Deeper than its roots, taller than its leaves, my love for you will always be.
Stronger than its core, longer than its time.
I will be, always thine.
On behalf of Rich and Lexie, I want to welcome you to Sydney, Rich and Lexie's home for the
past year.
On their first day in Australia, Rich and Lexie walked hand in hand in these gardens
and discovered their favorite Jacaranda tree just right over there.
Throughout this year, they have run along this path, strolled in the grass, and picnicked
under this tree countless times.
Now they stand before each other under this tree, surrounded by you all, their dearest
loved ones, to join in marriage.
Love, our life has been crazy.
We have traveled thousands of miles together and apart.
We've moved across the world, far away from those we've loved.
Hey, love!
Hey, love.
Say hi!
Hi.
Love, look how pretty it is.
Wow.
We've pushed our bodies to their physical limits, and challenged our minds to learn
and grow.
We've changed jobs and moved placed too many times to count, and we have wrestled with
challenges and uncertainty neither one of us could have ever expected.
Despite how crazy it has all been, I wouldn't trade any of our adventures these past few
years.
From them, I've learned so much.
That our love never waivers, that we're an incredible team, and that you, my love, are
my home and all that I need.
I love you.
Your marriage will require more than just love for one another.
It will take conviction to know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other.
It will take dedication to listen to one another, to learn and grow together, and it will take
faith to go forward, hand in hand, without knowing what the future holds for you both.
Marriage is not a destination.
It is a lifelong journey that starts here today.
Are you both ready?
Yes.
I think we got everybody out here, which is awesome.
And we got everybody to Australia, which is also awesome!
Yea!
Thank you, everyone, for coming here from Europe, North America, everywhere in between.
We are so happy and thankful that you could join us today and tomorrow.
It means so much for us-
Yeah, it really does.
... that all of you could be here.
We got Nuremberger sausage, we've got a cheddar cheese sausage.
We know it was such a big effort for everyone to make the time to come out here, and it
means so much to us.
Australia's meant a lot to us.
We've really loved it, and so it just means so much that you guys get to see where we've
lived and get to be a part of such a special day.
Lexie is compassionate.
She's intelligent, she's athletic, she loves to learn, she's beautiful inside and out,
and I've always thought it would be really hard to have a match for her.
Here's this amazing girl who on a typical day would work 18 hours, study for nine more,
conduct seven case interviews, perform open heart surgery, win a fist fight with global
warming.
She was going 1,000 miles per hour, and I was genuinely nervous that she was never going
to slow down and find someone that made her truly happy.
Aw.
But then it all changed.
In December of 2015, Lexie and I were sitting at a table in our mom's apartment, and that's
when she first mentioned Rich.
She told me that she had been messaging a guy all month through a dating app, and that
she was going to be going on her first date with him in Chicago when she got back from
Christmas break.
I made a list of what kind of person I was looking for in a partner in life, and then
I signed onto all of these dating apps, including Coffee Meets Bagel, and tried to figure out,
okay, if I want a person that's really thoughtful, then that means that person has to fill out
literally every field in their profile.
I found out about Coffee Meets Bagel, and it was supposed to be more tailored, and they
had algorithms.
I log in and literally, Lexie is the first person I get paired up with.
I'm like, "The algorithm that this app has is amazing."
That was my immediate reaction.
I was like, "Wow, this is great software."
We talked for a month before we could actually coordinate dates again.
Yeah.
And then
We went ice skating.
Yeah.
It was so much fun.
She starts telling me all about the date, and it was the first time in a while that
I heard my sister talk about something with such joy that had nothing to do with biomechanical
engineering.
She then went on to tell me that during their dinner, Lexie told Rich that she was having
such a great time that she wanted to immediately plan their next date while they were currently
still on their first.
What do you think?
Yeah?
Lexie, as we stand under this fig tree, I reflect on our path here from the ice skating
rink in Chicago.
Oh, look at it raining!
We should just cab to the ferry and then take the ferry?
Love, it feels like just yesterday, and at the same time, forever ago, that our eyes
first met in that crowded ice skating line.
Since that day, my world has never been the same.
And then she called me one day and she was like, "Em, there's this guy."
I was like, "Oh, okay, alright.
Well, let's have some real talk."
And I learned about Rich.
I heard about the ice skating and I heard about all the dates, and I heard about the
spreadsheet of the calendars of vacations for the next 12 months, and I said, "Whoa,
wait, partner.
That seems aggressive."
And she was like, "He's worth it.
This is the guy."
Oh, this is my wedding rain gear dance.
I love your brilliant mind.
I love how you think about problems, big and small.
How you always find a way to thoughtfully solve them, and how you teach others along
the way.
I love how you always do what's right, no matter how hard it may be.
How you treat others with respect, and how you live your life with integrity.
And if you guys want to, like, go out, it's so beautiful outside, too.
You can walk around.
I love your playfulness.
I love how you can enjoy the smallest things in life, like delicious toast and jam.
And I love how you can make anything fun.
I love your peace, how you remain calm and steady no matter what challenges you face.
There's the Opera House, guys.
What up, Opera House?
And the Harbour Bridge.
You are truly the most exceptional person I've ever met.
I stand in awe and completely in love.
You've introduced me to a happiness that I didn't know was possible.
You inspire me every day to do better and nurture that love, find a way to make you
smile one more time, laugh a few seconds longer, and sleep a bit deeper.
We are the perfect team.
Our strengths balance each other's weaknesses, our thinking brings us to the same place,
and our love is unparalleled.
I'm so grateful that we found each other and that we will spend the rest of our lives together.
I can't wait to see him.
I love your heart.
I love how kind you are to others, how you see the best in those around you, even when
they don't see it themselves, and how you care for others with such a genuine and pure
love.
You have given me a sense of peace I have never known.
You've taught me to believe in myself and believe in enduring love.
You've changed the way I look at life; with hope, not fear.
Because of you, I am a better friend, daughter, sister, and person in this world.
It is because of you that I am the happiest I have ever been.
I promise to love you unconditionally.
To love every part of what you were, what you are, and what you will be.
I promise to care for you, to protect you from the sun, and always find you shade.
To clean your glasses, to soothe you when you are sick or hurt, to encourage you and
support your dreams, to keep you cool with frozen grapes, and to make you feel cherished
and loved every day.
I promise to stand on your feet and let you dance us around the house when the world gets
to be a bit too much, and I promise to always sing Christmas music with you throughout the
year.
I promise to build a family with you and to be the kind of devoted, strong, and caring
mother you and our family deserve.
Today, I promise you this.
When life is going well, to celebrate your achievements, and advocate to everyone else
for you.
And when life is not going well, to let you stand on my feet and dance with you until
you feel better.
I love you, and as we walk back down the aisle together, I'll be so incredibly excited and
grateful to be with you for every single day of our lives.
It is very hard for me to think that someone is worthy of Lex.
It's very hard.
And seeing the way that she looks at you and the way that you look at her, and those vows
that made my cold, cold heart melt, and knowing how much you truly love each other, makes
me so proud and happy.
By virtue of the authority vested in me, and with the blessing of your family and friends
who have joined you here today, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
You may seal your commitment with each other with a kiss.
Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce for the very first time, the newlyweds; Mr.
And Mrs. Merz!
Love, my life is with you and my greatest joy is to be yours.
As we get older and our bodies tire and memory fades, I promise to still whisper, "I love
you," every morning, and to fall asleep on your chest every night until my very last
breath.