From College Sweethearts to Wedded Bliss

Katie Lynn Robertson, 27, is a legal assistant at Provost Umphrey law firm and is originally from Beaumont, Texas. Twenty-six-year-old Gina Leigh Robertson is from Jasper, Texas, and is a systems analyst at American Valve and Hydrant. The two first met when Gina moved to Beaumont and began attending the high school where Katie was enrolled. But they didn’t start dating until they were both in their second year of studies at Lamar University in Beaumont. “Two young 20-year-olds having fun, going to school, and working our retail jobs,” Katie says.

Knowing they had found “the one,” they say, was evident in how well they took on life together. “Over the years, Gina and I faced adversity and always overcame it. When things were the worst in our lives, our relationship was the best,” Katie says. “We leaned on each other when we faced problems and grew together when there was a disagreement.”

Both agree it was not about a single moment in time that made each of them sure of the match, but rather “all the little moments we shared together. I just knew I had found a love so pure and an understanding with her,” Gina says. “She loved me in all the ways I needed to be loved. Within all of our seemingly ordinary shared moments in life, I found comfort in knowing this is the woman I am meant to share the rest of my moments with.”

On their fourth anniversary as a couple, Katie took Gina to Galveston for a getaway. “I had the brilliant idea of bringing the GoPro we had just bought to the beach,” Katie says. They were heading to Destin, Florida, the following weekend, and Katie told Gina she wanted to test the GoPro before their trip. “We walked to the end of a jetty where I used the GoPro to record our engagement,” Katie says.

Katie took out the ring, got down on one knee, and told Gina how much she meant to her. “She was shocked and giggling in excitement,” Katie says. After she finished talking, she realized she had never actually proposed. When Katie did finally pop the question, Gina said, “You didn’t even have to ask! Yes!”

Katie knew it was the right time to propose, she says, because after almost four years of dating, she felt she knew Gina with all of her heart. “To me, marriage mean ‘I love you now, and who you will become.’ I was confident that we would continue to grow together,” Katie says. “I wanted her to be my partner for the rest of my life.”

The couple were wed on October 21, 2023, at the Triple D Ranch in Warren, Texas. Their friend Catherine Honey officiated.

“October is the perfect time of year. The sun sets earlier, the weather gets cooler, and we didn’t have to worry about hurricanes,” Katie says. “The owner of Triple D Ranch was very relaxed and kind to us. Gina’s best friend got married there the year before, and we fell in love with the venue and the owner.”

Sadly, there was one person who should have been there for the big day but was not: Katie’s best friend, who had died of COVID.

“He was going to be my best man at our wedding,” Katie says. “The last time I saw him was when he and our other childhood best friend made a cake and celebrated Gina’s and my engagement. Gina created a memento with his picture for my bouquet so that he could stand beside me on my big day.”

The couple chose not to partake in many of the most common wedding traditions. They skipped the bridal handoff, family dances, and the bouquet toss, and the two walked down the aisle together. “We wanted the day to be more about each other and to keep things simple,” Katie explains.

They made the occasion their own as much as possible. “One of our closest friends sang the song for our first dance, and we had cabins at the venue so we were able to have a bonfire and celebrate with everyone after the wedding,” Katie says.

“Gina blows me away with her kindness and thoughtfulness,” Katie says. “Every day I wake up to my wife who fills my days with love that cannot be described with words.”

Gina echoes Katie’s sentiments, saying the world is a better place because Katie is in it. “She has a heart of gold and consistently puts others—even strangers—before herself,” Gina says. “She inspires me to be a better person, and I’m so thankful she chose me to be the person she spends her life with.”