hello beautiful people!

we are so grateful that you came here to celebrate our wedding with us. we want you, our guests, to know that you are our favorite people. each of you has inspired us in some way throughout our lives. so, today is an appreciation of all of you, just as much as it’s a celebration us. with that, we’d like to share some reflections from our journey to “i do.”

many of you know, exactly one week ago, we celebrated our 11th anniversary as a couple. and that might cause you to wonder; what took so long..? the truth is, there were many underlying reasons—fear, pessimism, immaturity. in many ways, it felt like we were already living the married life and so we rejected the traditional path, as it seemed outdated, unnecessary and impractical.

but over the years, as we’ve grown both together, and individually, we began to discover that “tradition is not the worship of ashes, but rather, the preservation of fire.” And with that revelation, we were compelled to let go of our fear and deepen our union even further.

as marriage is considered a public sacrament, we are making this commitment not just to each other, but to all of you as well. because you are part of this covenant, we want to be crystal clear about the fire that we plan to preserve in our marriage and what exactly we are here to celebrate today. these are the values by which we will live our marriage and build our family around:

GOD will remain the unifying force in our marriage and family life, as we see GOD's presence everywhere, in everything and in everyone.

we will follow the way of jesus of nazareth, idealizing self-sacrifice as the cornerstone of all love. after all, is there truly any other kind of sacrifice?

we will forgive quickly, judge slowly, but never hesitate to discern the good and beautiful from what is not.

we will choose optimism and embrace an abundance mentality, trusting in the same spirit that fed thousands with only a few loaves and fish. guided by this faith, we commit to be fruitful and to multiply.

we will navigate this life with gratitude, loving freely, giving generously, and rejecting greed.

we will fear GOD alone, because then, we will have nothing to fear.

lastly, we will be “all-in” people. when we commit to something—like marriage—we mean it. we understand the game we are playing on this earth and we are determined to play it sincerely.

thank you for joining us this weekend. we love you. GOD bless.

mat & krista