I thought it would be best to put all of our extra wedding details here as well as tell you a little bit about Ruben and I since many of you reading this have not had the pleasure of meeting the fine young man by my side!
First the wedding details: We want all our United States family there, so bring the whole family! Parking is available in the Saint Cecilia parking lot, as well as along the street. All parking is free of charge to you. Immediately following the ceremony there will be an opportunity to take pictures (funny, cute, traditional, family etc.) with one of our photographers while Ruben and I leave to take some pictures together and while the caterers set up for the open house. Please have fun pictures taken to help us celebrate our day!
There will also be a videographer available at this time if anyone would like to say something to the camera…congratulations, advice, your favorite bible verse or quote, a joke, a poem, a story you wrote about us, we would LOVE to hear what you have to say!
When Ruben and I get back (or probably before) there will be appetizers available at a small open house. This open house will go from about 3-5pm where we will enjoy spending time with you, our family and friends! Although we are not asking for reservations, if you could let Mary De Wit (616.361.6065) or me (616.780.7883) know any REGRETS for NOT attending it would be greatly appreciated! (you could even just comment on this blog!)
As far as a bridal registry is concerned, please read the love story I have written below OR skip to the last few paragraphs for more information. (It’s a very long story I know, I don’t know how to keep things short…and hey, I’m in love!)
For any other questions or concerns relating to the day you can call the following numbers above or you can contact me via email at bethany.dewit@gmail.com
Now that all the business is out of the way…I encourage you to read further to learn the beautiful love story of Ruben and Bethany!!
A long time ago, back in 2005, I decided that I wanted to see a little more of the world than good ‘ol Michigan. So I decided to move to Mexico for a semester at school. It was a fantastic experience, but low and behold I got so much more than I had ever expected!
November 1st,
2005: The Day of the Dead. I met this boy named Rubén Sánchez Ibañez. I had seen him before, but on this night we talked and talked until the wee hours of the morning about everything under the sun (or moon rather). I REALLY liked him, and I called my friend and told her how I had fallen in love. She (like any sane person) told me to stop being so silly, but there was something about him, and something about the way I felt about him that was so special.I knew I couldn't ignore the feeling, and the next weekend we made plans to hang out. True to my form, I got ready, felt pretty, and started walking gracefully down a spiral staircase only to fall at the bottom and break my foot!
I tried to act cool and tell everyone I was fine, but my ability to stand was lacking to say the least. Long story short, not only did Ruben take me to the hospital and translate everything for me and keep me calm through the whole experience, but also took care of me (even back then I didn’t have a car!). We spent so much time together it
quickly became clear that my “silly” feelings of infatuation were true feelings. Ruben and I became inseparable in our hearts.We tried to visit as much a possible, but college, jobs, money and life got in the way…and we separated. But we never stopped thinking about each other, never stopped loving each other. I even came to accept that I thought we would never be together again, even though I thought of him as my other half.
Then to my surprise (and what a happy surprise it was!!) God had a plan for us! He knew when we were ready to be back together again, and the paths were ready to meet. I was getting ready to graduate from Oakland University and I decided I wanted to leave the country again, but didn’t know where. I loved Spanish and really wanted to go to a country where I could teach English and learn Spanish. Ruben was spending some time in Europe and was deciding what his next step was. While he was in Europe, we started talking…a lot.
Not knowing what our relationship would or could be, we both
decided the best way to start was all over again as friends. And for months we became best friends on Skype, and actually planned a trip to Ecuador and Peru together. He became my bodyguard, translator, Spanish teacher, and my best friend! He also was able to meet (and be taken care of) by Becky and Carlos Pinto, which now has become so important to me. Since he never had the chance to meet my Grandma and Grandpa Ellens in person, he was able to meet such wonderful people that were so positively affected by people I hold so dear and respect so much.After our trip, I moved to Mexico and Ruben and took our relationship back to where it all started, except this time we lived in different cities, so Skype was still a vital part of our relationship, (we joke that we will Skype each other in separate rooms until we are comfortable talking face to face) but our friendship and love for each other grew deeper than I could have imagined.
We knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. We just didn’t know how it was going to work out. Since Ruben is from Mexico and I am from the USA, it became clear very quickly that we could not be together unless I lived in Mexico.
That was until South Korea came into the picture! If you know anything about Ruben and I, it is that we LOVE adventures. We love to see new places, experience new things, and live life to the fullest! We didn’t want to stay in Mexico another year, and I had gotten a job offer in South Korea. So…why not?
We decided to go
to Busan, South Korea and spend a year teaching our respective languages there. We weren’t sure how it would work, or if we could even make it happen. I was nervous to go to the other side of the world, but we both knew if we didn’t try it now, they there was a good chance we never would. So we each saved enough money for a ticket home, and packed our bags! It turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life (pretty sure I can say our lives) and I am so glad we stared our doubts and fears in the face and each had such an amazing experience. For sake of saving your eyes and not writing a novel here, I will leave it at that and we can talk about it at the open house!But there is one important experience to tell you about…we were hiking one day in these amazing mountains in Soraksan, South Korea
. It is incredible to see the beauty of this world and share it with someone you love. I had already woken up so happy with the sun shining and the warm August air energizing me for a hike. I had never expected it when Ruben asked me to be his wife. 
I OF COURSE SAID YES, still wondering if it really happened! But after I spent an amazing day of hiking and experiencing an incredible day surrounded by beauty with Ruben, it finally settled in that we were getting married!I wanted to spend as much time as possible enjoying the engagement and celebrating our love together before I began to think about the daunting task of immigration. I like to think that Ruben and I are fighters when it comes to our love. We have committed ourselves to this relationship and have fought at every corner and every obstacle to be together. It is not easy at times, but with every challenge comes more confidence, admiration, and dedication to each other.
We are about to meet another great challenge since Ruben and I want to live in the USA. This is not an easy task. It began with spending our entire engagement separated while Ruben is living in Mexico. It continues with a lawyer and hours of complicated paperwork, waiting periods, appointments, travel etc. as well as our next year spent in Mexico so that we can spend the first year of our marriage together (As much as I love Skype, I would like to retire my computer!)
It will hopefully end with the light and the end of the tunnel being the color GREEN and in the shape of a CARD! Since we don’t know that part yet, and all we know is that we are leaving in March, 2012 for Guadalajara, Mexico, we do not have a bridal registry for any gifts. We will not be able to take them with us, and although we are confident the outcome will be what we want, there are no guarantees.
We ask and hope for your thoughts, prayers, and encouragement through this time because they are always needed! (Any day, any hour, any moment!) If you feel so inclined for the celebration of our special day, any financial support you offer will go towards the costs of the immigration process.
Thank you for reading our story and for taking the time to consider joining us February 11th! Our gift in this life is that we have so many wonderful people to share and celebrate with. God has blessed us with so many loved ones and we are thankful both to him and to all of you for being a part of it!
