In June 2013, my wife Becky and I were at Kalahari Water Park near Sandusky, Ohio for a conference she was attending. In the evening, Becky received a phone call from her daughter Sarah about a young man with whom she had just had a blind date. Sarah, who had some disappointment with guys in the recent past, was bubbling over about Dan. He was an “older man,” she said, two years her senior. Better still, he acted like an adult, even going so far as to make a reservation for their dinner.

In the months that followed, Dan and Sarah’s relationship blossomed. The young man from Boston proved to be an adult in many ways. He was friendly, good with children, able to laugh at himself, and smart enough to earn an MBA. An avid sports enthusiast, he even forgave Sarah for mistaking Fenway Park for a parking garage, and became an adopted Ohio State fan.

Eight days ago, Sarah and Dan tied the knot at Worthington United Methodist Church. Sarah’s attendants included former Phi Mu sorority sisters at Purdue as well as local friends she has known since childhood. Joining Dan from Boston were his father, “Big Dan,” his mother Jean, and brother Michael. Henry, the family dog, stayed home. All the guests from the East Coast received special treat bags with chips from Late July (Sarah’s employer), Krema peanut butter, Dang coconut snacks, and a map of Columbus.

As Sarah walked down the aisle, I admired her beauty as well as the radiance of her white wedding dress. But I also admired the beauty of her mother, standing next to me, who I wed in the same church eight and a half years earlier. I thought about the paradox of the marriage vows that men and women take at the altar: so easy to say, not so easy to fulfill.

Dan and Sarah are currently on their honeymoon in Key Largo. When they return to their home in Salisbury, MA, they will take on the challenge of making their marriage vows a living, breathing reality every day of their lives. In the meantime, I will be doing the same with my own marriage vows to Becky, making sure that my promise to love and honor her is fulfilled.