From the day we met to the day we were legally and lawfully married, as well as sealed for time and all eternity, there was only a span of 111 days. (Although Kyle and I really like the TLC series "90 Day Fiance" we beat that timeline, seeing as we were engaged for 73 days.) I know, that's a little crazy. In Utah, it's more common to have such a short courtship & engagement, but in the rest of the world it's completely insane. Weren't we supposed to date for 2 years, then move in together, then be engaged for another 3 years, then get married? While that may work for some, it wasn't the kind of timeline Kyle and I wanted. So 111 days it was!

The night before our wedding, Kyle said goodnight to me on my parents' porch for the last time. He kissed me goodnight and had to go back to his apartment for the last time. He texted me goodnight and told me he loved me for the last time that we'd be going to sleep in separate beds. To ensure that I actually got some sleep, I took melatonin and smiled to myself as I laid in bed and slowly fell asleep.

January 17th. Finally! Our day was here and it didn't quite seem real when my alarm clock went off at 6 AM. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and glanced over at my wedding dress that was hanging on my door. I looked at my high heels resting just below it. I looked around my room and realized that this was the last time I would be waking up here. In a few hours, I would be Kyle's wife.

My mom came upstairs to help me get started on my hair while I called Holly. She came over and helped me get ready and have our last bit of girl time before I'd be a married woman. I applied mascara to my eyelashes before taking a moment to look in the mirror and again be reminded that I would be married today. It didn't seem like real life yet. I remembered waking up and getting my robe on, I knew that mom really did come upstairs and plug in the curling iron. I knew Holly was really here and that we'd all really be heading to the Draper Temple in a few hours. But looking at my reflection, I saw not only myself, but the last 19 years of changes. First dates, church dances, trying out new hairstyles, putting on make-up for fun, and even the instances I looked at that girl staring back at me and wondered if she would ever be good enough. Today, though, I knew she was good enough. I knew she deserved every bit of happiness that came as a result of finding Kyle. I knew that the promises and commitments made today would make that girl looking back at me so happy and so proud of herself for coming so far.

Hair? Check. Make-up? Check. Freaking out a little bit? Check! I put on a simple dress and brought my wedding dress downstairs. I picked up my temple bag and walked downstairs. Family was awake now and getting breakfast done before getting themselves ready. Kyle and I and our escorts had to be at the temple early so my mom and dad and I got in the van and made our way toward the Draper UT LDS Temple. On the way there, I sent Kyle a quick text and he responded "See you at the temple!" before he got in the car to drive himself.

Once we got inside the temple, we showed our recommends at the front desk. I handed mine over first and everything was fine. Then it was Kyle's turn. When the temple worker went to scan Kyle's recommend, there was a negative scanning sound. The worker tried again, and again it didn't work. I immediately began to worry. We were supposed to be getting married! I can't marry Kyle if he can't get in the temple! Luckily, after a quick call to our Stake President, they figured things out. It was just a misunderstanding in regards to activating his recommend. Crisis averted, we were still getting married that day.

Our ceremony was more than I could have ever hoped for and I was so happy to be joined together with Kyle. We exchanged wedding bands and hugged our family and friends before getting ready to greet everyone that had been waiting outside for us.

After the ceremony, we had a family luncheon. That evening was our wedding reception. Everything was perfect. The decor was beautiful and my family was so helpful and supportive with it all. Kyle and I promised each other forever and forever is what we got.










We couldn't have done this without our family. There is just no way it could have all come together.


With the reception being done, we drove off into the night toward our hotel in Salt Lake before spending a week in Maui, Hawaii. My fairy-tale wedding came true and I was headed to paradise with my perfect man.

Now, we've been married for just over a year. Our first year was like any other, ups and downs and everything in between. But we will always have each other and that is what matters. We don't go to bed angry, we always kiss each other goodnight, and we keep our lines of communication wide open. We have couple's meetings, we make plans together, and we trust each other. 111 days may not seem like enough time to really get to know someone, but I know I picked the right person. Over the past year, we've learned a lot about each other and there's been something new each day, but we don't regret moving so fast. We are so glad we did things in the way that we did and that we were blessed enough to find each other.

You know where we began and know how we got to where we are now. It was fast, it was a little crazy, but it was so worth it.