Dream Big

On Saturday, September 3, 2022, I officiated Rachel and Jonathan’s wedding at the Dream Castle Event Venue in Broussard, Louisiana. Here are the remarks I shared with them and their guests:

Call me crazy, but I love it when couples’ stories about how they met slightly differ depending on which partner you ask. It’s a good sign that we are talking about interesting people. In that regard, Rachel and Jonathan do not disappoint!

Rachel says, “The first time I saw Jonathan, my boss was introducing me to different individuals in the company since I was brand new. He was wearing a white shirt and had his hair in his typical (what I call dinosaur) hairstyle… Two months later, we were assigned to a project together. He was loud, opinionated (haha), sassy and a person that I thought I would never be with, let alone fall in love with and marry.” Yikes.

Jonathan begins from what I surmise is an instance related to that project: “First time we ever met… it was about a complaint we received for one of my accounts, but another underwriter was the one who made the mistake… We argued over something that was on my desk and I ended up being right and she was wrong (smiley face emoji).” Wow, how many men live to tell that kind of tale?

The point of sharing these anecdotes is not just to embarrass the bride and groom. That’s just a fringe benefit, LOL. The point is that I believe that this sense of light-heartedness has helped them become the new little family they are. 

To wit, Jonathan describes how their relationship went from just professional to romantic: “A few months go by and her and a group of mutual friends stand by me while I was going through some challenges. One of these friends said that I should talk to her. I decided she was the prettiest girl who I knew didn’t have a girlfriend at the time. (He may have meant to write boyfriend. I honestly don’t know.  It significantly changes the logical processes he was working through in his head, but who cares. - DSG) So I decided to shoot my shot.” And, here’s the kicker, “She decided to date me ever since.”

Again, the differences and similarities in description fascinate me, but listen to Rachel’s description: “Through a crazy series of events, we started dating in May of 2019. These (almost) past three years have shown me why Jonathan is the man I want to share my life with. Jonathan is so much more than that loud, opinionated, and sassy person I met three years ago. Don’t get me wrong, he still is those things (haha).”

I believe this kind of light-heartedness helps rather than hinders in appreciating the other qualities our partners bring to the relationship. As Jonathan says, in explaining why he is eager to marry Rachel, “She was kind and thoughtful throughout my hard times. She stands for what she believes and is grounded in her faith. She treats my daughter as her own. She can be stubborn and a little crazy but she keeps life interesting and fun. She’s a great mom now to Abigail and will be to our future children.”

Rachel reflects that sentiment back, “He is a person who strives to be the best person he can be and works hard every day at it. Jonathan often asks me how he can be better and what he can work on in our relationship. He is someone who dreams big and he follows those dreams. He is a person who cares deeply. Jonathan is an amazing father to our little girl, Abigail. Jonathan is dependable, trustworthy, patient, goofy, and a little weird.

However, it is not just who Jonathan is, but who he makes me. Jonathan inspires me to be better. Jonathan supports me and motivates me to follow my dreams. He makes me think about things differently and work hard to try to understand those things.”

Rachel ends with this: “This life we have built with our beautiful little family, Abigail, Sadie, Taz, and Vader is more than I could have ever dreamed of or hoped for. (In case you are wondering, the latter three are dogs, not that I would totally put it past these two to name their human child for a movie character, but you’d probably go with Anakin. - DSG) Over the past three years, we have built a wonderful life together and I want to make it official in front of God, my family, and my friends.”