Some people will tell you that young love is just puppy, sweet but fleeting. Ally and Micah Bartel’s story politely laughs at that cliché. Their journey from high school sweethearts to newlyweds is the story that makes you want to believe in fate, timing, and the magic of knowing when you know.
Ally remembers being just a seventh grader when she first met Micah. Because their last names were nearly identical—Bartel and Bartlett—the school alphabet had a funny way of sticking them side by side. Their lockers were always next to each other, their schedules often collided, and they even ended up sharing the stage in school musicals. They weren’t best friends back then, just friendly faces in the hallway. It wasn’t until senior year that the story really started.
That year, Ally and Micah chose each other as show choir partners. Hours of rehearsals, music, and laughter blurred the line between friendship and something more. Suddenly, Micah wasn’t just the kid she used to wave at between classes; he was talented, funny, kind—and the person Ally couldn’t stop thinking about. By the end of senior year, they were officially dating.
College didn’t pull them apart. If anything, it stitched them closer. They navigated campus life, growing pains, and big questions side by side. By the time graduation rolled around, Ally was ready. At 21, she married her best friend. Some people raised eyebrows at the age, but Ally carried the same advice her mom had once given her: when you know, you know.
Their wedding day carried a twist straight out of a movie. Right after their “first look,” Micah handed Ally a letter. She opened it, and her heart stopped. It was written four years earlier, only months after they started dating, dated August 10, 2013—the same day of the week as their wedding. In it, Micah told her he knew she was the one. He signed it, “Here’s to you, my beautiful future bride.” Cue the tears.
The ceremony itself was a blur, as weddings often are. In front of 160 guests, Ally and Micah stood on the altar grinning like kids who had been promised candy for dinner. Watching the video later, they couldn’t believe how young and giddy they looked. At one point, they paused during the vows to glance at the crowd—family, friends, every chapter of their story gathered in one room. That moment, Ally says, was the best advice they’d been given: stop, take it in, because you only get one first wedding day. After that, the reception exploded into a party. Laughter, dancing, happy tears, and the kind of joy that feels contagious filled the room. Ally says they felt “so loved by each other and everyone around us,” and that it was the best day of their lives.
Wedding planning, often dreaded, became another part of the adventure. Ally, an artist and hand-letterer, designed their invitations and signage. Micah, a motion designer and videographer, edited their wedding video and even animated their love story as a surprise. Unlike many grooms who shy away from planning, Micah dove in headfirst. Ally jokes that sometimes he was even more into it than she was. It became a team project, which made the day feel even more like them.
Of course, deciding to marry young still comes with questions. Was this “it”? How could they know for sure? Many people choose to test-drive marriage by living together first, but Ally and Micah trusted the foundation they’d built. They had already weathered life changes—finishing high school, trying college, dropping out, figuring out the terrifying world of adulthood. They practically grew up together, so marrying young didn’t feel risky. It felt like an adventure.
For Ally and Micah, being high school sweethearts isn’t about checking all the boxes in advance. It’s about building a life together from the bottom up, embracing the unknowns as part of the fun. “The only certainties were that we loved each other and that we both loved Jesus,” Ally says. “The rest felt like one big adventure.” And maybe that’s the secret. The love that matters doesn’t have all the answers upfront. It’s the one that looks at the questions and says, “Let’s figure this out, together.”
