blooms by Bessie, Oak Hill
CATERER
Glade Springs Resort
CAKES
Cozy Farm’s Sweets, Beckley
ENTERTAINMENT
Josh Ruby of BRAVO-Live DJ, Charleston
LOCATION
Glade Springs Resort, Daniels
Mia Bella Grand, White Oak