John and Whitney

Faith Built

Photos by Erica Bruleson Photography

Many young people now connect through dating apps or Facebook. For John Ingram, he responded to a Reformed Christian singles Facebook group where he met Whitney Samsel.

Their first date was on March 25, 2023, at Sonny’s BBQ in Clinton, “And we had a second date the following Friday,” John said.

The couple’s friendship and love continued to grow, and on Nov. 18 of the same year, John proposed.

“We had done some shopping that afternoon and then went out to the overlook by the reservoir on the Natchez Trace in Ridge- land,” he said.

On March 9, 2024, the couplewas married at the Madison Methodist Church.

UNFORTUNATE BREAK

For her wedding, Whitney chose what she called a “simple dress.”

“I loved how simple it was but at the same time it was so elegant. I tried on several dresses and tried on my dress, and I knew I had found the right one,” she said.

With dress in hand, wedding plans seemed to be moving right along. That was until John’s mother, Donna, had a nasty tumble.

“I broke my leg, with a compound fracture of the tibia, on Feb. 2, 2024,” Donna said. “And due to the severity of the compound fracture I was taken by ambulance to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where they have an orthopedic trauma unit.”

Donna underwent three surgeries, the first of which was on Feb. 21. She was in the hospital for two days, recovering while knowing her son’s wedding was just days away.

“Everyone from ambulance drivers to emergency room workers, to my surgeon and surgery staff, to floor nurses, to physical therapist, to people that brought my food — all knew I needed to be well and able to attend the wedding,” she said. And all were “fabulous.”

This didn’t mean Donna would be able to make it to the wedding, but she said she was determined.

“I knew I would be non-weight bearing and wouldn’t be able to walk down the aisle, but I was going to be there,” she said.

For her final dress fitting for the wedding she said she was in a cast.

“And the lady doing the alterations was a nervous wreck with me standing up with Paul (Donna’s husband) making sure I didn’t topple over,” she said. “I think it was Paul’s first, and last, trip to a bridal shop!”

On the morning before John and Whit- ney’s wedding, Donna, who was out of a cast and in a boot, had a physical therapy session before the rehearsal dinner that night. It left little time for rehearsal dinner details. But Donna said all those she had hired to help with the event did an amazing job.

“All I had to do was point my finger and things got done,” she said. “I was truly blessed.”

Donna had made plans to also have a hair appointment that day, but because she was so exhausted she canceled it.

“I did my own hair with a little help from Paul, and it actually didn’t look too bad,” she said.

Because being the mother of the groom is a job in and of itself, on top of having a broken leg, one might think the wedding should have been postponed. But Donna never suggested it to John and Whitney.

“Everything was planned and I knew I could still attend the joyous occasion, just not as I had planned. My mother had a debilitating brain aneurysm at 60 and lived the next 24 years as if her disabilities were non-existent. I learned from her to take life’s bumps and forge ahead with a smile. I knew God had my back and everything would work out fine,” she said.

ALL SMILES

John and Whitney chose to do a “first look” before the ceremony. With Whitney in her beautiful wedding gown, wearing her mother’s pearl necklace and John’s mother’s pearl earrings, no doubt he would be moved.

“I stood looking away from her,” John said. “And she walked up and put her arms around

1. When I turned around her smile was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen!”

As the wedding began, Donna was ushered down the aisle in a wheelchair by Paul, John

and her youngest son, Chris.

“Paul pushed the wheelchair, and the boys were at my side,” she said.

The ceremony was co-officiated by Pastor Thomas Winn from Grace Baptist Church at Castlewoods, John’s church where he and Whitney are both now members; and Pastor Gary Sinclair from First Presbyterian Church of Jackson.

Music was provided by the church organist Fonzo Finch, and the Ruah Strings Quartet.

“It was a very traditional wedding with classical music, the groom and groomsmen

all in tuxes. We sang two hymns; one picked by each of us, and we also did a

unity sand ceremony,” Whitney said.

A reception followed, and Whitney said the food and music were good and there was a lot of dancing — including by Donna.

“They had me and my wheelchair on the dance floor most of the night,” Donna said. “Everyone just cleared a spot for the wheelchair and my elevated leg.”

As for the mother-and-son dance, Donna said neither she nor John are very good dancers.

“Whitney’s brother and sister gave us one dance lesson prior to the accident and another was planned before the wedding. Well that second one never happened,” Donna said. “I really wanted to stand for our dance, but since I couldn’t put any weight on my left leg — the doctor was adamant that I would injure it further if I wasn’t careful — I decided to remain in the wheel- chair. We never really practiced our dance in the wheelchair, so it was very clunky. Paul had the band cut the song short, so it was a quick dance. It worked out for the best as I would have cried had we had a traditional mother/ son dance. Instead, we laughed.”

For their honeymoon, John and Whitney traveled to Hawaii where they went whale watching, snorkeling and toured Pearl Harbor.

The couple is at home in Ridgeland where Whitney works for her parents, who own several rental properties around Jackson. John works as the director of finance at Reformed Theological Seminary, which is based in Jackson.