Our proposal and marriage were unlike more familiar stories. The moment Janae and I saw each other, we both knew that it was heaven-sent. An undeniable connection that drew us together immediately, before we even spoke to each other. After getting out of long relationships, we both had the opportunity to truly understand ourselves and what we wanted from our life partners.
We spoke about marriage, but the proposal Janae gave me was just the cherry on top! We got engaged and married within 24 hours!
I remember picking Janae up from her house as she told me she had planned a “nice date” for us. When I arrived, she came out with a suitcase and her beautiful smile, as I had planned a surprise for following the date as well! When she got to the car, she mentioned that she had “forgot something,” and when she came back, she had a BEAUTIFUL bouquet of flowers in her hands.
She opened my door and laughed, and when I hugged her, her body was shaking like CRAZY! When I pointed it out, she just laughed and said I looked amazing, and it made her nervous. Little did I know, we would be engaged just a few hours later!
To us, engagement is within the beauty of finally being able to step through that threshold of forever. Understanding that all of your childhood dreams were real. Every experience was worth it, and all of your future plans were in reach; it is something we hope everyone can endure.
We eloped. Our engagement was very short. But the most significant change from this experience for both of us is the security in love.
Knowing that this person will be here through thick and thin. This person is always on the same page. This person will be the one you’ll experience every part of the rollercoaster life may throw at you. It truly is something we’ve wished for in the past.
Even though we eloped, we are throwing a big ceremony, so that both families will be able to share the experience with us.
With both families’ involvement, we’ve been blessed to have such a strong foundation and support system that allows us to strictly focus on making our day perfect. The only thing we hope to come from our wedding is to have everyone in attendance celebrate. To be able to celebrate love, celebrate freedom, celebrate choice, and celebrate the courageous acts of each other. Being able to recognize the diversities in both families and love each other as our own is huge to Taelor and me. So we hope that everyone regardless of the difference in culture, background, or sexuality, feels safe and free.
Photography by Brittany V Photography
