Dear future husband,
As I stand before you today, I’m doing everything in my power to silence the tremor of my social anxiety, resisting the urge to live out my runaway bride fantasy. Love had always felt like something just out of reach, a fleeting dream. Yet, here you are — proof that the impossible is real. From the moment I met you, you took my breath away in a way no one ever has, and to this day, I still find it hard to believe you’re mine. I still marvel at the fact that you danced with me in the rain, even though we both knew we’d end up sick after. You’ve always chosen to be with me, even in the most ridiculous, imperfect moments.
I will never see you as my protector — knowing that you are so much more. You are my equal, my teammate. I will not trail behind you, nor will I expect you to lead in front. Instead, I will stand beside you, proud and steadfast, as your partner in this wild, beautiful journey.
Marriage, for me, is still a mystery. Why do people feel the need to bind themselves with paper and vows to prove their love? To me, it’s always been more than a signature or ceremony. You were mine long before today, and I was yours. This day is not a declaration — it’s a celebration, a testament to what we’ve known all along. The only difference now is we have a piece of paper to show for it.
Before you, I had never known what it meant to truly be someone’s first choice. You were the first to handle not just me, but my heart, with such care. All the harshness of the world, the past hurts and disappointments melted away the moment you held me close and whispered words that became my lullaby on restless nights. I can still recall a time, early in our relationship, when you asked me what song I was listening to. I told you it was Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls, and I handed you one of my earbuds. You asked me why it was my favourite song, and I remember telling you that I always longed for a love that sounded like that. From that day on, I have felt a love that echoes every note of that song. Every day, I’ve known that this is our song.
Love wasn’t just in the grand gestures, or even our first kiss. It was in the little moments, the ones that seemed insignificant but were everything. Love was when we saw the darkest parts of each other and didn’t turn away. When you held me through my tears over a fictional character’s death as though my grief were your own. Love was in those sleepless, silly hours, throwing cookie dough at each other at the break of dawn and dancing as the sun came up.
Thank you for loving the parts of me I thought were broken beyond repair. The parts of me I thought no one could ever embrace. Thank you for being the one my mother could finally approve of, something I never imagined possible. Thank you for drawing stars on my scars, for transforming my pain into something beautiful. And most of all, thank you for being my Iris — the one person who has seen me for all that I am, and loved me all the same.
I can’t wait to be your wife. Your confidant. Your partner in crime. Your teammate in this life and the small things — like becoming kickass cat parents together.
With all my love,
Your future wife
