Harmony Baptist Church

Justine Ostrander's Bridal Shower

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Fall

Our Wedding

TALKING ONLINEJustine’s POV: “I’m not sure a motorcycle guy is the person for me…” This thought kept running through my mind as I messaged Daniel for the first few days. It was right before Christmas, and I really didn’t want all the distractions of messaging a stranger during the craziness of the holidays. Daniel asked me out, and I told him I would be taking a break from the dating app for a while to spend time with family. After the break, we started messaging again, and he asked to meet for breakfast at a shockingly early time for a Saturday. I wasn't sure about going, but my sister Hannah convinced me that I should. I told Daniel I was available to meet up as long as the start time could be moved a little later in the morning. Daniel’s POV: I liked Justine’s profile, especially the testimony portion. In what felt like the most unromantic way of meeting someone, I liked her profile and we matched. When one of her first replies was asking what I had learned in church, I knew I had to ask her out. In return for asking her so quickly, she ghosted me for a week saying she was spending time with family and would answer after the holidays. I didn’t know if that was an easy out or if she was truly prioritizing her family. Thankfully, it was the latter. After constantly checking for her response for a week, I finally deleted the app out of frustration. I redownloaded the app a few days later, only to find that she had texted me soon after I had deleted the app. Thankfully, she said yes, and we planned a time to meet. FIRST DATEJustine’s POV: I arrived at the restaurant early in hopes of finding an inconspicuous table in the corner, but of course the waitress seated me at the table in the very middle of the restaurant. I was so nervous, and it took everything within me to stay in my seat and wait until Daniel arrived. There were only older people in the restaurant, so when Daniel strolled in, I definitely knew it was him. He was much taller than I anticipated, and I was a little surprised he was wearing what appeared to be a “work” hoodie. I decided to go for a hug even though it's always so awkward when you first meet someone. We had a really nice time talking, but I was confident he wasn't interested in me at all. After the date, I told my family he definitely would not be asking me out again. Much to my surprise, he messaged me a few hours later, asking for my number. I still wasn’t totally certain, but I decided to continue and see how it progressed. Daniel’s POV: We planned to meet up on a Saturday for breakfast. Turns out there is a dress code for breakfast dates. Thankfully, Justine didn't hold it against me (too much). Breakfast was super fun, and during the two hours that we talked, I couldn’t eat a thing. Time flew by and I found that she was exactly the kind of woman I was praying to meet. She was extremely kind, smart, and, most importantly, she truly loved God. By the end of the date, I knew I had to see her again. THIRD DATEJustine’s POV: Daniel and I had a really great 2nd date, and I was excited that he asked me to meet his brother and sister-in-law the very next day for our 3rd date. We watched a movie together, but I couldn’t focus on the movie since I kept wondering what Daniel and his family thought of me. It was such a fun time, and I couldn’t believe how kind they were. At this point I knew Daniel was such an amazing person, but I was still struggling with how different we were. He loved motorcycles while I loved music. He knew how to fix everything, and I had only used a hammer probably a max of three times in my entire life. I was really praying for God's direction in our relationship.&nbsp; Daniel’s POV: After the 2nd date, I knew that Justine was incredibly special,&nbsp;and I was looking for any reason to spend as much time with her as I could. David and Katherine had an idea to go watch a movie together so they could meet her too. We went to this amazing movie theatre with way too salty popcorn and heated seats. Afterwards we went to Culver’s, where after waiting for her in a booth for what felt like 20 minutes, we wondered if Justine had ditched us. Thankfully, we learned that she was just having a conversation with a couple from her church who also happened to be there. We had so much fun talking and getting to know each other better. BECOMING OFFICIALJustine’s POV: A week later, Daniel and I had an amazing day visiting the Milwaukee Domes and going to the Harley-Davidson Museum (the motorcycle thing was growing on me). I thought Daniel was a great guy, but I didn’t know if he was the one for me. I was so shocked when he asked me to officially be his girlfriend after only two weeks of knowing each other. I knew I needed more time to decide, and since I was going to be out of town for a trip, it worked out perfectly that I wanted him to meet my family before we made anything official. I am so thankful for the timing of that trip because it gave me extra time to pray and think about Daniel and our relationship. When I got back home and he met my family, they all got along so well. I felt so much more confident about making us official.&nbsp; Daniel’s POV: After a few dates, I knew that I had to make it official. After a wonderful day in Milwaukee, I decided that it was a good time to ask her to be my girlfriend. So before making it back to her house, I asked her if we could make it official. She promptly replied that I needed to meet her family before we could be a couple, thus forcing me to wait another 2 weeks before knowing her answer. The Sunday after her trip I met her family for the first time. They were all very kind and welcoming, and I enjoyed meeting them. After spending the afternoon with her family, we made our relationship official. PROPOSALJustine’s POV: It had been an absolutely crazy week, and I wasn’t sure if I could fit one more thing in the schedule. My sisters and I had planned a photo shoot, but I was relieved to see the weather wasn’t looking ideal, meaning we would have to postpone it for a few days. I told Hannah that I didn’t think it would work to take photos the next day, and then I immediately went to bed. I even slept in the next morning. Hope messaged our group chat in the morning, and said the weather looked better, so I dragged myself out of bed to get ready for the photoshoot. I was hoping to put in minimal effort while getting ready, but after hearing from Hannah that my hair had looked bad at church the day before, I decided I should probably put in the full effort. Since it was just a “sister photoshoot,” I didn’t think it was a big deal that I was running behind. My family was acting so nonchalant about the photoshoot as well, so I didn’t suspect a thing. I definitely didn’t notice the frantic glances they gave each other as they worried about getting me out the door during Daniel’s reserved time at the peony farm. It was raining a tiny bit when we got there, so it made total sense to me that no one else was there at the same time as us. I was in the middle of posing when Daniel came out of nowhere and asked me to marry him! I was so shocked that I practically jumped backwards! I couldn’t have imagined a more special engagement, but I especially couldn’t imagine getting to spend the rest of my life with someone as amazing as Daniel. I am so grateful for how God led us to each other, and I am so excited for our future together!&nbsp; Daniel’s POV: In the short time that I had known Justine, I found that she was an amazing Christian and the kindest person that I had ever met. Justine had a couple requests for a proposal that made planning our engagement a little tricky. Thankfully, Justine’s sisters were an amazing team in helping set the proposal up. I knew because it was summer, she wanted somewhere with flowers. Hope had the idea of calling it a “sister photoshoot.” For the next two weeks, her family sold the cover (maybe a little too well), because the day before the engagement, Justine found that there was a chance of rain, and decided to call it all off. After a lot of stressing and convincing, and a sleepless night (for some), Hannah and Hope convinced Justine to go through with the photoshoot. The next day I showed up ready for the engagement, only to get a text from Hannah saying that they were going to be late. An agonizing thirty minutes later, I finally saw their car pull up. Hope and Hannah skillfully distracted Justine while I drove up and got out of the car. The look on Justine’s face when she turned around was priceless. The past couple months with Justine have been some of the best in my life. I am excited for what God has in store for us.

Justine & Daniel

Justine & Daniel

J&D

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception