Heinz-Lee Wedding
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you for the first time and for always, Mr. and Mrs. Lee!
Zachary and Natalie united in marriage at a lakeside ceremony at Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan, Wisconsin. It was a gorgeous day for this lovely couple to have the celebration of a lifetime. There wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd after the groom’s emotional vows. Everyone in attendance radiated such love for this wonderful couple. It was a joyful honor for me to get to know Zachary and Natalie and to officiate their beautiful wedding.
Enjoy a few excerpts from their ceremony below.
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Today, in the presence of these witnesses and with blessings from God, Zachary and Natalie are ready to be united as one family.
It has been a blessed journey to this moment- your wedding day. Ten years ago, in a freshman English class, two young teens met for the first time. A friendship began, and love ensued. You two experienced Homecoming and Prom and the rights of passage of high school together. You grew together into adulthood. Then, you accomplished something truly remarkable: you stayed together! While Zachary served in the military and Natalie pursued her college degree, you continued to grow together. After four years of a long-distance relationship, you were finally living in the same state again and ready to continue to grow together. With a home, two cats, and a sunset proposal, you continue to joyfully add chapters to your beautiful love story. Zachary and Natalie, from the hallways of high school to this moment of marriage, you are called to be each other’s forever love story.
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The bride and groom have written custom vows to share with each other.
(Zachary) Natalie,
Falling in love with you has been the easiest thing I’ve ever done. There isn’t anything in this world that makes me happier than waking up next to you every morning. I’ve never had someone in this life that I knew for certain truly loved me for the person I am, until you. I love your ability to make me feel like nothing in this world is too big to conquer.
From being 1,000 miles away from each other, to starting a family with Oliver and Gizmo, you have shown me what love is truly supposed to feel like. You are my best friend, my partner, my first love, and now, my forever. After nine years of us, I still feel like the luckiest person in the world, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.
I promise to always be there for you no matter what life throws at us. I promise to build a home with you that is filled with love and laughter. I promise to be the best teammate in life and strive to succeed together.
And finally, when my time comes to leave this earth, I promise to find you in the next life and continue to show you how much I truly love you.
(Natalie) Zach,
When we first met in high school as two teenagers, we had no idea that what began in an English class would someday bring us to this moment here- our wedding day.
Over the past 9 years, we’ve experienced so much together. We endured long distances, which was not easy. That time taught me that our love only grows stronger with distance, and that we have a love patient enough to wait. We’ve traveled to new places together, built a home full of love and laughter, and created a beautiful life together.
With everything we’ve been through, you’ve become so much more than my high school sweetheart. You are my best friend, my safe place, the person who pushes me to be better, the person I want standing with me through every phase of life, and my forever love. From high school hallways to standing here today, I vow to always love you no matter what.
So today I make these promises to you:
I promise to always laugh with you, and to always be each other’s best friend.
I promise to never go to bed angry.
I promise to never stop putting in effort.
I promise to always choose you- not only as the person I fell in love with all those years ago, but as the person you are today and the person you are still becoming.
I promise to always stand by you on the good and the bad days, to support you when you are chasing your dreams, and to remind you of your worth on the days you forget it.
And finally, I promise to love you unconditionally for the rest of our lives.
I love you, Zach, now and forever.
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Zachary and Natalie, may God be with you and bless you. May your love be strong when life and love are simple, and may your love prove even stronger when life and love are challenging. May your marriage be modern enough to survive and thrive through the ever-changing years and old-fashioned enough to last forever. Amen.
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To Zachary and Natalie and a lifetime of love! Cheers!