Soldier's Christmas gift to fiance before deployment
There are some gifts that money can't buy, and nine Williamson County couples hope the one they gave each other on Thursday will last a life time.
Williamson County Justice of The Peace Bill Gravell presided over all nine in his Precinct 3 court room in Georgetown.
“It's true love that brought you here right Linda?” Gravell said as he turned to bride Linda Estes. Just a few minutes later, she and her groom Pat pronounced husband and wife, sealing their union with a kiss. It’s the second time the two are walking down the aisle. “1984 in Lubbock, Texas,” says Pat of their first union. Linda chiming in that the two were married for 16 years, spent about 6 to eight apart, and have been back together ever since. “Seemed like the right thing to do,” Pat says of why they decided to tie the knot again.
The couple is traveling to Houston to spend Christmas with their two children. “We haven't told them yet,” Pat says laughing. adding “This was going to be on a need to know basis.”
“That's a good one,” Linda says. The two agreeing that their secret is probably not safe anymore, “I think the need to know has grown by leaps and bounds.”
Leonard McElwain and his fiancé Crystal said I do too on Thursday. “We met on social media,” he says, as Crystal adds, “It's been two years, we decided we didn't want to wait anymore.”
An eighteen year veteran in the U.S. Army, Staff Sergeant McElwain is headed out soon for his sixth deployment. “It just feels good to know that someone who is going to be on the other side of the world is committed to you only,” Crystal says. “I'm sad because I am leaving my new bride but at the same time it's nice to know i have someone so dedicated to me to take care of things back here,” adds Leonard.
The couple both 35 say they’ve waited a long time to find the right person, and the wait was well worth it. “We didn't necessarily need to be married but it just is icing on the cake,” says Crystal.
The couple celebrated with more than a dozen loved ones by their side. “We told our family we were just going to have a Christmas wedding,” Crystal says adding, “and my birthday is after Christmas so it's all in one week so we are just doing everything at once.”
Adding to the wedding festivities, JP 3 staffers each brought in a decoration from home, because they say they wanted to make the court merry for the couples.