Our Creek
Reflecting on our wedding day on our 1 year anniversary!
Our Wedding
Yesterday, we celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary. I cannot believe it has already been a whole year since the beautiful fall weekend we spent in the mountains last year. If you have not read about our wedding and the non-traditional way we approached it, check out my previous posts on the pros and cons of a small wedding and on how I planned it for under $5000.
In honor of our anniversary, I wanted to share a story that is so special to us and our wedding day.
3 Days, 3 Pictures, & 1 Creek
January 12, 2021
The early part of Jackson and I’s dating relationship was in the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. We were both still in college, but it was mostly, if not all, online. These circumstances allowed us a little more flexibility and freedom with our time. Because of this, we spent many days in our first year together driving around the mountains of country music, talk about our dreams and hopes for the future, and stare at the window at all the beautiful views.
One day in particular, we were driving through the north Georgia mountains to Ellijay. We came around a curve, and the landscape opened up into this beautiful valley. Down in the middle of the valley was the perfect sized, winding creek. It was clear-cut and had lush, green grass growing in the field all around it.
It was so breath-taking to us that we pulled over on the side of the road to get out and have a closer look. I remember standing there and talking with each other, after four months of dating, about how one day when we bought our own piece of land, we wanted a creek like that.
September 11, 2021
Later on that year, we took another trip down to the mountains to celebrate our one year dating anniversary. The road to Ellijay takes you right past the creek, so naturally, we had to stop. We talked again about owning a beautiful piece of land with a rushing creek and about many other plans for our future - together.
As silly as it may seem, this spot on the side of the road felt so significant to our relationship. A place we would come back to and remember our shared vision for our lives - the first place we vocalized a future together.
June 11, 2022
Fast forward a little less than a year, and we got engaged For our wedding day, we decided to rent an airbnb in the mountains and have a very simple ceremony on the property. Because of this, we wanted to make sure we found an airbnb that had a beautiful outdoor space to do so.
After searching all around the mountains of Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina, I felt like I had found the perfect spot. The property I landed on just so happened to be in Ellijay, where we have taken many road trips during the course of our relationship.
We book it, and because we have never seen it, we pray that it is as beautiful and perfect for our wedding in person as it looked in the photos.
October 8, 2022
Then, the wedding weekend was here. Jackson and I left on a Thursday afternoon to drive down for the weekend together. Everyone else was arriving later that evening or the next day.
As we are taking the very familiar road down towards Ellijay, we came up on our spot - where the valley opens up and the creek glistens in the sun.
I looked down at the GPS. It said we were 4 minutes from our destination.
I looked at Jackson.
“Wait, so that means…”
The creek that had been such a significant part of our relationship was the very same creek we were about to stand by and say, “I do.”
God as the Perfect Author
To some, this may seem like a silly coincidence. But to me, it was not.
To me, the creek was an Ebenezer - a reminder that the Lord brought us together and would continue to sustain us.
He is the perfect author. He writes our stories. And I am thankful for that.
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have had a wonderful start to your October and maybe began to experience some fall temperatures? I know we have!
Have a great week!
Take care,
Caroline
And a beautiful creek it is, along with a beautiful ceremony with two beautiful people!