“Do you want the long version or the short and sweet version?”

We live in a grandiose world, especially when it comes to weddings. An ever-growing guest list, a budget that's busting at the seams. Well, I'm here now to tell you about something completely opposite. Chris and I romantically, quietly, and prayerfully eloped. Eloping has a bad rap. People first think about the worst-case scenarios, but I'm here to challenge you to think differently. You can have the most Pinterest-worthy wedding, but your marriage is only as solid as the work that both people put in, not how elaborate the day of the ceremony is.

Chris and I knew this thing we shared was something special and needed to be handled with care. From the beginning of our relationship, our focus has been on (one) our need to put Jesus first in our lives, (two) to nurture the love that we have for each other, (three) to stand firm in our commitment to each other first in our family, and (four) make sure we are displaying our love in a way that our children could witness and hopefully want to mirror one day.

Like so many other couples, we landed on marriage, so I won't bore you with the fine details of all that. We knew to create a home for the children we love, we'd have to start stepping into the role of husband and wife. The more I prayed about it, the more I knew what we needed to do. Before we moved into one house as a family, we needed to say "I do" to each other to live out what God had set before us.

Scripture on the wall on our new addition to our home.

We had an incredibly intimate ceremony. (I don't even know if I would call it a ceremony, honestly. Haha.). We had two witnesses with us as we stood before the magistrate, who asked, "Do you want the long version or the short and sweet version?". While standing at the courthouse, saying we decided to love each other forever may not sound very romantic to some... just at that moment, choosing each other instead of the pomp and circumstance of a wedding was one of the most personal things we could have done. It wasn't about anything else but each other.

Not what we were expecting…

Nothing overwhelmed us; nothing overshadowed us. We had the opportunity to be wholly us. Our love has been easy and simple from the beginning, so it makes sense that we'd easily commit to each other in a very simple way.

A significant factor in making this decision is what we could one day tell our children. We want them to find the loves of their lives and live happily ever after. Reflecting what the Lord desires us to do is essential to that whole happiness ordeal. On a bigger scale, this was a step in obedience.

My favorite part was taking communion afterward. We didn't come very prepared, so one of our witnesses provided goldfish, grape fanta, and a prayer of blessing for our union. Our other witnesses came through with the somethings new, old, borrowed, and blue. We honeymooned at a hibachi restaurant and TJMax. Haha. Funny this is, now every vacation or getaway we take feels like our honeymoon.

Our love story is unique, and only God put us together. We both came from divorces, mistakes, and dark times. Thanks to a Godly friend (aka Maggie), I recently had the opportunity to speak as a panelist at a "Life After Loss" conference, where we touched on issues like dating after a divorce, how to navigate that with children, and at what point you seek help for the depression that comes with that loss or divorce. I'm 100% an advocate of therapy because it was with a therapist that I began to see light at the end of the tunnel. Jesus finished my journey through the tunnel. The theme for this particular conference was "Graves into Gardens." I couldn't see my garden at all for a long time. And for those who are struggling to see their garden and their harvest, please remember:

You have to wait patiently (I'm not patient)

You have to have faith (I've been known to waver)

You have to sit back and understand there's a reason (I don't like that, nor do I like the reason most times)

A panelist at “Life After Loss”. Such a wonderful ministry. It blessed me so much.

This wasn't about sneaking off and doing something behind everyone's back. This was about cherishing each other so much that we treated our vows protectively and inwardly to our relationship. Having each other's undivided attention was not only romantic, it was also deeply meaningful and holy. I'm a person who loves loves loves tradition, so this was entirely out of the norm for me. But remember, this was also about being obedient (not perfect). This was about adding to our relationship in a way that really resonated with our souls. I will forever be thankful we got to cherish a moment that let us focus on what matters most: the love we share.

K Bye

Megan

Doing life… the best I know how.