“Our wedding was the day before she graduated and it was at the end of finals week,” said Sam Black. He and his wife, Beth Black, lived to tell the tale.
The Blacks were married last May, just as Beth graduated from Bluffton with her bachelor’s degree. Sam is currently working towards a degree in music education and has an anticipated three semesters left before his graduation. They have an apartment off campus, where they plan to live while they share their first few married years while Sam finishes his studies.
The two were careful to ensure that their relationship was strong enough to endure challenges multiple times before they considered engagement, they said. Citing specific summers where they intentionally spent time apart serving at separate Boy Scout camps to test the strength of their relationship.
“Your marriage is going to be whatever your relationship is already,” said Beth.
After they successfully completed their summer trials, the pair decided they were confident enough to move forward to the next step in their relationship. However, they caution others considering following in their footsteps to plan accordingly.
“If you are gonna get married when you’re in college, plan way ahead of time, like more than a year in advance,” said Beth.
“Put your wedding at a time of the year when you can handle planning a wedding,” Sam said.
The duo also stressed the importance of basing their relationship on faith within their marriage.
“I read the Bible every single night,” Beth said. “And Sam, now living with me, would read it with me.”
Relationships are not without challenges. They said that although taking on marriage while in school may be their biggest test yet, they are getting creative in finding ways to make it work.
“In summary, I think that I have to deal with the fact that I don’t see him [often] and he has to deal with the fact that I’m crabby when I don’t get to see him,” said Beth.
The pair insists their marriage doesn’t differ dramatically from their previous relationship.
“That’s the funny thing about a marriage,” Sam said. “You go by new words, but the relationship is still just a progression.”
