:: max & chelsea ::

[photo by brooke collier photography]

years of prayers and questions and tears and excitement culminated in
one bright and sandy afternoon
and 150 pairs of eyes joined as witnesses to
yet another of God's promises fulfilled.

max and chelsea garter.

will's, jana's, and my words combined to bless the new husband and wife
and each of our outbursts had a common thread weaving though:
jesus.
here we have two people who are crazy about each other,
but, when we said the things that we said,
i know that each of us was convinced 
that max and chelsea, individually, are committed first to God,
then to each other.
and this, this is why it was hard to hold back tears as
neil challenged them to love well,
as they made their promises to one another,
no doubt comforted to have the accountability of so many godly men and women.

dear chelsea,
the friend who listened for so many hours,
who patiently sat with me when i cried,
who had sleepovers in my room (even though her room was 2 feet away),
who generously helped me with hair problems and curls for special events,
who consisently offered to me wise counsel and uplifting encouragement,
who forgave me and prayed for me,
who melted her french press to our stovetop,
who lined our teeny tiny house with art and paint and canvases,
who cleaned our sick nasty bathtub without asking for any acknowledgement,
who shared her precious family,
who taught me to talk about the deep things of God
and to trust His leading even in the desert,
the friend whose meals were so very predictable,
who never ceased to amaze me with her inappropriate appearances around the house
and her unpredictable style of dress,
the same girl who would leave her car windows open in the rain,
who would drink my smoothies even when they were gross,
who would eat beans and rice or chips and salsa or popcorn. anytime.
the woman who would worship with her whole heart and love people with the same,
a rare proverbs 31 beauty.

faithful max,
the man who chelsea says she can dream with,
the man who slaved away to create a place for her,
the man whose priority was so clearly to protect his wife-to-be,
the one who is so incredibly laid back and so very intense. at the same time.
the one who waited for his bride,
the one who owns who he is and fights to be the best he can,
who seeks accountability and forgiveness,
the one who forgives and encourages,
who (jana said it best) is a place of safety for his wife, a landing place, shelter,
the man who also worships with his whole heart,
who surfs and who epitomizes a surfer,
the man who is a faithful one (as will knows to be true after 25 years of friendship)
the one who finally was able to capture her heart
and the one who will be so blessed by her humility for a lifetime.

a beautiful team.
praise Him.

[photo by nathan english photography]