J Speaks On How He Knew
Wedding Anniversary Date: October 14, 2006
How he knew his wife was the one for him:
“There was not one single thing that led me to know that Tiffany would become my wife. It was really a combination of things. It was part romanticism...part spirituality...part 'time put in'... and part real life/adult decision making.
I met Tiff at MTSU in 2000 and I immediately noticed that she was different. It seemed that her level of class and maturity was higher than most college girls that I encountered. Yet, she was still down to earth and had great sense of humor. She was the 'girl you take home to momma', so my intentions were somewhat serious from the jump. I even called my mom and told her that I found my wife. I’d be lying if I said that this was some revelation from God, or some deep mysterious feeling in my gut. I was simply reacting to the potential. Dating a woman like Tiffany was a rare opportunity that a lot of fellas don’t get in college, so I hoped to make the best of it. I will say, however, that about two or three weeks into our dating, I had a dream of our wedding---but it didn’t seem like a 'vision from the Lord'. I thought that it was amusing, but I didn’t put too much stake into it.
Around the same time that Tiffany and I started dating, I began to really take my spiritual life seriously. We started attending church together and began to make God a part of our regular conversation. In April of 2001 ,I made the decision to be baptized, and she and I discussed it after church. She began to tell me how it was so important to her that I grow in God and that she wanted to make sure she did her part to help me. At that moment it became more than 'dating the chick you marry' girl on the yard. That conversation changed my view of her and us completely. It revealed a different kind of love; a love that was far superior to what I’d hear in songs or see in movies. It was really something special. That was definitely a clue that she could be the one. We casually spoke about getting married one day, but honestly, we were 19-years-old and far too immature to be serious. So we continued to date throughout college.
As we continued to date, problems arose. We had some break-ups and make-ups, like most serious relationships. We probably broke up and got back together about three times over the course of six years. The last break up, however, was different. I thought it was officially the end. I took down pictures, and put away love letters, but I was still hoping to mend what we had.
Now most guys, single and free, would have probably used this as an opportunity to 'play the field' again, but it was different for me. Tiffany left an impression on me. Being with her made me want to continue to grow. I realized that I found a woman who inspired me to be a better man than I was. That was it! I knew that if we got back together it would be forever. We did, and it ended being for the long hall.
Now, before you say 'Awwwh, what a fairytale ending', let me stop you. It still took A WHOLE LOT of praying, discussion, and some serious thought before we made THE decision. Marriage is not a game. It is not a decision to be taken lightly. We said that if we were going to do it, we were going to do it FOR REAL!! It was going to be FOREVER, no matter what! So with all of the personal revelations, prophetic words, epiphanies, romantic moments, and mushy stuff, it still came down to a decision to honor our vows TIL DEATH!”
Engagement Session~Akil & Alex
Photographer Akil Bennett ( and a favorite of this site check out his website in the blogroll :) and his lovely fiancee Alex had a wonderful engagement session shot by friend and fellow photographer Chris Wineinger.
I love when couples show their personality :)
For more click here
Tionnei & Jason
Tionnei and Jason just had fall wedding at the Surf Club in New Rochelle, NY. Their photographer was Daniel Krieger.
Those place cards are too cute!!
For more click here
So How Did You Know~Noelle
Noelle Speaks On How She Knew
Wedding Anniversary Date: October 18, 2008
How she knew her husband was the one for her:
“I knew I was going to marry Marcel before I met him. I read a blog about someone who never wanted to get married.
I, on the other hand, was quite anxious to get married. In fact, I did so when everyone recommended that I didn’t. Several years later, the marriage ended and after some more years of struggling with romantic relationships, I told God that I wasn’t going to date again until I understood in my soul that He was enough. I had spent a lifetime trying to convince myself of that fact, but continued to look for a romantic relationship...and ended up continuously frustrated. I decided to stop fighting and get quiet.
It would be hard to overstate how difficult this was. I felt a pain almost like a physical withdrawal. Long story short, I stuck with it and it took about a year and a half. During that time, I spoke with men from my family and co-workers and that was it. (I should add to this story that there was a lot of therapy, support groups, prayer, and accountability in this mix. I was not able to do this on my own.) At some point during that year, my mom asked about the possibility of me dating someone of our faith. My first husband had been a pastor in our faith and I think I told mom not to hold her breath or something equally rude. Out of some guilt, I agreed that when I was dating again, I would look at one of the singles' websites for people in our faith.
I’m still not sure when or exactly how it happened, but one morning I woke up and found myself at peace with the idea of being alone---even if that was for the rest of my life. I went out on a few dates and found myself thinking at times, 'I could be home cleaning my house.' Not because the guys weren’t nice, but I didn’t need it anymore.
I made another equally drastic decision. I decided I wasn’t going to date again until I found the man I would marry. My life was full and rich and I didn’t want to spend even a few hours on something that wasn’t a part of God’s plan for me. I had enough 'practice dating'. I decided that God would pick and until He notified me, I wasn’t interested.
A few months later, to fulfill my promise to my mother, I posted a profile on a website. I didn’t pay for a subscription and never checked the emails. But my conscience was clear. At one point I got an email with the name of my favorite band when I was a preteen. Of course, I had to check the email in case it was my adolescent crush who had come to sweep me off my feet.
It wasn’t Kevin, but it was Marcel.
He had listed his blog address and out of curiosity I checked it. (www.thecarioca.blogspot.com) I was quite impressed and after reading one of his posts (about a homeless man who had cut him off and his reaction to that), I was impressed by this man of passion who could also admit his mistakes. After reading a few more posts, I looked down at Izzy, my trusty canine sidekick and told her, 'This could be the guy.'
Marcel and I began to communicate by email a few times a week, and after a little time, we figured out that he lived five miles from my brother and aunt in Los Angeles. Marcel offered to pay for half the ticket the next time I visited my brother...and the rest as they say...is history.
We have been married now for a little over four months. I am consistently amazed by the difference in marriage from when I picked before and when I let God pick the man and the timing now. It was worth the wait and every moment of heartache. The joy is as much about knowing that God is my all as it is about this wonderful man I’ve pledged my life to. From this place I don’t operate from fear, wondering when the other shoe is going to drop. I am free--- body and soul---to love this man God gave me.”
Wedding Anniversary Date: October 18, 2008
How she knew her husband was the one for her:
“I knew I was going to marry Marcel before I met him. I read a blog about someone who never wanted to get married.
I, on the other hand, was quite anxious to get married. In fact, I did so when everyone recommended that I didn’t. Several years later, the marriage ended and after some more years of struggling with romantic relationships, I told God that I wasn’t going to date again until I understood in my soul that He was enough. I had spent a lifetime trying to convince myself of that fact, but continued to look for a romantic relationship...and ended up continuously frustrated. I decided to stop fighting and get quiet.
It would be hard to overstate how difficult this was. I felt a pain almost like a physical withdrawal. Long story short, I stuck with it and it took about a year and a half. During that time, I spoke with men from my family and co-workers and that was it. (I should add to this story that there was a lot of therapy, support groups, prayer, and accountability in this mix. I was not able to do this on my own.) At some point during that year, my mom asked about the possibility of me dating someone of our faith. My first husband had been a pastor in our faith and I think I told mom not to hold her breath or something equally rude. Out of some guilt, I agreed that when I was dating again, I would look at one of the singles' websites for people in our faith.
I’m still not sure when or exactly how it happened, but one morning I woke up and found myself at peace with the idea of being alone---even if that was for the rest of my life. I went out on a few dates and found myself thinking at times, 'I could be home cleaning my house.' Not because the guys weren’t nice, but I didn’t need it anymore.
I made another equally drastic decision. I decided I wasn’t going to date again until I found the man I would marry. My life was full and rich and I didn’t want to spend even a few hours on something that wasn’t a part of God’s plan for me. I had enough 'practice dating'. I decided that God would pick and until He notified me, I wasn’t interested.
A few months later, to fulfill my promise to my mother, I posted a profile on a website. I didn’t pay for a subscription and never checked the emails. But my conscience was clear. At one point I got an email with the name of my favorite band when I was a preteen. Of course, I had to check the email in case it was my adolescent crush who had come to sweep me off my feet.
It wasn’t Kevin, but it was Marcel.
He had listed his blog address and out of curiosity I checked it. (www.thecarioca.blogspot.com) I was quite impressed and after reading one of his posts (about a homeless man who had cut him off and his reaction to that), I was impressed by this man of passion who could also admit his mistakes. After reading a few more posts, I looked down at Izzy, my trusty canine sidekick and told her, 'This could be the guy.'
Marcel and I began to communicate by email a few times a week, and after a little time, we figured out that he lived five miles from my brother and aunt in Los Angeles. Marcel offered to pay for half the ticket the next time I visited my brother...and the rest as they say...is history.
We have been married now for a little over four months. I am consistently amazed by the difference in marriage from when I picked before and when I let God pick the man and the timing now. It was worth the wait and every moment of heartache. The joy is as much about knowing that God is my all as it is about this wonderful man I’ve pledged my life to. From this place I don’t operate from fear, wondering when the other shoe is going to drop. I am free--- body and soul---to love this man God gave me.”
So How Did You Know~Tiff
Tiff Speaks On How She Knew
Wedding Anniversary Date: October 14, 2006
How she knew her husband was the one for her:
“Honestly, no one thing determined that he was 'The One'. I’d say, for us it was more like a puzzle---and eventually all the pieces just fit. It’s been about nine years now since the first time I encountered my husband. Little did I know that a series of events over the following six years would lead us to our wedding day.
We were both just freshmen in college when we met, him an 'Army brat' whose family called New Orleans home, and me who grew up on a farm in the country. We both had so much to discover about ourselves and each other. There was an immediate indescribable connection between us….more than physical chemistry; it was as if we had been friends for years. I would say our freshmen year was a year of just pure delight in each other! One thing that I believe was instrumental in our bond was the fact that we found a wonderful church. It helped to ensure that we were surrounded by good people and receiving spiritual enrichment.
There were many turning points and new levels in our relationship. We experienced the ups and downs of college life together. We had a few break-ups and make-ups. We had been together for about four years when I finally told him about some serious personal baggage I was dealing with. Around that same time, I learned of deeper personal issues that he dealt with. When he knew about the deep inner issues that I struggled with and he didn’t vanish into thin air, I thought, 'Wow, there is something quite unique about him'.
Over the duration of our relationship, we’d been swept up in moments of idealistic, 'movie-like' romance...we’d been given prophetic words about our future marriage...and we’d seen the subtle hints that this was predestined by God. I recall that J even had a dream two weeks into our relationship that we would get married. However, nothing more earnestly illustrated to me that he was 'The One' than when I revealed a not-so-pretty, messed up, far-from-perfect girl and he still saw the God in me. We reached a place of complete transparency which made us totally vulnerable to each other. It took lots of time to build trust, commitment, integrity, maturity and loyalty. Seeing those attributes showed me we could do life together.”
Wedding Anniversary Date: October 14, 2006
How she knew her husband was the one for her:
“Honestly, no one thing determined that he was 'The One'. I’d say, for us it was more like a puzzle---and eventually all the pieces just fit. It’s been about nine years now since the first time I encountered my husband. Little did I know that a series of events over the following six years would lead us to our wedding day.
We were both just freshmen in college when we met, him an 'Army brat' whose family called New Orleans home, and me who grew up on a farm in the country. We both had so much to discover about ourselves and each other. There was an immediate indescribable connection between us….more than physical chemistry; it was as if we had been friends for years. I would say our freshmen year was a year of just pure delight in each other! One thing that I believe was instrumental in our bond was the fact that we found a wonderful church. It helped to ensure that we were surrounded by good people and receiving spiritual enrichment.
There were many turning points and new levels in our relationship. We experienced the ups and downs of college life together. We had a few break-ups and make-ups. We had been together for about four years when I finally told him about some serious personal baggage I was dealing with. Around that same time, I learned of deeper personal issues that he dealt with. When he knew about the deep inner issues that I struggled with and he didn’t vanish into thin air, I thought, 'Wow, there is something quite unique about him'.
Over the duration of our relationship, we’d been swept up in moments of idealistic, 'movie-like' romance...we’d been given prophetic words about our future marriage...and we’d seen the subtle hints that this was predestined by God. I recall that J even had a dream two weeks into our relationship that we would get married. However, nothing more earnestly illustrated to me that he was 'The One' than when I revealed a not-so-pretty, messed up, far-from-perfect girl and he still saw the God in me. We reached a place of complete transparency which made us totally vulnerable to each other. It took lots of time to build trust, commitment, integrity, maturity and loyalty. Seeing those attributes showed me we could do life together.”
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