Ben and Belles first made each other's acquaintance by way of a mutual friend, shouting words of introduction to each other over the din of a punk band at a dive bar. Their romance was slow to take shape, but it was built on the veritable pillars of every epic romance – illegally launched fireworks, grueling chess matches, nocturnal skateboarding tours and archaeological digs. There is, of course, much more to their story, and they told it to me with a tenderness and reverence that suggests they've known and loved each other for a lifetime, and not merely a decade. Yet it took many months for their friendship to develop into the love story that culminates in the union we bear witness to today. It is this friendship that served as the wellspring of your romance, and will continue to serve as the foundation of your marriage. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was not well known for his observations on love, but he did have one particularly trenchant insight I think is fitting here: “It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.” I think you’ve got both in spades, and therefore, much to look forward to.
