Beneath the Wings
Finally, the day we have anticipated for so long has finally come and has only recently passed: our wedding day!
People say it is the “happiest day of your lives,” but Jake and I have agreed that our wedding day was merely the first line of a whole happy story yet to be told. We are living in our happiest days and look forward to the unfathomable joy awaiting us ever after.
In a love story so full of romance, sweetness and belonging, I’m almost unsure of where it all began, for it seems that life was always meant to be this way…
Jake and I were engaged at the end of October 2013 and celebrated our wedding day on April 6th of this year. Since the first month of our engagement, Jake had devoted himself to a project that I would not see until the night before our wedding; a project that Jake envision long before we even met...
{Above photo by Mark Nava}
{Above photo by Mark Nava}
Early on in our relationship, I remember Jake telling me, almost timid, how he had thought about his wedding day and all the ways he planned to make it remarkable. Suddenly, what he first spoke of shyly was quickly gaining a cadence of passion that had me falling for him with every word. Amidst the plans of designing the invitations with one of his custom dip pens, hand-addressing each envelope in beautiful calligraphy and creating the wedding rings, Jake explained that he had envisioned carving a set of wings as a wedding gift for his wife. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Jake is a man unlike any other! Of course, he didn’t stop there. Jake continued to delve into the history and meaning behind the idea of the wings. Who knew that I would be the woman standing beside Jake,exchanging wedding vows with him beneath the wings...
Since Old Testament times, a bride and bridegroom would be joined together beneath a beautifully decorated altar which served as a symbolic representation of God’s presence and protection over them. This altar (otherwise known as the chuppah in Jewish tradition) depicted a holy space in the ceremonial hall where their powerful union would be formed. The out-stretched wings are a powerful, everlasting image given by God to His people.
And so, fulfilling his life-long romantic ambition, Jake spent six months carving a six-foot set of wings out of a single piece of mahogany. Jake put actions to his words; he was creating the picture for the story he once told me. It is now our story.
Our story includes the impact of other people and their passions. One of those people is our cherished friend, Luke Askelson, who filmed and produced the video of the wings. It unveils the process that had been unseen for the entirety of our engagement. For Luke to capture Jake’s creative process in such a beautiful way has been a gift that has blessed me beyond words. It is the process behind each piece that I have so fallen in love with as it reveals the character of the piece itself, but what’s more, the convictions of the artist.
--- To watch Luke's video of the wings, click here ---
As a couple, our prayer echoes that of David in Psalm 17:8, which reads, “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.” It is our desire that we would not only be bound in the shadow of God’s wings, but that we would forever dwell there. To display that desire, the wings now reside above our marriage bed, as they were always intended to, serving as God’s presence, favor, glory and protection over us.
"And, while Cinderella and her prince did live happily ever after, the point, gentlemen, is that they lived."
All photos (unless otherwise specified) taken by dear friend, Jennifer Little of Sugar Photography
To share in more of our love story, check out Jennifer’s blog post of our wedding day and our engagement