Jill glowed as she recalled those sweet moments...“I think there were several really neat things. Something we did a little different at our wedding, than a lot of people do in this day and age, was
'the first look'."
"For me, I was getting stressed that last week before the wedding. My sisters were really helpful though. They took my phone and were like, ‘Okay, if anybody has questions, we are going to answer them for you.’ And I was like, ‘Thank you!’ 'Cause I was so overwhelmed."
"I am very much a people person, and so I love hanging out with my friends and stuff, but as it got down to that last week, I needed a break. Also, Derick's mom wasn't doing very well, and we didn't know if she was going to live, and at the time I was really being pulled every which way. I wanted to spend time with Derick, but I was getting all these questions. My wedding coordinator was asking, ‘Hey, what about this and what about that?’ And so I said, ‘My sisters know me best; they're my best friends and they can answer these questions.’ So all that to say, they helped me out that last week."
"When it came down to the wedding day, something that was really special for me, that I decided to do within that last week, was that I didn't want to do the traditional 'stay away from your groom the whole day'. For me, I wanted to have devotions with Derick that morning, and I wanted to spend all the time I could with him; then get dressed and do the first look. So he still got that first look. It wasn't like, ‘Hey, here I am in my wedding dress!’ So that was really special. And then we got to spend time together until I walked down the aisle with my Dad and he saw me up front."
"So that was probably one of my highlights, just being able to spend time with him.
And I was like, ‘On the biggest day of my life, I don't want to be stressed out!’ And Derick is the one who calms me down. I didn't want to be separated from him, so that was really special."
"Also, in our ceremony we really incorporated family, and then looked for a way that we could do things a little different. And then, of course, when we ran out (at the end of the ceremony),” Jill laughed. “That was fun! That was the best part, running out barefoot so I didn't have to worry about tripping over heels or anything like that."
"Those were my highlights. I can’t narrow it down to just one!”
Once Upon a Time I Gave God the Pen
As a young girl, Jill chose to hand God the pen of her love story. It turns out that He writes love stories so much better and sweeter than any of us ever could on our own.
"When I was young, my parents really encouraged me not to focus on marriage as being the
'solve all,' but to focus on my relationship with God. So that really is what encouraged me as a young person, to know that God was to bring that person into my life, in His timing. And as long as you're seeking Him, He'll make that happen. A lot of times as a young girl I would think, ‘Well, what about that guy... or what about that guy?’"
"But my parents would be steadfast in encouraging me to say, ‘What kind of girl is a Godly guy looking for? He's not looking for somebody who’s out looking at all the other guys, wondering 'Is this the one?!' Not someone who is trying out his last name and planning out her wedding colors and all that!’” Jill laughed. “He's looking for somebody who’s focused and driven, and who has priorities and goals that are eternal.’"
"So that's something my parents would say over and over to my sisters and me, and to my brothers; to focus on Christ, and God will make everything else come in His timing. So as a young girl I was inspired by different friends of mine that I saw go through the courtship process, and I knew that's what I wanted to do. I didn't want to give pieces of my heart away. I really wanted to save myself for the one that God would have for me.”
I asked Jill, “So was waiting a difficult thing for you? Or was it easy, because of how you've been raised and because of what your parents instilled in you at such a young age?”