Blog Post

A Marriage of a Lifetime

Jan 27, 2021

Jasmin and Evan's 10.10.20 wedding

COVID-19 has shifted wedding plans for countless couples since early 2020. Many of these changes have resulted in heartbreak and frustration as dream weddings morph into what will make do. Amidst the grief and disappointments, however, we have seen couples flourish as they shift their focus from the theatrics of big weddings to each other. From high school acquaintances, to college friends, to lifelong partners, Jasmin and Evan kept their sights focused on one another. That certainly did not change with the coronavirus pandemic!

Pediatric ICU nurse Jasmin met Evan in high school. She attended a girls’ school, and he went to a boys’ school nearby. They shared mutual friends and attended many dances and functions as a group. After high school, they both moved on to St. Louis University and grew to be close friends in their own right! When Jasmin left to study abroad in Spain, Evan realized he thought of her as more than a friend and, upon Jasmin’s return, suggested they date. “It is kind of funny! He never really asked me out,” Jasmin chuckled. “He just said, ‘We should date.’ That was the summer of 2015. . . and we’ve been together [the] five years [since]!” In those five years, Jasmin found that Evan was a perfect balance for her. She explained, “I've never felt that Evan and I complete each other, rather we complement one another nicely. We challenge each other. He's left brain. He needs the numbers and facts. I am more right brain. I'm emotional, and I need to see and touch and do. But together, we make each other better.” They went on trips and adventures together, hiking and camping regularly. They took an annual trip to Colorado during which they camped and hiked in the mountains. Each year, they took one of Jasmin’s five younger siblings with them to share the experience.

For their 2020 trip, the pair brought Jasmin’s entire family! “I had my suspicions he would be proposing soon. . . What threw me off the trail was when we were [at the laundromat while on our trip]. I asked what he wanted me to do with his laundry, thinking he might have a ring hidden,” Jasmin recalled. “I asked if he wanted me to put the laundry in his bag, and he said I was fine to put it in there. I was like, ‘Are you sure you want me to go in your bag?’ and he said there was nothing in there.” Jasmin was now sure he would not propose on this trip but continued living in the moment, sharing the Colorado mountains with her family. As the trip neared its end, the family went to Mount Evans where half the group planned to climb the mountain and half would drive to the top. Unfortunately, the hiking group lost the trail partway through the trek. “At one point we got lost from the trail. We were going the wrong direction for probably forty minutes. . . I was getting anxious and worrying and he just encouraged me and calmed me down. . . At one point, I slipped and fell, and he caught me. I was crying, and he held me and said, ‘You got this. We are going to make it through.” An hour after their expected arrival, the group finally reached the summit and met the rest of the family who drove. Jasmin described the moment, " After taking family photos, I was ready to go eat, but Evan said, ‘Wait!’ He gently grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him and got down on one knee! I was so surprised, I burst out laughing and crying. He said, ‘I've known for a long time that you were going to me my partner in life. . . Will you marry me?’ I said, ‘Yes!’”

With an engagement accepted, wedding planning began. The pair selected 10.10.20 for their wedding date, as they wanted a fall wedding and appreciated the numeric significance. They set plans for almost one hundred eighty guests in their church gym but made significant changes to the day as COVID-19 became an issue. Jasmin said, “All those things changed quite a bit, but they actually kind of changed for the better.” They cut their guest list down to fifty and, with less people to seat, reconsidered venues. The couple attended the vow renewal of Jasmin’s grandparents who were celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary. “. . . As we were leaving the church, we were holding hands, and we had this moment of realization and. . . foreshadowing. [It almost] felt like walking down the aisle as husband and wife. . . We both thought, ‘How cool would it be to get married in the church [where] my grandparents celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary?’” Jasmin recalled. “We asked, and by some miracle, it was available on our date and time!” Although making changes to the guest list was difficult, Evan focused on the most important thing. “When decisions got hard, Evan would remind me that we are getting married, and it’s going to be great and beautiful. He said, ‘All I need to get married is you and a priest. Everything else is extra!’” Jasmin smiled. “It was about him and a sacrament and committing to each other. . . I wanted a marriage of a lifetime, not the wedding of my dreams. We focused on what mattered, and it was perfect!"

One part of wedding planning left unaffected was the dress shopping process. Jasmin came to Clarice’s a year before her wedding, well before COVID-19 shut St. Louis down. “. . . I walked into that [store] and immediately felt like [it was] magical—like twinkly lights and [angel voices started singing]!” she joked when asked about the experience. She continued, “Shannon and I connected right away. . . Something I really appreciated at Clarice’s was that she always put me first even though my [group] had lots of opinions. She helped me identify my own decisions!” Jasmin tried a wide variety of styles, some selected by her stylist, Shannon, and some selected by her family. She tried on the dress four different times throughout the appointment and cried happy tears every time! “I tried it on, and it had all the little details that I wanted in one dress. I started crying, and my family started crying. I really believe that dress chose me,” she said.

When Jasmin finally got to wear her gown on the big day, she had lots of help getting ready. Her mother and aunts had been a major part of preparing Jasmin for significant moments throughout her life such as her quinceañera and school dances. Keeping that tradition alive, they styled Jasmin’s hair and makeup on her wedding day! “My family is Mexican, so they also got me ready for my quinceañera,” she explained. “It was super important they would be there to help me get ready for my wedding too. . . My mom did my makeup, and she was super proud, and my aunts did my hair. It was a family event!” With family being so important to Jasmin and Evan, they also included contributions from Jasmin’s youngest brother, David. She had not planned to have a cake topper nor a ring box, but David had a solution to both! “A week before [the wedding], he came to me with a little ring box made of Legos. He also made our cake topper out of Legos with a bride and groom holding hands,” Jasmin recalled with a smile. “I didn’t ask him to do any of that—he just came to me with it!”

With a focus on the marriage and family support, the day was beautiful. With every hiccup, Jasmin remembered what Evan had instilled in her throughout the process: They were marrying one another, and everything else was extra. “I would rather have a marriage of a lifetime than the wedding of my dreams,” Jasmin said. “But our wedding day was everything I could want and more!” We wish Jasmin and Evan every happiness. With their attitude, they will surely have the marriage of a lifetime!

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