Our Wedding Vows

I thought I would share Stephen and I's vows because...well....I want to! I got these vows from Jason Illian's wedding back in 2007. He was on the Bachelorette and was a virgin when he got married a few years ago. Him and his wife Alisha, have 2 beautiful children!

Here they are:

Vows - Stephen(groom)

When I say I love you,

I’m not just making you my wife,

I’m making you my best friend,

My last dance, my only hope, and forever lover.

When I say I love you,

I’m not claiming to have all the answers,

I’m praying that together

We’ll ask all the right questions.

When I say I love you,

I’m not just expressing a feeling,

I’m solidifying a commitment

And I’ll spend my whole life to proving it to you.

When I say I love you,

I’m not repeating “'til death do us part,"

I’m promising to be with you forever

In this life and the life to come.

When I say I love you,

I’m not just voicing mere words

I’m expressing how I’ve been surprised, challenged, engaged

And humbled—realizing that soul mates really do exist.

When I say I love you,

I’m not giving you human love

I’m pouring out God’s unconditional, sacrificial love

Dying to self, in hope that I can better serve you and honor you.

Abby, you are an undeserved blessing, a gift from God, and a dream realized. Much of my heart is closed to everyone in this world—but I open it to you. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know that I don’t have one without you. Just know that when I say I love you, I love you.

Vows – Abby (bride)

When I say I love you,

I’m not just making you my husband,

I’m making you my strong tower,

The family leader, my heart’s protector, and my goodnight kiss

When I say I love you,

I’m not just standing before family and friends,

I’m kneeling before Christ our Savior

Praying that His grace will knit our lives together

When I say I love you,

I’m not just adding your last name,

I’m subtracting our loneliness, dividing our sorrows

And multiplying our joys so that two can become one

When I say I love you,

I’m not asking you to make me whole,

I’m asking you to stay focused on God

And through His power and will, together we’ll be made holy

When I say I love you,

I’m not expecting happily ever after,

I’m preparing to hike the mountaintops and the valleys,

Swim through the joys and the sorrows, battle the good times and the bad

To make a life with you

When I say I love you,

I don’t want a big house or a fancy car

I just want to live in your arms and touch your heart

And dream bigger dreams than we could do separately

Stephen, you are the man of my dreams—a real-life knight in shining armor. My heart is never experienced such peace, and I never feel closer to God than I do when I’m with you. I may not be perfect, but I believe that we fit perfectly together. Just know that when I say I love you, I love you.