Henry and my story cannot be shared nor told without our faith being a foundation of our relationship. My hope is that as you read our stories, you would see that God is involved in all of our lives and that He wants to be invited in everything we do :)

Who is this guy?
I first met Henry online (thank you, CMB) and it took the encouragement of my co-workers for me to "like" Henry's profile. "You never know" were encouraging words for me to take a step of curiosity. Henry and I chatted via text for quite a few days before we physically met. I remember an anticipation growing as the day to meet him got closer.
I have to admit, my first impression was of relief. I was glad he looked just as friendly and personable in person as he did via pictures! Our first date was full of laughter and intentional questions. Henry's intentionality drew me to him; he was purposeful with his time and wanted to make sure I was just as intentional as he was. After three hours, I left our first date anticipating and looking forward to our next conversation and hopeful date.

Hmmm.. Interesting..
Early in our relationship, I knew I was safe with Henry. His intentionality, his transparency, his gentleness, his patience, his enthusiasm for life, his love for God and the Church, his involvement with church, his love for people, and his ability to care for my heart's aches and past pains were evidence of Holy Spirit living in Henry. The safety I felt with Henry resembled the safety of Jesus' presence. Somewhere in between our first "hello" and long conversations, I found myself wanting to know more of him and his heart. I still remember: he has a heart of gold, and I would regret it if I don't get to know Henry and see the gold in him! I'm glad I heard that inkling in my heart :)

Oh MY...
I remember the exact time, date, place, and moment when I thought to myself, "I'm falling in love with him!" It was the day after my birthday, and Henry planned a day date to Santa Cruz. We walked through downtown Santa Cruz with a coffee in hand and talked about anything and everything. After grabbing dinner, we drove to the beach and took a walk on the beach. We found a place to sit and sat down. We talked, looked out at the waves, and gazed at the stars. I remember looking to my left, seeing Henry, and feeling the peace of God as I thought to myself, "I'm falling in love with him!" Peace rules my heart and the peace I felt as I thought about loving Henry until 'death do us part' was so assuring and confident.

What are you doing?!?!
If I could write out the whole proposal, I would. But rather, I want to convey the essence of the moment. The moment was simply magical. Our proposal is a testament of how well Henry knows me and loves me. I literally had no idea he would propose when he did. I was so sure that he was going to propose after Christmas!!
We ventured off to catch the sunset at the hills of Castro Valley. It was simply stunning and breathtakingly beautiful. We hiked up the hill and took in the scenery just as the sun was about to set. Needless to say, a proposal was no where in my radar that day. My only thought processing was, "Oh wow. This is beautiful!!"
My favorite part of our proposal story would be when I jokingly said to Henry, "Henry! If you proposed to me here and had friends hiding to take pictures, it would be a great idea!" The place was THAT beautiful and the moment was THAT spectacular! Little did I know what was coming for me!
We got to the ridge and saw an easel nearby that had something framed leaning on it. As we got to the easel, there was a letter in a frame and I began to read the letter. I thought it was the Christmas story for hikers to read and be reminded of Jesus' birth as we celebrate Christmas. As I kept reading, I saw the word "Denver". That's when it hit me: this was going to be the moment Henry asks me to marry him!
There were many tears, of course, and many "What are you doing?!!?!" statements of confusion and surprise. The view was stunning, the sunset was magical, and Henry's attention to detail was overwhelming.

Now, we look forward to exchanging our vows, making a covenant with each other before God and our family and friends, and spending the rest of our lives together. Our story is woven with answered prayer after answered prayer and an abundance of grace. We are a testimony of God's investment and involvement in our love stories, if we engage with Him in a greater story.

Love,
Esther

E&H

Wedding Day

3:30 PM

Wedding

Reception