From Cassidy:
On October 10th, 2020 I married the man I fell in love with when I was just 16 years old. People always say, “When you know, you know.” It didn’t take long for me to know that Jacob was the man that God handpicked for me. I remember the day I first laid eyes on him. It was after a football game in 8th grade. I asked his cousin, Jaime, “Who is that hot guy?” Little did I know that “hot guy” was going to be my husband. He has the purest soul and the kindest heart and I thank God every day for putting him in my life. He truly makes me a better person.
We had been dating for a little over 5 years when Jacob finally asked me to be his wife. I had always known I wanted to get married on 10-10-20. I had the guy, I just needed the ring! So as soon as I got the ring, wedding planning went into full swing! Everyone told us that a year and a half was too long for an engagement, but my heart was SET on this date and looking back now, I’m glad we didn’t listen! I have nothing against short engagements. In fact, that is probably the smarter route, but I knew I wanted to enjoy this stage of our relationship. After all, we had been dating 5.5 years…another 1.5 was nothing to us!
We watched friends get engaged then married, we watched friends get pregnant then give birth, we even watched friends buy their first homes. All within the 1.5 years we were engaged. It seemed like everyone else was passing us by. I was constantly having to remind myself that life isn’t a race. We get so caught up in comparing our lives to the people around us that we forget to embrace the season we are living in. Life doesn’t follow a set timeline. Yet we set unrealistic expectations of ourselves to hit every milestone at a specific time in life and when we don’t, we discredit ourselves. But really, what’s the rush? Jacob and I had the rest of our lives to spend together!
When I first imagined what our wedding day would look like, a worldwide pandemic was not included. Unfortunately, 11 months into wedding planning, that became our reality. I had dreamt of this day since I was a little girl. I had so many ideas that I had been saving to my secret Pinterest board over the years. However, God had different plans. What was supposed to be the best times of our lives quickly turned into doubt and constant disappointment. I felt like the world was against us. Yet somehow, the difficult season we were living in brought me the biggest blessing of all. It was the challenges, doubt, and constant disappointment that forced me to cling to God more than ever. This year taught me that no matter how much I plan and prepare, His plan for me cannot be altered. I would constantly find myself asking, “God, where are you?” When in reality, He was more present than ever. God does his greatest work during our “storm.” This year reminded me that you have to go through the process to get to the promise. I knew God was doing something amazing in our lives.
On October 10th, 2020 at half after four in the afternoon, Jacob and I made a promise before God, our families, and our closest friends and it was more than I ever could have imagined. When I saw him waiting for me at the end of the aisle, nothing else truly mattered. I was marrying my best friend. I would relive being a COVID bride over and over again just for that exact moment. I’ve never been a very decisive person, but this was one thing that I was 100% sure of. This was the man that I wanted to go through the worst and the best times with. This is the man I want to raise children with and grow old with. THIS is my forever.
