Kaycee Deen Photography: Life's Finest Work

I never quite understood the significance of a wedding anniversary until I earned my own. And I do say earned, because, each day, marriage is a choice. It's a covenant, and it requires that you make a daily decision to cherish another life ahead of your own. But, it's also the most beautiful promise I've ever made. Marriage has given me purpose, enriched my life, and brought me more joy than I ever expected.

We had the absolute honor of having someone very special to us officiate our wedding. There was something very comforting about walking down the aisle to a circle of people that knew my husband and I intimately and sincerely shared in our joy. And, I have our wedding ceremony, entirely in Jon's words and his handwriting, as one of my most prized possessions. In celebration of three years that have passed since the day my husband and I pledged our lives to each other, I'm sharing the Wedding Address from our ceremony. Whatever relationship you are in, or leaving, or joining, my wish is that these beautiful words lift you and give you perspective and hope.

Marriage is the joining of two lives. The mystical, physical and emotional union of two human beings who have separate families, histories and destinies. It is the merging of two bodies, two personalities, and two life stories. Joel and Kaycee, each of you has a unique and life-shaping past but, today, you willingly set aside the solitary journey of yourselves, independently, to discover who you are in the presence of one another. Marriage means neither absorption nor displacement by the other. Rather, it is a protected environment in which love can grow. As a consequence of that growth, you can each flourish as individuals and develop in your highest capacities as loving human beings. In marrying, you say not only I love you today, but also I promise to love you tomorrow, the next day, and always. You will change because of this, I promise! You will shape yourselves according to it, and live differently because of it. In turn, however, you will feel protected. In marriage, you are encouraged to challenge the limits of human possibilities. Knowing you are truly loved, you can make mistakes, feeling confident that someone will be there to catch you. Because taking chances is at the heart of change, in marriage, you can expand to your fullest potential. For it is love, after all, and before all, that has the two of you in this beautiful place. Love is the inspiration, the magic, and the healing balm of any marriage. Love is what brought you together. Allow it to keep you whole. And so, as you tend to the endless requirements of what your individual destinies will demand: Return your hearts, again and again, to the love between you. Love will give you joy and will give meaning to the pursuit of your dreams. For love is life's highest destiny, its greatest purpose, and its finest work.