The highest-ranking New Castle Council lawmaker married his friend of two years Sunday on the Rehoboth Bay waterfront.
County Executive Matt Meyer and Dr. Lauren Cooksey said yes in an intimate rite in front of 90 visitors at the Rehoboth Beach Country Club. This is his first marriage and second.
Their romance and marriage seemed to go largely unnoticed by the state’s political and social radar.
Meyer joked Tuesday that his skills as a former diplomat in Iraq helped him keep his life private.
“We did a lot of redirects there,” he said. I learned many tricks of the trade. I have some up my sleeve. “
Then he laughed.
“I don’t like it to be a big secret,” he said. It’s private. “
“Or we’re in big, noisy environments,” Cooksey said. So it’s great to be left alone for us, our circle of family and friends. “
Their busy schedules prevent them from attending all political or social occasions together.
Your job as county administrator helps you keep moving for long days, on weekends, as does your job as an emergency room doctor. She is Vice President of Emergency Services at ChristianaCare.
Meyer and Cooksey met a friend two years ago.
“It was kind of a no-pressure situation,” Cooksey said. “We spent some time with a mutual friend and got along well. “
Meyer said he had sought to marry.
“I think we’ve decided not to settle,” he said. And I feel like I haven’t settled. I’m not one of those who thinks, ‘Never get married. Wait and search until you find the right one. I feel like I’ve figured out the right one. “
Cooksey said his dates felt so natural from the start that he was never afraid to worry about Meyer, even with the added strain of a political career.
Meyer will run for governor in the 2024 race.
“I think we’re smart about separating it,” he said. We compartmentalize the paintings and the house and respect anyone’s barriers. “
The couple set out to spend the holidays together as they made themselves known.
“We’ve traveled a little bit,” Meyer said.
They have not traveled together to Washington, D. C. , New York and Vermont, but also to Kenya, Honduras and Hawaii.
This will make making plans for a honeymoon difficult.
“We’ve been to all those honeymoon destinations before,” Meyer said.
Cooksey came here to appreciate Meyer’s commitment.
“What you see with Matt is what you get,” he said. “He’s committed to his career, but he’s also fiercely committed to his circle of family and his personal life. “
At the same time, he emphasized it to make it more visual or involved in his political life.
“He will make me worry about where I need to be and I can take a step back,” she said. “I have my own career and my own kids, and I can focus on that. So there’s a smart balance. “
Meyer was not only husband over the weekend, but also stepfather to Cooksey’s two children, ages nine and six, from a previous marriage.
In the end, Cooksey said, they couldn’t live without each other.
“We’ve taken the last few years to get to know each other and we’ve had some glorious adventures together,” Cooksey said, “and I think that’s going to be the theme of the rest of this wedding, venturing out together. “
The couple married a chuppah covered with a booty of white roses and blush, pink peonies and eucalyptus created through Flowers through Mayumi in Lewes.
Cooksey wore a long lace formal dress with a V-necked, lower-cut back bodice for the classic Jewish ceremony. It was presided over by his expensive friend, Rabbi Micah Kelber of Brooklyn, New York.
Meyer wore a gray velvet tuxedo with white sneakers and a kippah adorned with neon green stars of David made through a Ugandan Jewish network with which he lived and worked.
Rabbi Michael Beals of Beth Shalom Synagogue, the rabbi of Meyer’s hometown, spoke and gave a blessing.
The country club reception included music by Newark Honey Badgers, a singer-songwriter duo that is dedicated to folk and American music, and a wedding cake by Lee Verzier, a friend’s daughter-in-law.
“I’m glad life brought us here,” Cooksey said. “We’ve all enjoyed life so much and I’m very excited because we’re getting involved with that experience and wisdom for hopefully a glorious future. “
Betsy Price is a Wilmington-based freelancer with 40 years of experience plus 15 years at the News Journal in Delaware.
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