Lord, what a profound mystery, and a profound grace, you have blessed us with: that two young people can fall in love, and choose to commit their lives toward you with one another. This blessing is from you, and we are grateful. As we become one, we pray our union is an act of greater attention toward you, that we may be living witnesses to you goodness. Thank you, Lord.

Alyssa and I met in 2021 in the Fall of Freshman year. We were both Honors Students. My first memory of Alyssa is her jounalling on a bench in the canyon; she was very cute. We were in the same seminar that semester, and so we began our intellectual journey together. However, if asked when we really met, I often say the library.

It was about 8 pm, and Alyssa was sitting at a table by herself studying. I passed her and said hello, and sat at my own table. That was foolish, so I walked over and asked if I could join her. Depending on who you ask, the story differs—as all stories of early lovers do—but, to my recollection, we did not much work for the next hour and a half. But, I learned a very important thing: Alyssa Matthews has a lovely voice. She sang, at my request, 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' with a joyful and sheepish grin on her face. At the end of the night, when walking back to our dorms, she shoved her phone in my face asking for my number. She has always been the bold one.

Our 'first' date was quite unofficial: a study session at a local coffee house. It continues to fit the cycle: not much studying happened. We talked for three hours about faith, prayer, family, and a myriad of other topics. In my mind, three hours was not enough.

And so, we continued to see each other every day until Alyssa took me on a run a month later, and after a mile and a half, we just-so-happened to find ourselves at a tree, and there, rather than talk about our feelings, I talked about the wind and the name of God. She smiled and took it in. She was the first to tell me she liked me. We held hands on the walk back to campus, and began to date in the middle of November.

Because of my own insecurities and my questioning of vocation, I broke up with Alyssa two months later. I broke her heart, and mine, and for the next month and a half, we lived sad and frustrated lives. After getting to some roots of my insecurities, and realizing just how deeply I wanted to date Alyssa, I asked her if she would date me again. She said no. I had broken her trust, and she needed time. She needed to know I would be there, and that I would be her friend. So, we did. And, on March 12th, while walking to our Honors building, she looked at me with a smile and said, 'Okay. I am ready.'

And so, we began—for the second time—to date. We met each other's parents that summer. We went hiking, and swimming in the ocean, playing cribbage, and not doing enough homework whenever we attempted to study together. We had the conversations about all the ways we are different, and created language and understanding to work through our differences. Alyssa grew more to trust me, and I grew more to show her I was trustworthy. She said 'I love you' first in April, and I followed after it slipped out over a zoom in June. We entered sophomore year, and learning to manage time, dating, responsibilities, and our own souls was difficult, but we made it through.

We went to church every week together, kneeling beside the other in confession and taking the Body and the Blood with each other. Our Christian walk has been the guiding light of our relationship. To this day, we pray the Lord's Prayer every night before sleep, and we read Scripture every morning. We have come to realize more fervently that Christ is our first love, and our commitment to each other is a commitment to that end.

Through long-cultural distance of my two-month missions in Romania, Alyssa's three weeks in Peru, and my semester abroad in Oxford, England, and summers apart, we had been long distance just as much as being in person by the time we became engaged. While challenging, these months of long distance were also formative. We had the opportunity to grow as individuals and also grow together as our passions and convictions deepened. We learned how to hold up each others' dreams and, more importantly, to hold each other up to Christ. Alyssa and bridesmaid Bernadette flew to England, where I proposed on Addison's Walk, where C.S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien would walk together. It has become for both of us the second greatest day of our lives, waiting to be replaced by January 4th, our wedding day.

For all of you who have guided us along before we met, during our relationship, and who now celebrate our walk down to the alter, we are so grateful. You too are a grace from God, and we are fervently grateful.

This is our story—two human beings marred by sin, and upheld by grace, who commit their lives before family, friends, and our God. In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Registry