Ashley F Johnson

We are all here today to witness two people coming together for a lifelong commitment of love, compromise, and unity.

Before I begin, I’d like to acknowledge a few people and reasons the bride and groom are together today.

To the parents… each of you play such a vital role in their character, their morals, and you all have dedicated years of leading the way for bride and the groom to become who they are today.

To the people standing up here with the bride and the groom, you have supported, shaped, and have been the shoulder to lean on. It’s because of your friendships that have made the bride and grooms journey thus far even possible. You’ve been there to listen to their drama, drink lots of Kimberly Crawford or Sweetwaters, and you’ve been there to pick them up when they needed a hand.

To each of you sitting here today, you’ve been handpicked to be here on this specific day, one the bride and groom will never forget… what an honor it is to have you here and be a part of this moment, their wedding day.

But most importantly I’d like to acknowledge God, our father, who we give all glory to and who we praise the most. You see it was God who carved the paths, who put all of the obstacles and challenges in your way to teach each of you the strength, it was God who taught you both patience, knowing one day the two of you would join together. It was God who gave you detours and failed relationships to teach you self-love and to how to always rely on your faith. And it was God who knew when to “swipe right”, because as always, it’s His timing. Without a relationship with God and His son, Jesus Christ, this relationship in front of me would not have the resilience and selfless love it has and will always need.

Oh! And one more small thing to acknowledge… this little place called TURN studio! Without it, not only would the maid of honor not be here but also the handful of relationships in the crowd today! And of course, me, I would not be here without our special place that connected us all. All of the life lessons TURN has given Andrea and the strength it’s provided…not to mention the time it’s allowed Dis to take his 2 classes to Andrea’s (___)!

Okay moving on….

I have had the privilege to spend a lot of quality time with Andrew and Andrea over the last 9 months or so, as I required them to do so with me, as I know the challenge of having “hard conversations” but I know necessary for a successful beginning of this new chapter. When we first met, I was no longer TURN Ashley, I was Officiant Ashley and I started asking Dre and Dis a few questions. Ones that led me to learn that it was literal faith that brought them together. When they first swiped right per Dis the conversation lasted 72 hours and then one year later saw Dre at the bar and knew exactly who she was, yet didn’t speak to her. 6 months go by and Dis sees Dre at their beloved Kaleidoscope (RIP), Dre even came up to his friend and Dis didn’t say anything! A month goes by and they connected on Bumble and finally, this time, Dis shot his shot and didn’t miss! They didn’t stop talking and the rest is history. Over the course of time, Andrea knew Miami no longer served her as her true love was in Atlanta, TURN just couldn’t open in Miami, and of course, Andrew was there, too.

During our sessions together, I think it’s important that all of you know that I asked the hard questions about finances, religion, communication styles, love language, and family. I got to learn that over our time together, Andrew and Andrea put in the work to get better at communication, respecting each other’s differences but okay ways of handling conflict, and most importantly I love that I got to watch the two of them be willing to work through anything, because they know that their love is what matters most, always. We laughed, cried, got stressed, got intense, but always left our sessions together full of excitement and love.

I want to share word for word what the bride and the groom said about one another to me because I think it is the best way for everyone here to truly gather the joy these two bring to one another.

I asked Andrea to describe Andrew…

Andrew is the most fun person I’ve ever met. Always down to try the ideas that I have; his #1 priority is for me to be happy and he is willing to sacrifice his own happiness for things that are important to me; Andrew comes from a great family; he’s cute and he loves to sing. He also cannot sit in silence; he has a big heart and … he makes me unapologetically me.

I asked Andrew to describe Andrea:

She loves me for who I am and doesn’t want me to change; I think of her as my sunshine and she brightens my day and if she isn’t shining bright that sucks because I want her to be happy; She is my best friend and I knew I’d end up with her; She is someone who drives me crazy but I love to the end of the earth; she will be there for me when I need it even when I don’t need it; she is my rock; I love her SMILE-her ORA and HER VIBE!

Andrew and Andrea, today begins a life of giving and sharing, nurturing and support; allowing each other the freedom to change and grow as individuals while developing your mutual spirit as time goes by.

In the art of marriage, the little things are the big things. It is about establishing a relationship in which your independence is equal, dependence is mutual, and obligation is reciprocal.

Today your family and friends are gathered here today to celebrate your commitment. We are honored to witness two exceptional individual committing to one another and share a lifetime together.

Andrew and Andrea, you are about to make your promises to one another. You will find that as you live by these vows over the years, investing your time, love, and commitment to one another, the happy times of your life will be twice as joyous, because you'll share these joys in marriage.

**VOWS**

**RING**

The ring, an unbroken circle, represents unending love. As often as either of you look upon these rings, may you be reminded of this moment and the love you have promised to one another.

Andrea, please place this ring on Andrew’s finger and repeat after me.

"Andrew, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and that I am choosing to share my life's journey with you. I give you this ring, with the pledge to love you today, tomorrow, always and forever."

Andrew, please place this ring on Andrea’s finger and repeat after me.

"Andrea, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and that I am choosing to share my life's journey with you. I give you this ring, with the pledge to love you today, tomorrow, always and forever."

Andrew and Andrea, I want to wish you both much love and happiness as you begin your new journey. Remember to keep lots of laughter... and ____.... and _____... in your life and love will never be far behind.

Andrew and Andrea, you have pledged your faith to each other in the company of your families and your circle of friends. By the authority vested in me by American Marriage Ministries and the State of South Carolina, I now pronounce you husband and wife!

You may kiss your beautiful bride and now WIFE!

Ladies and gentleman, I am proud to present for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew and Andrea Disner!