Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Our Wedding

Q + A

Maddie Powell

Paige Sikkema

Caroline Kaercher

Claire Kaercher

Alicia Jones

Cera Bellgraph

Aidan Guckenberger

John Powell

Levi Sikkema

Nick VanderKodde

Peter VanderKodde

Wedding Party

We first met when we were just little kids in Sunday school. Liv was able to tackle Will under the snack table and sneak their first kiss, and the rest is history! Just kidding, that’s not exactly what happened, but it’s true that we've both been going to Grace Community Church as long as we can remember! Our families have been going to the same church for years, and we would occasionally bump into each other. We crossed paths in Sunday school, Wednesday night youth groups, and eventually in high school ministry. At first we only crossed paths occasionally, smiling from afar, but as time went on Will wised up and started dressing a little nicer and actually talked to Liv. For context, Will lived on the North side of town and went to public school, while Liv stayed on the South side of town and went to private school, so we didn’t meet much. But Will invited Liv to hang out more with his high school friends and was happy when she accepted! We got to talk more! Liv knew Will enjoyed fishing, so she hinted at that a couple of times in their conversations. One summer day Will invited Liv to fish, and they had a blast together! Later on he invited her to ice cream and at the end of the night confessed his feelings for her. She said the same, and the two 17-year-olds fell in love. Going to different high schools was fine as we only lived 15 minutes apart. However, after graduation Will felt God’s call to Taylor University (which was a sad 3.5 hours away) and God directed Liv to college in Muskegon. Still, we were determined to keep dating. Long-distance was very difficult—lots of prayer, nightly FaceTimes, letters back and forth, and all too few in-person visits. We made the most of what we could and it wasn’t always easy. There were ups and downs, but Liv was Will’s biggest fan at his lacrosse games, and Will was Liv’s biggest supporter as she obtained her PTA degree. Summers and holidays were the highlights of these long 3 years, and we treasured every moment when we were truly together. By God’s grace, the tough times strengthened our relationship and grew our love. And there was light at the end of the tunnel! We made it through long-distance, and our journey is only beginning. We’re so excited to begin the rest of our lives as husband and wife, surrounded by all of you—the people who mean the most to us. Thank you for being part of our story, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you on our big day!

William & Olivia

William & Olivia

Photos

April 30, 2022

May 06, 2022

May 07, 2022

September 30, 2022

October 02, 2022

May 06, 2023

July 28, 2023

August 11, 2023

August 13, 2023

May 31, 2024

August 12, 2024