On November 29th, I officiated Rebecca and Anik’s wedding ceremony at The Houstonian Hotel in the Meadow, in Houston, Texas. Here are the remarks I shared with them and their guests:
 
Some love stories begin with fireworks. Anik and Rebecca’s began with a long walk and the quiet certainty of two individuals finding home in one another. What can we learn from them?
 
1) Partnership over perfection
 
Anik says the quality he most cherishes in Rebecca is simple and profound: “She is kind and curious… the foundation on which our relationship is built. We’re both happy to admit fault and want to do better next time.” That’s not one person fixing the other; that’s two equals choosing humility over ego, progress over perfection.
 
2) Shared values, lived daily
 
They don’t just talk about love, care, and kindness—they live them. How? By keeping each other accountable to wake up erly in the morning to achieve their fitness goals and to spend quality time with Patches and with each other before the chaos of the world takes over. They start their day on firm ground of their values and continue to show up for each other and their amazing rescue dog, Patches.
 
3) Different roots, one direction
 
Anik grew up Hindu in Bangladesh; Rebecca’s Jewish, Venezuelan, and Russian threads are vividly woven into who she is. Rather than asking, “Whose way is right?” they keep asking, “What can we learn from each other?” That curiosity has given them a larger shared life—one table that holds many stories.
 
4) Best friends first
 
From the start, there was ease: being together while doing a lot—or doing very little—has always felt like time well spent. As Anik puts it, Rebecca is the person he trusts as his best friend: even when they disagree, he knows she will never root for anything that isn’t good for him. That’s what safety sounds like.
 
5) A covenant that fits
 
Anik has “always believed in the union of marriage… a promise to be there even when things get difficult.” Rebecca echoes him: they’re ready to “formalize our commitment… and give sacred expression to the life we’ve built.” After five years, this isn’t a leap; it’s the next solid step on a road they’ve been walking side by side.
 
And because they would want at least one tiny poetic flourish, I’ll borrow the line that first caught Rebecca’s eye under Anik’s photo from his backpacking trip to Peru before they met: lo esencial es invisible a los ojos—“the essential is invisible to the eyes.” The essential things—trust, patience, kindness, shared discipline at 5 a.m., and the decision to love bravely, without limits—are right here, between them.
 
Anik and Rebecca, may you keep choosing partnership over perfection, curiosity over certainty, and faithfulness over fickleness. Your backgrounds are different; your hearts, values, and dreams are completely aligned. That is why these past five years have stood the test of time—and why the years ahead will, too.

On November 16th, I officiated Suzanne and Mel’s wedding ceremony at the Renaissance Dallas Addison Hotel, in Addison, Texas. Here are the remarks I shared with them and their guests:

Some love stories unfold in a single rush. Others take their time, quietly proving themselves over the years. Suzanne and Mel’s is the kind that shows us what patient, steady love can build.

Suzanne says that when she first met Mel on August 1, 2013, she was finally ready “to open my heart.” From that moment, she writes, Mel has been “a source of strength, protecting me, encouraging me, caring for me, lifting me up, honoring my free spirit of independence and—above all—healing my heart to trust love again.”

That’s quite a list, and Mel has met every part of it. She tells us, “I am truly happier, wiser, stronger, and more at ease with life because of him.” And you can hear how much that means when she adds, “He continues to be a source of strength… he has replaced fear with love.”

Mel, in his quiet way, reveals just as much. He grew up surrounded by family and cousins. From childhood he absorbed a deep respect for Scripture, what he calls “the inspired Word of Jehovah… a sense of order, purpose, and discernment.” For him, marriage is a sacred commitment—“a declaration of exclusivity… commitment, responsibility, integrity, fidelity, belonging.”

Mel says..."when I met Suzanne, I was in search of someone special. Someone who loves family and who has the qualities of strength, dignity, integrity and kindness. Truly a Proverbs 31 woman."

He also has a playful side that Suzanne adores. She remembers that very first night at the country-western dance hall when “I told myself I would open my heart and in walked Mel.” They danced, they laughed, and from then on he’s been, in her words, the one who “makes me feel safe, seen, and cherished.”

What do we learn from them? First, that love is not about rushing the clock. Suzanne admits, "It's taken me quite some time to release my nervous feelings about marriage." Mel understood that. Early on he would ask, half-joking, “Hey babe, would you like to make this more permanent?” And when the answer was “not yet,” he simply gave her space. No pressure, no ultimatum—just patience.

Second, they show us that real partnership is about quiet, everyday faith. Suzanne speaks of “personal prayer, gardening, and being in nature” as her spiritual fulfillment. Mel speaks of “the priesthood of the believer,” of each person’s direct relationship with the Divine. Together they have created a life that honors both of those truths—grounded in faith, but never bound by fear.

So today, when they stand beneath the chuppah, we celebrate more than a wedding. We celebrate the triumph of trust over hesitation, the kind of steadfast love that waits as long as it takes.

Suzanne and Mel, may you continue to be each other’s strength and calm, the safe harbor and the joyful dance partner. May your marriage, like your love story, be filled with patience, laughter, and the quiet certainty that you have truly found home in one another.

On November 1st, Pastor Carlos Lopez and I co-officiated Eunice and Matthew’s wedding ceremony at the Little Chapel in the Woods, in Denton, Texas. Here are the remarks I shared with them and their guests:
 
Some love stories begin with a subtle glance across a crowded room. Eunice and Matthew’s began with a “Rose”—the Super Like on Hinge that lets you know this isn’t just any swipe. Matthew saw Eunice’s profile line, “Take me to emo night,” and responded immediately: “I will!” That single bold move set off a chain of them. In fact, Eunice still has his contact saved as “Bold Moves.”
 
Their first date was classic North Texas—Veterans Day at BJ’s Brewhouse. Matthew showed up in his work clothes. Eunice, meanwhile, got her hair blown out and her nails done. She was ready for something real. They talked for hours about music, travel, and life, and she left knowing she wanted to see what this guy was about.
 
From there, the “bold moves” kept coming. Eunice told Matthew early on, “I’m not here to waste time. If you don’t know within two years whether I’m the one, we’re not on the same page.” Many might have run for the hills. Matthew didn’t flinch. Three years later, he’s standing here, all in.
 
What strikes me about them is the way they hold space for each other’s full stories. Eunice grew up in a vibrant Mexican Christian home—rich with tradition, faith, and love—but also with questions. She writes honestly about the tension between the unconditional love she was taught and some of the rules she was told to follow. Yet her faith in a loving God—and in the dignity of every person—has never wavered.
 
Matthew grew up deeply connected to Jewish life: BBYO, camp, long Shabbat dinners. Over time, he drifted a bit from the rituals, but not from the values. He says a recent Shabbat evening brought back that deep sense of community and belonging.
 
Together, they’ve built a relationship that celebrates both of these heritages. Eunice joined him for her first Passover seder; Matthew has helped with church plays and family gatherings. They don’t see difference as a problem to solve but as an invitation to grow.
 
Eunice says that when life knocks her down, Matthew is there “holding out his hand or cheering me on.” And when Matthew faces panic or anxiety, she knows how to calm him and remind him it’s going to be okay. That’s real love: knowing when to speak and when to simply stand steady.
 
So what can we learn from them? That love isn’t about erasing your past; it’s about bringing all of it to the table and setting a bigger one together. That bold moves matter—but so does quiet, daily faithfulness. That when two people honor each other’s roots, they can grow something strong and beautiful in the middle.
 
Eunice and Matthew, may you always keep that sense of curiosity and courage. May your life together be as full of music as an emo night and as comforting as a Shabbat table. And may you keep making bold moves—together—for the rest of your days.