Cassandra and Jonathan

Being a Hallmark Christmas movie addict- I definitely dreamt of being a December bride (surprise, surprise)! Jonathan (now hubby) and I began planning our magical Christmas wedding for December 2020. Life and a pandemic had a new set of plans for us. We lost all that we had planned but we were ok with it because it just meant our story was changing. Then, our superhero (my dad) was struggling with his battle with a very rare form of brain cancer. We could not risk his health for even a small backyard wedding because his immunity was so compromised. So December 2021 here we come, he was going to be recovered and leading us all onto the dance floor! December 31st, a new angel took flight and our world and hearts were shattered. Jonathan and I were struggling trying to plan this day- we were ready to just runaway and say "I do" just us two. My dad's best friends caught wind of us trying to hatch this elopement plan and interjected. They told us how excited my dad was when Jonathan came to ask his blessing and how he had been dreaming of this day for us for so long. Here we go... wedding part two was under way. 2021 whizzed by and before we new it we found ourselves in December. There were so many kinks along the way and every time our angel somehow made it work. The day was a blur but the love, strength, and devotion was felt from all our friends and family. Everyone pitched in to make sure we had this enchanting day. Our angel was present in every detail - from the perfect weather after so much rain to the chicken and waffles to the music selection (and my power slides across the dance floor haha) to the churros to his signature cocktail to the immense joy filling our hearts. I can still feel my heart doing backflips looking up at the end of the aisle when I looked up at my forever, my home, my rock, my husband. My brother (who might be 3 years younger than me but I admire and look up to so much) walked me down the aisle to "Stand by me" by Skylar Grey. I did my best not to trip and once my hand was in Jonathan's I knew this was the best and easiest decision I had ever made...saying 'yes' to our love story. Our first dance was to "I wanna grow old with you" by Adam Sandler. As we swayed there and laughed over the fumbled choreography we made up in our living room, I wanted to pinch myself that this wasn't just a dream. I married my best friend, the one who fills my love cup. It was a merry ever after!

As cliched as it sounds... marry your best friend. You need someone that is authentic, genuine, and will balance you. There will be hard seasons and you need someone that is worth going through them with/ can help navigate them with you. No matter what your fairytale looks like just make sure it is being lived out by two people that love, respect, and cherish one another.