Our Vows

In case anyone was interested, since I haven't figured out a magical way to post some of the video from our wedding ceremony yet, I figured I would post our vows. We wrote our own, cause we're cool like that.

Joel's vows:

Many years ago I met Heather when she and I both worked at Papa Johns. She will tell you I ignored her there because I didn’t like her but the truth is I thought she was an interesting person from the day I met her. All the guys at Papa Johns would shower her with attention so I had to come up with a strategy to get her to notice me. As it turns out, the plan that worked was to ignore her and let her come to me. In time the plan paid off and we began conversing. She had a boyfriend at the time, but she was beautiful and interesting, educated and had a razor sharp wit. I loved to be around her so I waited patiently until the time was right, and now here we are at the altar.
She moved in with me before either of us were “Officially together” and it was an interesting transition at first. Over time we both realized we were madly in love with each other and that as they say, is that. If I ever had any doubts about Heather being my perfect match, she put them to rest by showing me everyday that she loved me intensely. From the beginning when she would lean up against me and let me put my arm around her when we would watch movies to today when we hold hands and bicker in the grocery store, everyday I know that she’s my perfect fit, my one and only, my love.
Heather, I promise that I will always try to cheer you up when you’re sad. I promise I’ll be there when you need me. I promise I will give you all the love and attention you deserve. I’ll try really hard to listen to every word you have to say and I promise to put up with you being (Slightly) crazy as long as you put up with my expensive hobbies. Finally, I promise to be your faithful, committed husband and love you forever.

My vows:

It seems like only yesterday that we got engaged…the first time. I remember thinking to myself after we started hanging out that it was nice of this caring, kind, huge-hearted person to play along with my little charade, to act like he liked me as much as I liked him. I spent every moment that I could either with you, texting you, or sending you messages on Myspace, just hoping that maybe someday you would like me as much as I liked you. And then suddenly, inexplicably, we were a couple, and I couldn’t believe that you actually felt the same way about me as I did about you. I couldn’t understand, sometimes I still can’t, how someone as incredible as you could want to wait for someone as crazy and messed up as I was to pull herself together enough to be ready for all the love you had to give…but I’ll never stop being grateful that you did.
Everyone has stories about that moment where they knew they loved their significant other, but I don’t have that one moment of clarity where I realized that I was in love with you. Being with you has always felt right. Safe. Whole. Perfect. I didn’t fall in love with you. I didn’t need to, because I always have been in love with you. How could I not be, when you were so clearly meant just for me? Two people so perfect for each other could never have just met by some cosmic accident. We were made for each other—it was always you who I was looking for. How else could you explain a relationship that started with an engagement ring? It had to be you.
I keep feeling like I should come up with these great, epic stories about something touching you’ve done to show me how much you love me, but I can’t. I was looking through a journal that I keep of all the things you’ve done to make me really happy, though, and I realized that it’s not the grand gestures that make us love each other so much. It’s the little, every day stuff, like you getting me a teddy bear to hold when you work early in the morning because you know I don’t like sleeping alone, or when you wrote “you’re beautiful” on my coaster when we were having dinner at Chili’s. It isn’t the ability to plan and execute grand gestures every once in a while that makes me love you…it’s your ability to make me feel special, beautiful, unique, and loved every day.
I am so grateful that I have the chance to spend the rest of our lives making you feel as loved by me as I do by you. I promise to do everything I can to make that happen, to take care of you and treat you like the treasure you are in my life. I promise to take care of you when you don’t feel well, to support and encourage you when you need a little push, and to always say “I love you” and kiss you goodbye before you leave for work. I promise to always kiss you goodnight, to never go to bed mad at you, and to stop saying “nothing” when I’m upset and you ask me what’s wrong. I promise to do your laundry and clean up around the house as long as you do the cooking. I promise to put up with your expensive habits as long as you put up with me being (a lot) crazy. I promise that I will always be there for you, standing beside your side, no matter what the world throws at us. You are the butter to my bread, the breath to my life, and with all my heart, I look forward to loving you for the rest of eternity.