Almost 12 years ago I married the love of my life. We had a wedding photographer we affectionately call the wedding Nazi. I’m not a big Seinfeld fan, but I’ve seen a few episodes. In one there is a “soup Nazi.” You might be familiar with the line “No soup for you!” That is what this photographer was like. His assistant tried to burn the place down, knocked over a candelabra while trying to get into a better shot.

Anyways, long story short, here are some pictures from that wonderful day. Enjoy.

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I had 3 years of college under my belt and several counseling classes at Marriage Therapy Boulder CO, so I know everything I needed to know, of course. Well, ok I might have known that there were still things to learn, so we went through premarital counseling. The sessions were great and I knew we were now fully prepared for marriage. Funny how your perspective changes the first time life falls apart, and trust me, it really does.

About two years ago I met a young lady for the first time. She was a junior in high school at that time and I got her name wrong before she even told me. I had thought she was someone else, but hey I had only been in town for a short time, so I was still getting to know a lot of people. Over the past two years I have taught her and tried to set a good example for her. She had many ups and downs, but in general she has grown in Christ more and more.

Then she shocked me by asking me to officiate her wedding. I was completely unprepared. I have officiated a few weddings, but this is the first student of mine that has come to this point in life. Of course I didn’t believe her for the longest time. Finally I guess my will relented and I accepted that she was telling the truth about getting married, so I started planning counseling with her and her fiancé.

I hope and pray that I can give them the same tools that my wife and I had, moreover I hope I can help them to see that no amount of studying can prepare for the tests life gives. I know when my wife and I went through the worst that we have endured so far, nothing I had learned before could have made it any easier.

The biggest thing I hope and pray for them is that the day they get married be the day of their marriage they love each other the least. That each day they would grow deeper in love.

What advice would you give a young couple getting married?

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