An Idaho couple who practiced chastity and waited until their wedding day to share their first-ever kiss say they were both raised to save themselves for marriage.
Sarah Patriquin, 22, met her husband, Wayne Patriquin, 23, at a Christian camp as a teen, and after a year of friendship, they started dating.
The pair decided to honor their purity before marriage for religious reasons and waited to share their first kiss until they tied the knot in July 2019, after two years together.
Now parents to 5-month-old daughter, Addison, the couple say their marriage is “healthier than ever.”
“We decided not to kiss—we didn’t want to put ourselves in that situation. Kissing can lead to other things,” Ms. Patriquin, a stay-at-home mom from, Rexburg, Idaho, told SWNS.
Mr. Patriquin, who works as a mechanic, said: “Sarah wanted the first kiss to be on the wedding day. I said ‘If that’s what you want, I will do that’—I wanted to prove my love to her. ... It was something to strive for.”
The couple first met at a Christian camp, aged 16 and 17, and gradually became friends after getting to know each other. Ms. Patriquin had seen a picture of her future husband on Facebook and “thought he was really cute.”
“I wrote him a letter to say ‘sorry if you’ve been distracted by my flirting’ at the end of camp, and he asked to take me on a date,” she said. “Our parents wanted us to be friends first.”
The pair spent a year as friends before their families allowed them to start dating in June 2018.
“We were both raised to save ourselves for marriage. We respected each other to wait,” Ms. Patriquin said.
The couple says one of their siblings always accompanied them on dates, and they spent “a lot of time together in a group setting.”
“It was like being chaperoned to have that accountability,” Ms. Patriquin said.
After seeking her parents’ permission, Mr. Patriquin proposed to his beloved in February 2019. The pair continued to honor their vow of chastity before marriage.
“We would hold hands and hug. ... It took a lot of self-control. It’s a mindset thing. I needed to be logical with my thinking. If we became physical it would hinder my logical thinking—that’s just me,” Ms. Patriquin said.
Ms. Patriquin says that to fulfill their promise was “an accomplishment” as a couple.
“It’s created a stronger bond, growing together,” she said.
“Every person you have sex with, you give a part of yourself to them. That’s why it’s important to have that for the person you marry. ... Sex is not just fun and games.”
The couple welcomed their daughter in June 2023 and want to raise her with the morals of practicing chastity before marriage.
“Our marriage is the healthiest it’s ever been,” Ms. Patriquin said.
Mr. Patriquin added: “I wouldn’t change anything.”
