Tracy and Per met 10 years ago through their church. What started out as friendship turned into so much more. “We were friends for about three years prior to us becoming a couple,” Tracy says. “When we blended our families together, life became very real. Between us, we had five children from the ages of 10 to 18. It was a lot of fun. I would say that brought us closer together as well as our family as a whole.”

As they spent more time together, they realized they couldn’t deny their feelings any longer. “We were friends and our relationship grew over time,” she says. “One day, he said, ‘I’m in love with you.’ And I replied ‘I am in love with you too.’ From then on, we have been together.”

With their relationship going great, Per was ready to propose. He took Tracy out to lunch at their favorite restaurant. It was a beautiful sunny day so they sat outside. After they finished their meal, Per got down on one knee and asked Tracy to marry him. “I jumped up and said, ‘We just got engaged!’ and everyone starting cheering for us. It was a lot of fun,” she says.

Tracy started planning right away, though the couple wanted to take their time with it as well. They were engaged for about four years before they got married. “It is a lot to try and plan a wedding on your own and work full-time,” she says. “I planned my wedding myself and ended up getting a day-of wedding planner. The wedding was spectacular!”

Seeing as they took their time, no detail was left untouched. “Everything went exactly how I had planned it; the day could not have been any better,” she says. “I enjoyed seeing my vision come to life. It was so fulfilling after all the hard work to see it turn out exactly how I had planned.” They both envisioned the wedding having a classic and elegant look and feel. “It was an amazing day and one of the best days of my life,” she says.

Looking back on the special day, both Tracy and Per think back to the moment when she walked down the aisle. “As I was walking down the aisle and I saw Per, I couldn’t believe we were finally getting married after all this time and I was so happy,” she says. Per felt it was the best possible dream come true. “When I saw Tracy walk down the aisle, I could not believe how beautiful she looked. I felt so lucky to have her in my life.” 

—Kourtney Jason