Look, I’m just going to level with you, I have no memory of the first time I met Caleb. I know it was the Monday before Thanksgiving my freshman year of college. I know we sat across from each other. I just don’t remember actually meeting him…..until a few days later, just after Thanksgiving. He and our friend Ethan were playing ping pong in the basement, and I went to the WF with a friend to watch a UK game. We talked about basketball and The Walking Dead. I remember thinking that he was really cute, and more than a little weird. I also remember thinking there was no way a college junior was going to notice me, a lowly freshman.

We spoke about four times total my freshman year. When I moved into the WF my sophomore year, I started to notice him a lot more. We weren’t friends, but we weren’t not friends either. I was so busy that year that I didn’t have much time to hang around and get to know him, and even when we did see each other, we didn’t really understand each other. Sometimes I thought he didn’t like me at all, then the next moment he would do something incredibly sweet for me- and there was nothing I loved more than when we started singing together. There were feelings growing, but neither of us were ready to address them.

Because God has a sense of humor, when we didn’t get a clue during the nine months we lived a floor away from each other, he moved us to the same apartment complex for Caleb’s first year out of college and my junior year. We started seeing a lot more of each other- hanging out with our roommates, Mason and Kristen (both in the wedding party!) led to hanging out one on one, which led to hanging out every day. I was starting to think that something might happen between us, but I thought it was a good idea to wait- that is, until one day Mason asked us if we wanted to go double-dating with him and I decided enough was enough. When Caleb walked me back to my apartment that night (as he did every night), I finally blurted out “So are we going to call this what it is, or…?” The rest is history.

I love so many things about Caleb. He’s my best friend, and he’ll do anything to make me laugh. He’s got a natural gift with my niece and nephews that demonstrates just what an incredible father he will be one day. He’s patient, and extremely loyal to all of his friends. He has a heart for God and a dedication to his faith that he’s determined to carry throughout his life. He’s hardworking to a fault, and I’ve never seen him give up on something he cares about. He tends to know how I’m feeling before I do, and he never lets me avoid it. He’s so supportive of me and my own ambitions, and he’s always pushing me to achieve my goals. I could go on, but I’d better leave something for the wedding day!

I wish I had a perfect memory of the night that Aria and I first met, however that is not the case. What I can recall however is that it was the night of the Thanksgiving Renew service at the UK Wesley Foundation. We actually sat across from each other, thankfully there is photo evidence that proves this, and chatted amongst our friends (most of whom are in the wedding party). I know its cheesy and all, but what occurred in my head when I first saw Aria went a little something like: “Wow that girl and her blunted bangs make Zooey Deschanel look mediocre!” (In other words, I thought she was really-really cute). There isn’t much else to tell about that first year… I had a big crush on her, but never in a million years would I have thought she might have any interest whatsoever in me.

Fast forward to the fall of 2014. Aria had just moved into the Wesley Foundation. Not long into the semester, a large group of us went out to Cheddar's for dinner. The two of us sat across from each other, and if you were to ask anyone else who was there, they would tell you that it was painfully obvious we were flirting, although at the time we would have denied it. That year both of us were extremely busy, so we didn’t really hang out all that often. That being said, when I would run into her when she was getting back from an event or leaving the Wesley Foundation, I almost always made a point to acknowledge her presence.

Over the summer, after I had graduated and Aria had moved out, I was back at the Wesley meeting with William (our campus minister), when out of the blue he asked: “So why did you and Aria never date?” Now bear with me for a minute while I explain… Aria was and is an absolutely amazing woman, and she is a very talented musician, incredibly intelligent, can make some pretty tasty desserts, and the list goes on and on. That being said, the less than mature and intelligent “adult” that I was at the time decided that he needed someone who was more athletically inclined. As such, that immature kid responded to William with a: “Yeah… Never.”

To this day those words still haunt me (she will probably have them engraved on my grave). The two weeks leading up to Aria and I making things official, I spent wrestling with the fact that I had said “Never”, meaning I would have to eat my words, if we were to date. In reality though, it wasn’t so much that I would have to eat my words, rather I had gotten to know Aria, and seen enough of her up to this point that I knew that if something were to happen between us, it would be very serious and very possibly forever; which is a terrifying thought for someone who has no idea what they are doing with their life. Now as much as I hate to be wrong, eating my words was one of the best decisions that I have ever made.

There is no one who makes me as happy or excited about life as Aria. She loves to do things to make me smile. She has encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and make tough life altering decisions, while being right behind me every step of the way. I love how she has loves to sing with me, and has since her sophomore year of college. There’s no one on this planet that I would rather be with, spending lazy Saturdays curled up on the couch doing nothing but watching HGTV or Say yes to the dress with (go ahead and judge me… if it makes her happy, then I’m happy). There’s so much more I want to and could write about Aria here, but no amount of bragging about her would ever do her justice.