The Baileys.

Chris and Ariel met at Anna and Jared’s wedding. A guy with a gnarly ketchup stain on his shirt and tie around his head (Jesse) came up to Ariel and said, “I have something to show you.”

Chris is what he had to show her.

Chris and Ariel then proceeded to small talk while an entire table of people watched them meet for the first time. In that conversation, Chris said, “Did you know Anna and Jared mailed me your number?”

Ariel did not know that Anna and Jared mailed Chris her number.

The Bailey’s efforts to set the two up had started months before the wedding right up to the moment Ketchup Stain took Ariel over to Chris in person. Prior to the wedding, the Baileys not only mailed Chris Ariel’s number (unbeknownst to her), but they texted their mutual friend of Chris and Jared, Luke Whaley, to set the two up.

Chris did not know how much Ariel knew of Anna and Jared’s efforts (The answer is- very little.) and preferred to meet in person instead of texting her out of nowhere. They tried to convince Ariel to attend his softball game to meet in person, and Jared even gave her a cheer to yell- 1, 2, 3, 4. You’re the player I most adore. Hit the ball, Hit the ball, Make you look so tough. Hit the ball, Hit the ball, Goooo Huff. Surprisingly, Ariel did not take him up on his advice because that’s weird. Little did she know, her number had already floated through the US Postal Service from Huntsville to Birmingham. Every effort to “not be weird” was out the window.

On top of everything, Anna decided not to do a bouquet toss at her wedding. She didn’t realize she had her bouquet in her hand when it was time for her first dance. She flung her arm to whoever the nearest person was to take the bouquet. Crazy enough, Chris was that person. So, he got the bouquet at their wedding.

Finally, Chris and Ariel had another conversation later that night while the very romantic, Get Low by Lil Jon, played in the background.

However hard it is to give credit to the Baileys, the two hit it off.

Chris and Ariel very quickly realized that they had the same values, wanted the same things in life, and have a whole lot of fun together. They are both so thankful to God that He used so many people they love to bring them together in a relationship that he had orchestrated from the beginning. All glory to God.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10