A couple waited until their wedding day to share their first-ever kiss – and said holding out made their relationship “even more special”.
Keylin Akuchie, 24, went on her first date with now-husband Eleazer Akuchie, 25, in January 2022. They got engaged in January 2023.
They vowed within the first two weeks of dating to hold off any physical intimacy, for religious reasons, until they got engaged. But when Eleazer got down on one knee a year later, they decided to wait even longer.
They shared their first smooch at the end of the aisle on their wedding day, as husband and wife, in front of their friends and family, last month.
And after waiting 17 months to kiss, Keylin said they have shared “a million bazillion kisses a day” to make up for lost time. They’ve also gone a bit further than pecking.
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Keylin said there were moments of temptation before getting married, but they avoided breaking their promise to one another by going out with a group of friends instead of alone.
If they were ever alone, she said they would do activities such as rock climbing, hiking, going out to dinner or prayer to avoid temptation. They would share forehead and cheek kisses, hold hands and hug, but that was as far as physical intimacy went.
Eleazer, a facilities coordinator from Dallas, Texas, said: “I had never kissed anyone before – I wanted the first person I kissed to be the one I married.
“It meant a lot to me although some people saw it as being extreme. When we finally kissed on our wedding day it was nice – although now we’re married I still keep forgetting we can kiss!”
Keylin, a college admissions advisor, said: “Since the beginning, we knew we wanted to set strong physical boundaries with each other.
“We really wanted to know each other and connect emotionally and spiritually before any physical stuff. Because I had kissed someone before, I did question why I was waiting sometimes.
“But I wanted to keep my word and keep the promise I had made to Eleazer. Since the wedding, we have shared many kisses and we don’t feel like we missed out at all.”
Keylin and Eleazer met at Christ For The Nations Institute, Dallas, in 2019. She had “the biggest crush” on Eleazer immediately but it wasn’t until their third year when they began to speak when their friendship groups mixed.
Eleazer began to like Keylin and asked her on a date in January 2022.
Keylin said: “For me, there was a pressure. When I was questioning why we were waiting, I had to keep reminding myself it was a big deal to him and our relationship.”
Eleazer said: “Waiting meant a lot to me because its not something that is bad, it’s just something I wanted.
“There are times I wanted to kiss her, but more for her than for me.”
They said everyone respected their decision – although they got “a few raised eyebrows”.
Keylin said: “I think everyone thought our choice was weird, whether they expressed it or not. A lot of people were asking ‘what if they’re a bad kisser?’ but I knew I had to keep my word.”
Keylin said: “We thought we’d made it this long, why not wait six more months?”
A date was set for June 26, 2023 and they counted down the days until they became husband and wife.
And when that day came, the nerves set in. Keylin said: “We were more excited to be married than to kiss.
“The day of our wedding, I remember walking down the aisle and thinking everyone would see me kiss him – what if we miss our lips? It was nerve-wracking in front of everyone but it turned out surprisingly well.”
Eleazer said: “It was weird at first, but it was nice.”
Since their wedding the newlyweds have enjoyed a romantic honeymoon in Alaska – where they could smooch to their hearts’ content.
