When we think of a wedding, we imagine a beautiful ceremony, celebratory dinners and dances and super fun parties. however, sometimes things don’t go as planned.
Same is the story of this 24-year-old beautiful bride, Katie Musser whose ceremony took a turn that can be least-to-least expected by anyone in the world, with a traditional notion about the ceremony.
While it took her quite sometime to find the inspiration to do what she did, it definitely did move crowd, rendering everyone speechless and teary eyed. Such was the grandeur of her gesture, even her to-be-husband had no idea that it was going to happen and was completely blown away!
Young Hearts In Love
Katie Hild, a young Pennsylvanian girl met her soulmate while she was in college, back in 2010. Jeremy Musser and Katie could not imagine their life without one another from the day they started dating.
However, life has weird ways of testing us. Sometimes though, those tests shape an individual’s character over time. Something similar happened with the couple in the early months of their relationship and it shaped their life and relationship for all the years to come.
The Sublime Beauty Of The Couple
When one enters into a relationship with another person, especially when in college, almost everyone has a baggage from their past which can potentially impact their life in a good or a bad way. Something that the successful couples do differently is - They talk!
Successful couples understand that to make any personal issues or distresses not to harm the relationship, there should be a mutual understanding, compassion and acceptance.
What Jeremy brought to the table could have easily and understandably ended their relationship, but it did not. It was Jeremy’s turn to be surprised!
Stepping Into The Next Level
While their relationship was going forward very smoothly, Jeremy found out something which he thought Katie deserves to know. He planned to leave the big decision to her judgement, whether to leave or to stay. But what he was going to explain to her is something nobody would expect or be prepared for.
In the best and politest way possible, Jeremy explained to Katie how the girl he was dating before he met her, is carrying Jeremy’s child. Her name is Casey.
Things Could’ve Gone South
How would you react if your boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend is pregnant with his child? Imagine what thoughts would have crossed Katie’s mind! Must have been a pretty difficult conversation and even a more difficult situation to handle.
On top of that, they were college students, not mature adults. This could have been a deal breaker for any regular college couple, but it seems that they were mature for their age.
Jeremy and Katie figured out a way to make anything and everything work. Though this information about Jeremy’s situation was a big obstacle to overcome, and it was permanent, it did take a lot of effort and patience to make this fully work.
Real Complication
Extremely complicated emotions are always an accompaniment of a serious break-up. It is so common, that the social networking platforms such as Facebook even have a “Its Complicated” status to mark under the relationship status tab.
When Jeremy and Casey officially broke up, they had no idea that their child is on the way. They weren’t aware of this even when they decided to date someone else. Still, a baby was on the way in near future and this added one big complication.
It wasn’t like Jeremy was just expecting a child with his ex, though. There was a little bit of drama too.
Rumors Are Like Flu-They Spread
If something unusual like this happens in a college, it becomes the talk of the town. Soon the talks get wings and start spreading as rumours very quickly. Same thing happened in their case. Soon after this news broke out, everyone had heard a rumor or two about them.
Widespread rumors caused some friction between Katie and Casey. They did not meet on a good note. The drama was expected and you know it was college, so everyone was waiting for a potential cat fight in the locker room.
Katie realised that in Casey’s situation, extra stress or unwanted drama would be bad for her and the child she was bearing. So Katie decided to figure out a way to make her relationship work, at all costs.
A Boyfriend And A Father
Few months later, when Jeremy was still dating Katie, Casey gave birth to a baby boy, she named him Landon. As Katie and Jeremy were in a serious relationship, Katie got involved too and included in baby Landon’s life.
Since Casey and Katie both wanted to be involved in raising baby Landon, certainly some things needed figuring out how to get over the drama and heat that had been stirred up over past few months.
But it wasn’t until Landon’s first birthday, that Katie did something that really shook things up for good.
Priority-Shift
In college, especially in the US colleges, it is pretty common that some girls graduate the college as single mothers too, while their male ex-companions decide not to complicate their own lives and go their way carefree. But fortunately, neither Jeremy was this kind of person, nor Katie was such a person who would make him turn inconsiderate in his duty.
Katie, Jeremy and Casey, all were n their early 20s figuring out their careers and life paths, but now they were determined to raise a child well, and they wanted to co-parent, though they themselves were barely adults.
Having Landon in their life changed the trio’s perspective and take towards life. They had to go through selecting priorities and working successfully in maintaining what they had in their lives.
It’s A Package: Everything Or Nothing
Jeremy was very clear from the day he found out about his ex-girlfriend’s pregnancy about his next steps. He decided that he will not back out from his responsibility, and if Katie was to stay, she would have to make peace with the fact that Jeremy has to raise Landon along with his ex-girlfriend.
As troublesome to wrap the head around as it may sound, Katie proved to be really compassionate and kinder than it was expected of her, and she decided to mend her terms with Casey.
On the top of that, she couldn’t keep a grudge with an innocent child and loved her time around Landon.
Peace Out!
In an interview with The Today Show, Casey opened up about the drama between Katie and her and how it took a toll on her.
“I was very upset and very hurt at the time,” shared Casey, while she also admitted that whatever caused a friction between her and Katie was all due to college rumors only.
However, things changed when Katie decided that it was time to bring back the order, she sent an olive branch to Casey.
Since Casey was too hurt about everything that happened between them, it was definitely hard for her to deal with the situation and face Katie.
Choosing The High-Way
In high school or college, the dramas and fights between people are expected to end once people grow out of the institutions and go out to make their careers. But some disputes linger on past that too. This one, especially, was one of them.
Trying to be as mature as possible and mutual respect is the only way to handle such issues, whether one likes the other person or not. Basically it is about taking a moral high-ground.
That is exactly what Katie and Casey did. Eventually Casey realised that Katie is going to be involved in her son’s life too, and both of them needed to make peace with each other. This is what would be best for her son, as well as for Katie and Jeremy’s healthy relationship.
Casey sorted her issues out and the two ladies were able to make things smoother for them and have a fresh start.
But what future was going to bring to them caught them off guard.
Not As Hard As It Looks Like
Katie and Jeremy’s love for each other grew stronger by the day, and she started respecting Jeremy for being a dutiful father and a loving boyfriend. Love for Landon increased exponentially too in Katie’s heart, as well as Jeremy’s.
But complications of co-parenting were inevitable. Successful co-parenting was important for both the parties to make their respective relationships work, and for baby Landon too.
Finally, Katie and Casey talked everything out, and things started to get in line better than any of them had expected. They discovered that with mutual compassion and respect, co-parenting was a lot easier.
Pals And Co-Parents
Tables had turned around dramatically, and what was expected to be a disastrous decision while there was thick ad heavy beef between two girls when Landon was the first born changed its course for good.
Once they started talking about Landon, it turned out that the two girls had a lot in common. Both of them came closer over time and eventually became real good friends, and not just cordial friends. They bonded at so many more levels than just Landon!
This Was Out Of The Blue!
Katie and Casey themselves couldn’t believe how good their friendship is turning out to be, as they had a rough history with each other. It was surprising for both of them but they were happy for their new friendship. It was clear to both of them with time that their rivalry and mutual dislike was just stemmed into false college rumors, and the unconventional family arrangement was not that impossible.
The co-parents and friends found it really heartwarming to build a successful and enjoyable relationship.
“At the time, I thought we would be able to be cordial and co-parent,” Casey told Today. “Never in a million years did I think she and I would be the very best of friends.”
More The Merrier
Technically, at this time, Landon had 4 loving parents to take care of him and raise him, that were : His father Jeremy and Katie, and his mother Casey with her boyfriend Tyler Bender. It was no longer just two individuals anymore concerned with raising a child, but double that.
It became important for Landon’s sake that the family dynamics around him was healthy and non-toxic.
“I Can’t Be This Person”
Earlier, things seemed complicated because of Katie and Casey, but now the men were not getting along with each other well. The tension that existed between Jeremy and Tyler was going to make the journey rough as a family.
However, learning from how Katie and Casey gelled with each other, the men of the family decided to follow their path too. Acting maturely, both Jeremy and Tyler cleared the air between them and set their differences aside.
“I looked at my boyfriend… and looked at Landon and I said, 'I cannot be this person.' I wanted to do what was right for Landon. That was kind of when we put our differences aside,” Casey admitted to ABC News.
After this, both were able to explore a whole new dimension of lifestyle that they could never expect earlier.
Co-parenting Isn’t A Night-mare
If one tries to recall, he/she would hardly know any two people who split up and have kids, and raise them well. This is because of the negative stigma and expectations in the society about such situations.
Be it biological parents or the step parents that don’t get along well, it is understandable to have complications and issues with raising a kid with someone you are not in a romantic relationship with.
However, not everything needs to be a nightmare. So is the case with co-parenting, whether you get along with your ex or not. This blended family learnt this and applied it to ease their life.
Mr And Mrs Bender
Finally, in 2015, Tyler and Casey tied a knot of love and solidified their bond. It was sweet of them to decide to make things work for them and for the innocent kid’s sake.
What came to the surface was the fact that whatever issues these people had with each other in the past, was a bygone now. The two couples clearly worked it out by putting a lot of effort and acting with enormous maturity, and finally figured out the secret to co-parenting.
It wasn’t until years down the line, that they realised how far they had come. It was a happy realisation for these emotionally super-evolved couples.
The Secret To Co-Parenting
After the family finally figured out the ways around successful co-parenting, they functioned quite efficiently and optimistically as a family. The credit goes to Katie and Casey to begin with, who did act maturely by putting aside their differences.
Katie explained the meaning of co-parenting perfectly in her shared post with Love What Matters: “Co-parenting means sharing the duties of a child.” Meaning that the secret is that your priority and focus should be about what’s best for your child and being open with the other parent/s about everything in regard to your child.
Over four years later, it was time to officiate their family.
The Wedlock
The two love-birds, Katie and Jeremy, never abandoned one another through thick and thin, and figured their ways out. They tackled their life together and since college, they were already inseparable.
While successfully making it through the hardships of blasts from their pasts or the challenges of co-parenting, Katie and Jeremy knew they are meant to be together, and together they can face whatever may come.
Four years into the relationship later, comes 2017 when Jeremy and Katie felt ready to officiate their relationship. They got engaged and Katie realised that this marriage was going to be something else for her.
Planning For The Big Day
Planning for wedding is not an easy task. A lot of things have to be taken care of, be it catering, wedding venue, list of guests or be it music and entertainment, or something as trivial as the design of floral decoration or theme colors. No wonder people start planning a year in advance.
As the big day was coming closer, it became a little stressful for Katie to handle everything. She was a compassionate and caring person who loved Jeremy more than everything else, what was stressing her that much?
Well, there was a real reason for her nervousness for the big day.
Unconventional Idea
Katie sat down and thought about the basis of her relationship. That is when this hit her.
“I realized I’m missing something, the piece that helped shape me and Jeremy’s relationship and helped us both grow up,” she explained to The Today Show.
Come her wedding day, while it was time for her to share her vows, she did had an element of surprise up in her sleeve. Though it was a little unconventional, everyone was left spellbound and in tears after she pulled this surprise out.
What A Thank You Speech
Jeremy wasn’t the only person Katie loved. Though she was super ready and super excited to commit to Jeremy till death does them apart, she realized she needed Casey and Tyler’s trust too, along with Jeremy’s, as Jeremy is not the only one who will be coming in her life permanently.
When she was handed the microphone during the ceremony, she couldn’t hold her tears back and turned to Casey and Tyler to start off her speech:
“First I want to thank you for accepting me as your friend, and allowing me to be a part of Landon’s life.”
Together We Stand, All For One
Katie’s thank-you speech was right out of some romantic movie. Sniffles and sobs were heard in the background while the whole room was hit by such surprise and emotion.
The big-hearted Katie chose to include Casey and Tyler in the spotlight too, along with Landon, whom she loved like her own child. Though it was her special day with Jeremy, but her compassion and altruism was something Jeremy admired and respected hugely.
Katie’s courage and big heart was what united all five of them as a big family for all those years.
She continued by stating:
“I will promise to respect, work, listen, and communicate together as co-parents. I will love you guys no matter what comes our way. We are one family, always.”
But there was more on the table.
Landon’s Bonus Mommy
Now this was the moment Katie decided to do something out of the blue, but her heart felt like it is the right thing to do. She got down on her knee and made a vow to one of the most important men in her life - Landon.
After Landon was brought on stage, Katie gently held Landon’s hand and with teary eyes and a happy heart, she vowed,
“I’m so happy that I now officially get to be your Bonus Mommy. I promise to protect you, hold you when you need it, and clean all the booboos you ever get.” She ended her speech with a full circle vow and a big hug.
Ultimate Vow
Katie witnessed little Landon to grow into the young, tuxedo wearing toddler over the past four years.
She further expressed this in her speech when she said, “I’ve had the privilege of knowing you since the beginning. I love watching you grow and I will for the rest of my life.”
But it was the very last vow that solidified her role in their family. “I promise to love daddy with all my heart. I promise to be a best friend to mommy and your daddy Tyler. We will be one big family that you will have for the rest of your life. I love you so much.”
How heart-warming! And what happened after the wedding was just as touching.
Amazing And Selfless
Her gesture touched everyone deeply. Nobody expected such a gracious act from Katie, especially Casey.
“Just being invited to the wedding was enough for me, but for her to take even three minutes out of her once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the one day where it’s all about her and her groom, was such an amazing, selfless thing,” Casey revealed after the wedding
Katie added and explained to Today, “I needed Casey to know how thankful I am to her."
Katie was so honored and inspired by their relationship, and how they had become a family together, that she wanted to share their story with the world.
It's All About Co-parenting
Katie was thrilled to realize how she had become a family with some great people. She felt extremely honored and inspired. She wanted to share this sweet story with the world which eventually became viral.
The reason for her to share her story wasn’t only because she could become good friends with her husband’s ex-girlfriend, but also to show to the world that co-parenting can be successful and enjoyable whether you are married or not.
“Obviously, we got a good friendship out of it, but in the end, we really wanted what’s best for [Landon],” Katie shared with Today. They figured out the secret and wanted to inspire others too!
“We want people to see that the kid is what matters, his feelings and the love he gets."
Be The Change
This compassionate and altruistic young woman, Katie Musser wanted to set an example to inspire. She wanted to show people how an unconventional family can be functional, loving and happy.
She added in her post: “It takes true understanding and support from the ones who love you. Everyone facing custody problems, acceptance, understanding, relationship problems, etc.; we get it.”
She continued on by explaining that it’s still possible to make things work. “Not everyone gets the luxury of having a relationship like we formed; but it's possible to get along, communicate, and give the same rules/love/respect on both sides for your child/children. Go against the norm. BE that CHANGE."
Winning The Internet
Katie’s lovely post was a message of unconditional love, and it was taken in the same way by the people who read her post. The video of the ceremony was shared on Love What Matters which went viral with more than 13,000 reactions and countless comments from people around the world.
Her words of wisdom and the heartwarming video keeps on inspiring people around the world. People are still interested and wondering what Katie and her family have been upto after two years of the ceremony.
Expanding Family
What started with two broken-apart people who were expecting a child, became a family when Katie entered Jeremy’s life and Landon was born.
Soon after, Tyler was a great addition to this unconventional family, raising the family count to 4.
In the year 2019, the family of 4 adults and 1 kid increased to 4 adults and 3 kids. Katie and Jeremy brought and welcomed a new daughter into the world together.
We feel so elated to learn how these broken people with hard decisions to face, worked their way around their problems and made a unique family of their own.
Adorable Facebook Posts
While Jeremy was open and honest about Landon to Katie when they first started dating, we think it was his honesty and dutifulness that won Katie’s heart and she also did her best to work the things through despite all the ups and downs they faced.
Jeremy’s heart-melting and adorable posts are loved everywhere on social-media. People call them a power couple and look up to their relationship as their own relationship goals.
With all Katie had done to make this unconventional family work, there doesn’t go a single day without Jeremy adorably appreciating what she did so selflessly. He firmly believes Katie was ‘The One’ for him.
