Here are some recent pictures from a really fun wedding Dan and I were able to be a part of! Our good friends, Brad and Kari, committed to one another in front of friends and family and celebrated at a gorgeous venue overlooking the Chesapeake. It was picture perfect and incredibly special. 

I love weddings....like I REALLY love weddings. More then just celebrating with champagne, good food, and dancing, the day is so much more than that. Every time I am able to join in a wedding celebration, tons of the most precious memories from my own wedding day flood back to me and I just get filled with such a joy for the couple. This will most likely be one of the best days of their lives...how could you not be thrilled to be a part of such a special day??

Weddings are an incredible testament to God's love for us. He chose to commit His own life to us, and commit to us He did. Through every period of disappointment, pain, hurt, isolation, ignoring, and confusion, God never leaves us. He doesn't desire to separate Himself from us. When the going gets tough and the love is quite one-sided, He continues to pour out on us unending love.

Gosh, it is ever so easy to view marriage as a relationship that is here to make us happy. We view it as something to make us feel valued, full, and content every single moment of every single day. I can almost guarantee that there will be moments, days, or even periods where that happiness may not always be felt. You'll disappoint one another. You'll say something hurtful. If you base your marriage on feelings...it can easily become a slippery slope. Feelings are fleeting. Choosing to love someone, even when the going gets tough, is the true challenge and beauty of marriage.

Ahh, but marrying your best friend is the most amazing thing in the world! Some days may be tough, but the reward is undeniably incredible. The love you share with your spouse is unlike any other on this planet. For me, my husband is truly the only human being who knows me best...there is such a captivating and special beauty in that. It's this beautiful, committed relationship that inspires me to really celebrate marriages and what they mean to individuals and to God.

All that to say...I'm getting off of my soapbox for the day. Yay Kari and Brad!