Real People in Love: Katie & E

This week's Real People in Love are the adorable Katie & E from LatteLove. I first "met" Katie through Weddingbee and in the time since I've had fun following along on Katie & E's adventures. (Right now they're in Italy for the summer!)

How old are you and E?

I'm 23 and E is 25.


How long have you been together?
We've been together for almost four years, and married for two of them.


When's your anniversary?
We got married on June 19, 2009

What are your occupations?

E is a graduate student in seminary and I work in graduate school admissions.

How did you meet?

We met through mutual friends in college. I was the geeky, young transfer student; E was the cool, funny smart guy. We were friends for a year before our first date.

How did you get engaged?

We were long-distance (Chicago to San Diego) for most of our relationship. About a year after we'd been dating, E flew out to Chicago without me knowing it and surprised me with a proposal on Navy Pier! 
Check out more of their sweet proposal story here

Tell us about your wedding day (not necessarily elements but feelings too)

One of the best things about our wedding day is that I was forced to give up many of my expectations about the perfect details, and just enjoy the event. Everything didn't happen the way I wanted it to, but those details fade quickly. What I want to remember about that day is how we felt so immensely supported and loved!
And beyond that, I don't know what could have been more fun-our best friends & family all in one place to celebrate us. It was absolutely the best party I've ever been to! 
Find Katie's recaps here.

Define Love:

Love is a daily act of self-giving.

What's the toughest part of being in a committed relationship?

The work! There were a lot of things I prepared myself for prior to marriage, but there's very little you can do to prepare for the amount of work, forgiveness and self-sacrifice that a healthy marriage requires. It's an every-single-day process on Day 1, Year 2 and Year 20!

What is the best part?

The intimacy. (And I don't just mean physical!) There is something about marriage that involves such closeness with your spouse... you know each other better than anyone else on earth. The secret jokes, the annoying habits, the looks- are all something you share with each other exclusively. That has been one of the most exciting parts of our marriage.

What is the best day you and Chris have had together?

Any Saturday when E is out of school! There's always a certain pressure during the year as E is studying in a very difficult program. When he is out of school, he is much more relaxed. On those days our favorite schedule is: sleeping in (9am is usually as long as we can make it!), make waffles together, read on our patio, watch a movie, hike, and meet up with friends for dinner.

What makes you different from other couples?

As much as I wish we could say "nothing!" I know that's not true. Right now E is a student in seminary, preparing to become a pastor. The student lifestyle can be crazy (and lead us to places like Italy for a summer!) and our life afterwards will be kind of unpredictable.

What is the most essential element of making it?

For us, it's knowing that our wedding vows are a promise first to God, then to each other. It motivates us to continue to pursue each other, love and forgive without a thought to whether or not we'll "make it." We promised we would, and we will.

What is your favorite thing to do together?

We really enjoy hiking together and going to Disneyland, but I think our favorite thing is to pull up two patio chairs and read next to each other.

Do you have a song?

Not really. It took us a long time to even figure our music we could compromise on listening to in the car! (Answer: Taylor Swift)

What are your hopes for the future?

For now? Get through E's last year of school! Other than that, I'd love to stay living in SoCal, but we are open to going wherever. We'd love to do more traveling. We also hope for a few bambinos in our (distant) future, both biological and adopted.

Anything else the world needs to know about love?

It helps if you marry a really awesome person that you respect and admire.

If you'd like to participate in the Real People in Love series just shoot me an email!