I was 19. A Sophomore in college, pursuing a degree in Worship Arts. I had just started an internship at a large, local church and was so excited to see what God had in store for me there. I was not shy, but quiet, and ever observant. Which is why it’s so weird that I don’t remember the first time I saw him, the first time I officially met him.

   He was 22. Fresh out of college, already at his dream job, that same large, local church where I’d just started leading worship. I remember him as the “monitor guy,” the one I made all of my (probably endless) requests for my audio mix to, the one who hid behind the curtain. That’s probably why I don’t remember our first encounters. I was on stage, he was behind the scenes, making the magic happen. 

   Though I don’t remember our initial introduction, I do remember his slightly obnoxious, but somehow endearing best friend (love you, David! You grew on me, buddy!) inviting me out one night after church to do a spontaneous recording session. I, in my eagerness to further my singer-songwriter journey, obviously agreed…and also assumed David had a crush on me. Until we got to the house and David bailed, leaving me with Smitty. Smitty?! Shoot! I don’t even know his real name, I thought! (It’s Michael, for those of you who don’t know either).

   Fast forward four months. Four months of late night jam sessions, four months of songwriting, four months of movie trilogies + homemade popcorn, four months of endless conversation into the wee hours of the morning. Four months of friendship.

   Whoa. Hold up. Just friends? Yep, just friends. At least that’s what I (Brittany) thought. Because surely if a guy likes you –  I mean likes you – he tells you by the four month mark, right? Turns out he thought he didn’t have to tell me. That I just magically knew that we were officially together + exclusive. But I didn’t. And I broke his heart. 

   It’s a long story filled with miscommunication and lengthy letters written to each other and me leaving that awesome church job, but I basically told him that “he was a nice guy, but he just wasn’t the one.”  So I left. We said our good-byes and I went back home and thought that was that. But God knew otherwise. 

   In that month away, that month where we didn’t see each other or even speak, I fell in love with him. My heart was opened and somehow, by the time I returned, I knew that I wanted to see what doors opened up together. We started dating that month, were engaged eleven months later, and married five months after that.

   There’s no denying that God’s timing isn’t our own. If we had just taken my word for my life, our story would have never even had the opportunity to unfold. Five and a half years of marriage later and I am so grateful that the boy behind the curtain stepped out and into my life (even if it did take him four months to tell me how he felt). Our journey already has so many twists and turns. And I know we’re just getting started. But through it all, we have learned how to love authentically and how to love well. And I don’t mean that in the cliche, that’s cute sort of way. I mean that in the been through the fire, life is messy and hard, love is a choice sort of way.

   As beautiful as a wedding day is, a life lived in unconditional love is a million times more beautiful. We have the honor of documenting weddings weekly. More than that, we have the privilege of documenting marriages. Our prayer for every client that comes through Kairos is that their wedding day, in all of its incredible joy + beauty, will forever be overshadowed by a lifetime of incredible love.

That’s the stuff that matters. That’s the stuff you keep. That’s the story you tell. 

First time joining us for Meet Us Monday? Check out this post for your official introduction + to learn the top five things you should know about us! Want to hear about our wedding? Come back next week!