We love stories. Every couple has one. One of our favorite parts about being wedding photographers is meeting with newly engaged couples for the first time and hearing theirs. The newness of it. The freshness of it. The excitement of it. We can’t get enough of it! But, at the end, our couples always ask, “What about you?” So, we decided to share our story, too. From the high school bleachers to the end of the aisle, here’s our story from “I noticed you” to “I do.”
Part 1: Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
Part 2: You + Me = Us
Part 3: Friday Night Lights
Part 4: The Little Black Dress
Part 5: The First Kiss
Part 6: The First “I Love You”
Part 7: Senior Prom
Part 8: Graduation Night
Part 9: Saying Goodbye
Part 10: College Days
Part 11: She Said Yes!
Part 12: Our Wedding Day
That morning. That hot summer morning. That real, painful mourning.
From the moment he said goodbye, something was wrong with Jordan, and by the time he arrived on campus for soccer preseason, he’d slipped into a deep depression that lasted months. He wasn’t eating much. He wasn’t drinking much. He wasn’t talking much. He dedicated every ounce of energy to being normal in public, and then he’d return to his room to sleep the day (and the pain) away. Life before Skype and smart phones and reasonable cell phone bills didn’t make it any easier. His text messages were limited, and neither one had free cell phone minutes until 9 o’clock each night, so he and Amy set up iChat dates to type to each other in between classes, and wrote letters and emails back and forth (and still have copies of them) to pass the time. At night, Jordan threw on his sweatshirt, walked to the top of the campus’s hill, watched the fireworks explode over Sea World, and talked to Amy on the phone for hours.
That was his routine. That was his new life. And he hated it. Every minute of it. Because she wasn’t there. He tried to snap out of it. He tried to rationalize it. Everyone seemed to judge it or wish it away. But he missed her. Plain and simple. He was suffering from the kind of depression that no doctor could cure: heartbreak. He couldn’t spend four years of his life living this way. So, he made the decision to leave. To come home. To abandon his dream of Division 1 and professional soccer. The critics were harsh. The voices were loud. The gossip started almost before it began. But he didn’t care. He loved her. His dreams had changed. He couldn’t live without half of himself. So, at Christmas, he packed up his Honda Accord and drove back to where he belonged: home.
This is a snapshot from a brief visit Amy was able to make to San Diego to see Jordan, when time stood still and for a quick moment, they were just Amy and Jordan again.
To keep reading, click here: Part 10: College Days
