Johnathan's Story:

Being the new kid anywhere is tough but having to physically interact with people you do not know is even harder. This was the case when I first joined my karate studio and after only a few weeks from joining, I got paired with the only girl my age (Hannah) to do tackle training. It did not take an expert to see that both of us were very uncomfortable having our faces so close to each others...Southern Borders. As someone who physically cringes at the slightest hint of awkwardness, it only took the one tackle session for me to work up the nerve to make the first move and talk to her. We quickly got to the point where we would spend literal hours after our karate trainings talking and I remember wishing the crappy "waiting room" style chairs we sat in did not have arm rests so that I could sit closer to her. While our first date was certainly a memorable one, the night that stands out to me the most was the night of our second date where she invited me to attend a concert called Winterjam with her. After the concert was over and we were on the bus ride back to her church, I remember being overwhelmed with emotions for her that I leaned into her ear and asked if I could kiss her. This was the first time that we kissed and although I was young, I still remember the feeling of everything else in the world disappearing and being in that moment with just her. Not all nights were as magical as that one though; there have many bumps in the road that we have paved together. If you summed up all of the days that we have spent with each other in-person, you would only get a fraction of the almost-eight years that we have been together. However, through it all, our love has endured and I cannot thank God enough that we have made it to the point where I no longer have to watch her walk into her parent's house knowing that I would not see her smile or hear her laugh again for weeks. Now, I get to give Hannah Arnold my last name and start building the foundations for the family and life that we have always talked and prayed about.

H&J

Wedding Day

5:00 PM–5:30 PM

Ceremony

6:00 PM–10:00 PM

Reception