In Love with My Best Friend

Sunday evening, I officiated Evonne and Roberto’s wedding ceremony at Ma Maison, in Dripping Springs, Texas. Here are the remarks I shared with them and their guests:

At a recent wedding I officiated, the groom walked out to a string version of one of the best songs about romantic relationships, in my opinion, Lucky, by Jason Mraz. When I sat down to write these remarks about Evonne and Roberto, I couldn’t help thinking about this song, not just because of the name, but particularly because of one specific line. I think it speaks to the deep love these two share. Jason sings a duet with Colbie Caillat, and it’s kind of a dialogue between two lovers:
 
Do you hear me, I'm talking to you
Across the water across the deep blue ocean
Under the open sky, oh my, baby I'm trying
Boy, I hear you in my dreams
I feel your whisper across the sea
I keep you with me in my heart
You make it easier when life gets hard
I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend…
 
Why did this remind me of Evonne and Roberto? Well, the last line I just quoted tells us that the characters in the song didn’t just have a fling, or some type of superficial love at first sight nonsense. No, this is a deep relationship, where the lovers have a deep connection based on a foundation of friendship. That, my friends, is Evonne and Roberto’s story. Luck may have brought them together, but they took it from there.
 
Evonne says, “Roberto and I met through a summer internship program… I can still remember the very first day we met and it wasn’t long until I knew that him and I were something very special – two old souls…” Roberto says, “I could tell there was depth there. We started dating shortly after when I asked her out to dinner, [and] we… designated Wednesday nights as our date nights away from the group. Through these dates we built a bond of friendship…” And what did this bring about? Evonne tells us, “I remember the very last day of the program when Roberto’s flight was hours before mine. He calls my cell phone to say hello and not long into the call we became emotional. I believe in this moment I knew – he was for me as I was for him.”
 
Wow, is that cool or what?
 
There is one hazard, not often thought of, connected with this type of thinking, and that is that you might take yourself too seriously. Not Evonne and Roberto, though. Roberto says that they “always keep… life together interesting,” and he adds, “If there’s one thing I know [it] is that we strive to always remember to enjoy life.” And Evonne tells us, “There is nothing that compares to the joy this man brings into my life. He makes me laugh until my stomach hurts, and this to me is his greatest quality.”
 
Evonne and Roberto, what we wish you is that continue to follow this path of deep love and friendship, continue to recognize how lucky you are, and continue to laugh together as often as possible. Do that, and you will have this “marriage thing” made…