Still Get Butterflies

On Saturday, November 16, 2024, Dr. Chris Girata and I co-officiated Emily and Spencer’s wedding ceremony at The Adolphus in Dallas, Texas. Here are the remarks I shared with them and their guests:

Emily describes the genesis of their relationship, and how their platonic relationship took a romantic turn: “Spencer and I met in the summer of 2018… at a party in Dallas, and we became fast friends… Over the years I would come back to DFW to visit friends in the area, always excited to run into Spencer. 

That is when I developed a crush on him but never thought of the possibility of making it work long distance. Until he decided to ask me to be his girlfriend in the summer of 2019 before I went back to school again. I remember thinking hey, I like him, what do I have to lose? Turns out it was the best decision I have ever made.”

Spencer agrees with that last statement, as he explains why he wants to marry Emily: “I know that I’ve met my soulmate. She is all that’s good in the world. Emily is beautiful, smart, patient, loving and kind. She is everything that I could ask for in a wife. She is my best friend…”

Emily echoes some of Spencer’s language: “He is my biggest supporter, my best friend, my favorite person to do anything with. Every painful situation, errand, or negative aspect of life is instantly brightened with his presence. I still get butterflies even talking about him after almost five years of dating.” 

As a child of the 80s, I believe the lesson Emily and Spencer teach us is simple to me, as the Swedish duo Roxette put it years ago, “Listen to your heart.” Thank you, Emily and Spencer, for this valuable lesson. Thank you for listening to your heart. May we all learn from your example.