I love a good love story. And that’s why I love nothing better than having a couple sit on my couch and tell me how their love story began. That simple question, “What’s your story?” brings smiles like no other as, in a split second, moments of their relationship pass by their eyes. The feeling of butterflies, the first kiss, the moment he knew she was the one. Hearing a couple tell their story tells you so much about who they are. So Ryan and I wanted to share our story too. From first crush to first day as Mr. & Mrs.
Part 1: When Boy Meets Girl
Part 2: Code Words & Crushes
Part 3: Class Rings & Field Trips
Part 4: A Christmas Gift
Part 5: The First Date Mistake
Part 6: Graduation Day
Part 7: Student IDs, Scantrons, & Schedules
Part 8: A Month Apart
Part 9: A Proposal
Part 10: I Now Pronounce You... Not Compatible
Part 11: Commencement
Part 12: A Lumpy Blue Couch
Part 13: Our Wedding Day
OUR WEDDING DAY
Photo: Rebecca Franklin
As the soft notes of Canon in D filled the air, I stood just before the doorway, hugging onto my dad’s arm. We took one step forward and then another. When we rounded the corner of the short aisle, I smiled at Ryan as he waited for me.
Just a few hours earlier I had taken another slow, short walk up to Ryan. He had stood with his back to me, nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot, waiting to see his bride for the first time.
And now he stood, confident, smiling back at me.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today before the Lord to unite this man and this woman in the covenant of marriage. Ryan and Caitlin, as you pledge your vows and commit your lives to each other, I ask that you do so in all seriousness and yet with a sense of great joy and with the deep conviction that you are committing yourselves to a growing relationship of trust, support, and love.”
Ryan rubbed his thumb across the back of my hand as he said his vows. “I promise to be your constant friend, to respect, comfort, and encourage you, to laugh and cry with you.”
I wiped away a tear and responded with a wavering voice but an unwavering heart. “To grow with you in mind and spirit, to always be open and honest with you, and to be faithful to you in all things until death alone brings our separation. This is my sacred promise.”
As our former youth pastor pronounced us husband and wife, Ryan squeezed my hand and smiled down at me. I couldn’t contain all the joy in my heart in that moment and my body shook with silent laughter. Just moments before we had joined hands and now we had joined our lives. In the space of a few moments, everything in our lives had changed. And yet at the same time, everything was very much the same as it had always been between us.
Photo: Rebecca Franklin
Coming next week... Pages From the Sequel
As anyone who's ever read a love story knows, the wedding is usually the last chapter of the book. But in a real love story, there's so much more to be told. So much happens in the happily ever after. And that’s what the sequel is for: to tell the story of two people as husband and wife as they live and grow together. These are the pages from our sequel.