April 27th. This day has been important for me for as long as I can remember. It is the day that my parents, maternal grandparents, and both sets of maternal great-grand parents were married. I can still remember my grandmother telling me as a girl that it would be my wedding day too. For so many years it was the past that made this day special – the people who had gone before me and the commitments they had made and kept. Now, three years into my own marriage, I realize that this story is not only about them, but about us. So here is a little bit of our story!
How it Began…
Caleb and I met sometime in March, 2011 at a Bible study in Geneseo, NY. We were both in our Junior year of college, both Biology majors, and both involved in various Christian groups on campus. Caleb loves to tell the story of how we met because it almost didn’t happen. It was a Friday afternoon and he was at home studying and watching TV, tired after a long week of classes. I had just completed one of the busiest weeks of my semester and was exhausted. Neither of us wanted to be there, both of us tried to get out of it, but somehow we found ourselves sitting across from each other in the back room of a cafe.
My first impression of Caleb was that he was very serious. In fact, I wasn’t sure that I liked him. But somehow the conversation came around to his family’s farm and the fact that his sister’s sheep had just had a bunch of baby lambs. I asked if I could come see them, he said yes, and the rest is history. We started dating in May of 2011, were engaged in December of 2012, and were married on April 27th, 2014.
This photo was taken the summer we started dating. We’re at Caleb’s family’s farm in Geneseo.
Our Wedding
Our wedding day was chilly and damp (nothing like the gorgeous day we’re having now!) and I was incredibly nervous. If you haven’t heard, I’m not a fan of being the center of attention! Caleb and I decided to do a “First Look” before the ceremony and I am so glad because, not only did it give us time for portraits, it also helped to calm my nerves!
Our ceremony was held at the church that I grew up attending. Caleb’s family had decorated the church with beautiful flowers that they had grown and brought with them all the way from Pennsylvania. My grandfather, an Episcopal priest, performed the ceremony and our college pastor shared a short sermon (including some slightly embarrassing stories from the early stages of our relationship).
It’s absolutely true what they say about it being hard to remember your wedding day, but there are two moments that I remember clearly. The first was the feeling of pure joy when I started walking down the aisle. It was the most special thing to see all of the people that Caleb and I loved the most in one place, celebrating us! The second was how my nerves went completely away the moment we started saying our vows. As soon as I was able to hold Caleb’s hand, all anxiety was gone and I knew I was making the best decision of my life.
Our wedding day! We were blessed to have my dad (also a photographer) and a long-time family friend take our wedding photos!
Year Three
Fast forward three years and you’ll find us living in Syracuse. Caleb works as a physical therapist and I’m a stay-at-home mom building a photography business. In the past three years we have seen three moves, two graduations, one new car, a baby, and a new house. We’ve achieved some of our dreams, and have created new ones; we’ve seen some failures, and many successes; we’ve cried tears of laughter, and tears of sadness. But one through it all, we have been together.
Today would have been my great-grand parent’s 98th anniversary, my grandparent’s 70th anniversary, and it’s my parent’s 32nd. They are all many years into their story, and oh what stories they have! Our story has just begun, but if our past is any indication, the future should be pretty amazing!
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