Karen Stark weds Matthew Skains

May 16th, 2009

Robert Carr Chapel at Texas Christian University

“Most of all, we remember…”

“There were many sweet moments throughout the wedding for me, but
the sweetest was walking down the aisle toward the man I love while
arm in arm with my father. It was when the doors of the chapel opened
andwhen the choir began to sing that it really hit that I was indeed
getting married.

Every step closer to the altar and every new face I
saw seemed to spur on unexpected emotion. Luckily, before the
overwhelming emotion produced tears I found my eyes fixated on Matt as
he jokingly reassured me with his cute “I love you” hand sign. From
then on everyone and everything seemed to flow easily together
throughout our beautiful ceremony.”–Karen

“I will never forget what it was like to finally marry Karen. Of
course we had all of the great fanfare that goes with a wedding -
everyone hustling about to make ready the preparations, the fun family
greetings, seeing friends who have drifted away – but the moment that
really sticks out in my mind is something different. It was the moment
just as I was becoming betrothed to the woman I love.

We had stepped forward with Ryan, the officiant of the ceremony,
to the altar and were preparing to take all of our final vows. The
moment that will forever remain something special and holy to me is
the moment in which Karen and I had turned to face one another. There
was something surreal and holy about our exchange in that moment.

Everything else – the flowers, our friends and family, the beautiful
church – seemed to melt away or become fuzzy and lose focus. The only
thing I recall with any detail – perfect detail actually –  about
those few minutes was Karen’s beautiful, loving face smiling back at
me, speaking words from the center of her soul. In that moment, it was
just Karen and me together in front of everyone we love so dearly and
yet separated from them – somehow removed from the present happenings
and looking only into each other as we were united before God and
those we love. I will never forget how beautiful she looked in that
time.”–Matt