A CUP OF JO: Would you wait to kiss until your wedding day?

When Andrew and Carissa fell in love, they decided to wait to have their first kiss until their wedding ceremony...

I was really curious about their experience--can you imagine the willpower?!--so the adorable couple agreed to answer my five questions...

Why did you choose to wait until your wedding day to have your first kiss?
Andrew: It was something we both thought would be special to save until the day we officially became one. Plus, I'm Italian and didn't want to get in temptation's way of having a pre-mature Andrew, Jr.
Carissa: We met when we were 17, and neither of us had ever kissed anyone before. So, maybe we didn't even know what we were missing! I don't actually remember talking about it--it was just something we both knew we wanted to save for that moment when the minister says, 'You may kiss your bride.'

How long did you wait? Was it tough?
Andrew: I waited three years. I wanted to kiss her the day I met her. Yes, there were times it was very tough, but I'd settle for her eyes.
Carissa: I remember the first time I really wanted to kiss him. He had been in Ethiopia for a month, and had gotten terribly sick. I was flying out to see him when he got home, and I remember thinking there would be no way I would be able to not kiss him when I saw him...Yeah. It was sometimes quite hard.
When you finally kissed, were you nervous?
Andrew: I wasn't nervous. But I definitely wasn't prepared. When my dad (who was marrying us) said we could kiss, I was like, oh man, I totally forgot we got to do this! Then I got all serious, but Carissa wouldn't have any of it and exploded as I landed upon her lips. And that was it. Our first kiss was really a first laughing while our lips were touching.
Carissa: I remember standing up there, hearing Andrew being told to kiss his bride, and thinking, 'We have no idea how to do this...' Which made me laugh, right as our 'kiss' began. We took the next few weeks to perfect the skill on our honeymoon.

What did your friends and family think?
Andrew: I have a feeling a lot of people thought we were crazy.
Carissa: I dont think most people even knew, or if they did, they probably didn't believe us--until they saw our failure on the wedding day! But I know my sweet Gramps thought it was quite questionable. 'If you love a girl, you kiss her!'

Anything surprising about the overall experience?
Carissa: Well, as silly as it may sound, that kind of tension was actually quite romantic! It's sweet to me, when I recall how utterly in love we were and convinced of each other's hearts, that it hardly mattered what each other's mouths tasted like. That love has only gotten sweeter with time--but so does the kissing!

Thanks so much for sharing your story, Andrew and Carissa!
What do you think? Would you consider saving your first kiss for your wedding day? Could you? Or would you rather kiss beforehand?

P.S. How old were you when you had your first kiss? And how long do you wait to sleep with someone?

(Photos by Lydia Jane Photography, courtesy of Andrew and Carissa)
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