I love you more than a kangaroo
My wedding vow to my husband.
It’s been seven months since my husband and I got married in a beautiful and quiet park in Australia, surrounded by family and friends. And a month later, against a stunning beach backdrop in the Philippines.
In both weddings, we said our personal vows. My Australia wedding vows were a promise, and in the Philippines, a thank you.
This is the Australia one.
When I moved to Australia, I didn’t know that along the way I’ll meet you. I didn’t know that along the way, I’ll fall in love.
When you met me and found out I had a daughter, you told me you took time to figure things out. You knew it wasn’t your normal boy-meets-girl situation. But despite that, you came and said you’re all in and you’ll be here. I didn’t think it was possible for me to meet a man like you, who would not only love me wholeheartedly but to also tenderly love Zoe as your own.
So now it’s my turn to say, I’m all in.
I’m here for the hikes and the camping trips—even if we lose all our gear. I’m here for the fishing trips when you need someone to go with. I will read my book and talk to you while you fish. Maybe catch all the fish, too, just to annoy you. And even though I admit I can be too rigid, I vow to work on my spontaneity.
But more than the adventures, I’m here for the quiet mornings where I turn to my side and see you there asleep. I’m here for the random afternoons where we laugh our heads off and Zoe walks in the room looking at us like we’re a bunch of weirdos. I’m here for all your jokes and how you never fail to make me laugh—even and especially when I’m angry. I’m here for the phone calls in the afternoon because you need to debrief a particularly hard day.
I’m here for the boring days, the funny days, and all the crazy adventures. I'm here for seeing the world together. I’m here for growing—constantly and endlessly, working through our difficulties and becoming stronger together.
I'm here for all of it.
All my life I’ve romanticised love. How grand it’s supposed to look. How magnificent it’s supposed to feel. Now I know that love, the right one, is meant to be simple—it’s meant to feel real.
Dylan, thank you for showing me the most real kind of love. You are compassionate and understanding. You are the most loving and patient man I know. There are traits in you that remind me of my dad and that means the world to me. You’re so easy on the heart.
A long time ago, my best friend wrote some words that I deeply held on to and hoped for. She said, “Someday you’ll say ‘I love you more’ and not know if it’s actually true cause you finally found one who loves in return just as much as you.”
Dylan, for all the times you’ve told me you love me more than a kangaroo, to that I say, I love you more than the whole darn zoo.
Photography by Zain Kruyer