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The Story of Katie and Jon
Jon’s daughter, Juliette, was a very special part of this day and even sang during their wedding with an amazing voice! Katie wrote special vows to Juliette which are below, but the most incredible thing that stood out to me on this day was when Katie read to her ‘soon-to-be stepdaughter during her vows: “I didn’t give you the gift of life, life gave me the gift of you.” I will never forget those words and thought what an incredible thing to say. This beautiful wedding continued with Katie’s vows to Jon: “Because of you I can feel myself slowly but surely becoming the me I have always dreamed of being.”
Venue: Smiths Cove
Guitarist Glen Scott – https://www.facebook.com/glen.scott.127?fref=ts
Reverend Minister Jonathan Aronie
A long time ago in a land far away there were two dogs named Biggins and Max. They both had great homes in California filled with love and attention, but their mom and dad traveled a lot. One day Jon and Katie were packaging food for a non-profit event that Katie’s brother Jeff was hosting. They came upon the thought to sit for each other’s dogs while the other was on the road. Biggins and Max became best friends…and as the months passed so did Katie and Jon. And what started as friendship became love, deepening over time, growing more every day.
After moving to Maryland in search of our future, one warm summer night Jon took me out for an evening in D.C. First, we visited the Washington monument. Forgetting that he had to go through security Jon had to put the ring through the scanner, and I saw the ring – but pretended I didn’t! As we stared over the city from the top of the monument, I could tell that Jon was nervous but I waited patiently for him to pop the question. With so many tourists milling around, Jon decided to wait. We made our way to the steps of the Lincoln memorial; I was wearing the wrong shoes for all the walking so sat down to take a break. That was when Jon decided to propose, with onlookers cheering us on as I said “yes!”
Favorite moments from the wedding
By far it was our officiant. My new brother-in-law Jonathan is a top attorney in D.C., and he works a ridiculous number of hours. He still took an incredible amount of time preparing a special ceremony just for us, and every detail was perfect, thoughtful and beautiful. He took the ceremony very seriously – and it was so fun for once to see him nervous! Jonathan had each of our siblings share one of seven special blessings to make sure everyone that traveled so far was a part of our special day. I could go on and on about all of the special things he did to make our ceremony one of a kind, but his officiating helped make the ceremony the most beautiful we’d ever experience. Here is a sample:
“Welcome friends and family to the wedding of Katie Scott and Jon Bluth. While one would think getting married is stressful enough, Katie and Jon, in what clearly must have been a weak moment, honored me with the blessing of officiating at their wedding. I can only imagine all the second-guessing that must have followed that decision.
But here I am and here they are. And, as importantly, here you are – on this beautiful day with a cool breeze, warm sand between our toes, and the sound of unattended children in the background. On behalf of Katie and Jon, thank you all so much for being here.”
Katie’s vows to Jon
“When we first started dating we were unsure of where to start. I remember telling you that I was going to fall in love with you even before our first kiss. I knew it then, from the very beginning.
I have carried around the image of you in my heart my whole life. I prayed for you as I was growing up to keep you safe. The moments of joy we have shared and the challenges we have faced so far always felt less difficult because we did them together. You have far exceeded my expectations. I have never felt so loved, so cared for, and so cherished by someone. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. Because of you I can feel myself slowly but surely becoming the me I have always dreamed of being.
You are my sun, my moon, and all of my stars.
When I look into your eyes I see kindness, devotion, honesty and enough love to last a lifetime. I see my soulmate and best friend. I only hope that I am able to show you even a glimpse of what you give me every day. I am certain that I love you and will continue to love you forever.
I promise to stand by you, to be loyal to you, to dream with you, to encourage you, to love you and respect you as my husband. I promise not to keep score, even if I am totally winning. I will give you all of my love, all of my life, until we are parted by death.”
Katie prepared special vows to her stepdaughter Juliette
“Juliette, I remember one of the first times we met. We went to golden spoon for yogurt and you were singing to the cashier. I will never forget that day. You were the complete opposite of me. You were a free spirit while I was uncomfortable in my own skin. You were outgoing while I cared what everyone else thought. I knew from that moment forward that you were a blessing in my life. Over time I grew to love you just as I grew to love your dad. You make me want to be a better person, mother and friend. You never judge me or make me feel ashamed for my faults. I won’t always get it right but I will do my best to bring you peace, love, and acceptance.
In my heart I know the love I feel is deep and real. I didn’t give you the gift of life, life gave me the gift of you.
I will be there when you want to laugh, I will be there when you need to cry, I will love you, pray for you, worry for you and care for you for the rest of my life.”
Jon’s Vows to Katie
“I love you with all my heart, as who you are now and who you are yet to become. Because of you, I sleep a lot less – because reality is finally better than my dreams! I look forward with great joy to spending the rest of my life with you, nurturing you, caring for you, and sharing with you everything that life will bring. These are my sacred vows to you, my wife and my equal in all things:
I promise you a life extraordinary, a life of growing, of giving, and a lifetime of loving. I will dream with you, celebrate with you, and walk with you hand in hand, wherever our journey takes us, living, learning and loving, together forever.
I promise to listen to you and learn from you, to support you and to accept your support.
I promise to be a true, loyal and faithful friend for as long as we both live, and I will try in every way to be worthy of your love.
I promise not to watch the next episode of whatever show we’re watching until we can watch it together.
What I possess in this world, I give to you. I will hold you and keep you, comfort you and protect you, shelter you and love you for all the days of my life.
My commitment is made in love, kept in faith, lived in hope and renewed every day.
‘Wear me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is infinitely strong. Many waters cannot quench love; no flood can sweep it away. I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.’”
Be ready for everything to be different than you expected. We knew that going in and therefore were not disappointed by all the things that were not the way we planned for them to be. In some ways that made our day even that more special.
One of my closest friends could not make the trip to the islands. We chatted about the wedding and I asked her what she thought was the one thing she wished she’d done differently at her wedding. She quickly said spend more on getting the best possible photographer. Because the day was such a blur of bliss, this was one thing to splurge on to make sure you have beautiful pictures for lasting memories.
We planned our cruise with Princess Cruises, and the wedding coordinator from Canada got nearly everything wrong. With the stress of trying to get 30 people ready for the ceremony – off the cruise ship and to the beach a mile away – it was a relief to meet Rebecca. She made me feel calm and comfortable from the minute I shook her hand. From that moment forward I was ready to marry the man of my dreams.
After the ceremony, Rebecca immediately jumped in with everything I needed to feel relaxed and comfortable, from fixing shoes to making sure we got a coconut drink! We enjoyed taking photos around the venue after the ceremony, and then jumped in her car and had fun taking photos all over the island. It was an experience I won’t ever forget.
We love to hear about vendors you love.
The coconut man was awesome. Rebecca recommended him and he showed up with a bucket of coconuts and a machete. The guests had a fun and refreshing drink after the ceremony while we took pictures.
Tell me about your dress. Where did you find it, how did you choose it, how did you know it was the one?
I am not a size two and therefore struggled to find the perfect dress. I went to a few different shops where I was able to try on a couple of dresses that could work, but I didn’t want to pick a wedding dress just because it fit. Instead, we made a weekend of it – I ordered 10 dresses online from various retailers in my size. Then I had all the ladies over, tried on every dress and talked about which one was the best. I actually picked one, but then we reviewed all the pictures. The one dress that was pure white – and completely different from every other dress – ended up the winner.
