Elizabeth Jacobsen (the Bride!!!)

On June 15th, 1986 (Father's Day!) in Clovis, California, Lizzie was born to Tim and Jane Jacobsen as their second of five "blessings". Early in her childhood, the family relocated to Fresno County, outside of Sanger. Elizabeth enjoyed the freedom of country living, and developed a love for the beauty of the outdoors and things that grow (especially flowers).
Elizabeth and her siblings were taught at home from pre-school through 12th grade, and she is currently working on a degree from Reedley College.
Lizzie's parents have encouraged her to cultivate a personal relationship with Christ, and this led to a developing passion for serving and ministering to others. As Elizabeth pursued this, she learned to hone this passion as she has been living at home. She has also had opportunities to work with children in a local after-school program, as well as participate in several overseas mission trips.
It was on a trip to Romania in the fall of 2004 that she met a certain young man named John Smillie. He was the leader of the team she was on, and, over the course of three months, a warm friendship was formed. Of course, the fact that he was incredibly handsome might have helped motivate that friendship ........ :)

John Smillie (the Groom!)

Born in Long Beach, California, on July 26th, 1982, John is the oldest of eight children. He moved to Colorado in 1990 with his family, where he graduated high school in the Spring of 2000, and spent most of his “growing up” years enjoying the great outdoors of the Rocky Mountains.
In 2002, John started working with Life Focus, a young men’s discipleship program based in Indianapolis, Indiana. This wonderful opportunity has allowed him to spend time ministering to several hundred young men, serve in Moscow, Russia, and also in the country of Romania.
It was while in Romania, during the fall semester of 2004, that John met the beautiful and charming Elizabeth Jacobsen. They both served on the same school team, teaching a character education program and English as a second language. And thus, their relationship began.
John graduated Louisiana Baptist University with degrees in counseling and communication, in the spring of 2007. He currently lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with his family and works as a Checkout Supervisor in a local Sam’s Club.