After months of keeping their wedding venue a closely guarded secret, Pamela Matassa and Gary Haindel stood on the field of LSU Tiger Stadium, surrounded by their parents, siblings and children, and exchanged vows.

“We’re all big LSU fans, and it felt like one of the most uniquely Louisiana moments imaginable,” Pamela says. As a former Golden Girl, Miss LSU and a founding board member of the LSU Golden Girl Alumni Association, Pamela’s roots on the field run deep. For the couple, Tiger Stadium is more of a second home than a venue. “We are season ticket holders for football, baseball and all the things,” Pamela says. “To hear the crowd roar and the band go on the field, and for me to perform on the field as a Golden Girl, all of those things came back to my mind in those moments.”

Pamela and Gary met in the 1990s while serving on the board of the Big Buddy Program, and they continued to serve on local nonprofit boards together for decades. Their shared passion for Baton Rouge and improving the lives of its residents through volunteering and civic projects kept them connected as friends. Then, in a new chapter of their lives, the two fell in love.

“Our children have acted like they were siblings and have called each other siblings for years now. And Gary and I have been very close for so many years. It’s hard to imagine a time when I haven’t been close to him,” Pamela says.

When their families gathered for Thanksgiving last year, Pamela booked a family session with Aaron Hogan of Eye Wander Photo. As they walked through University Club in search of the perfect spot, Gary tapped Aaron and quietly told him he was about to propose. As the shutter clicked, Gary got on one knee, and everyone’s planned poses dissolved. “No one in the whole family knew,” Pamela recalls with a laugh. “It was a complete and utter shock to everybody.”

With their six children—Mahailey, Mark, Matthew, Major, Aaron and Joe—all in their late teens and early 20s, the couple wanted to keep their nuptials and celebration low-key. “I joked with Gary that we’d better just keep this under the radar, because we want to give them room to be able to have a wedding that’s not unreasonable or crazy. And then we started thinking: wouldn’t it be hilarious if we could get married in Tiger Stadium?”

Decked in pastel yellow and soft lavender at Pamela’s request, their families gathered at Gary’s University Club home and loaded a bus destined for the undisclosed location. After turning onto North Stadium Drive, the bus erupted with laughter and “we should have known!”

Walking through the tunnel toward the turf, after a few slaps at the “WIN” bar, they left the noise of the world behind and stepped onto the field as the day’s main event. After exchanging vows in an intimate end-zone ceremony, the celebration continued with a four-course luncheon at Houmas House curated by Chef Jeremy Langlois. Then, everyone returned to Gary’s home for cake, Champagne and a floral-filled reception in the dining room.

Their wedding may have been a well-kept secret, but their commitment to one another, and to the city they’ve served for decades, is anything but. In a venue that defines Baton Rouge, two of its dedicated champions walked off the field with the biggest win of all.