Last Friday, U.S. Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin tied the knot with former NFL player Andre Levrone Jr. in a Christ-centered ceremony.
The couple, who got engaged in August 2021, shared pictures of their wedding on their respective Instagram accounts. McLaughlin, who won gold in the women's 400m hurdles at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, posted the first series of wedding photos on her page on Sunday, captioning the post, "Mr. & Mrs. Levrone PT. 1."
On Monday, Levrone, who played for the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens, shared more photos from the wedding on his Instagram account, captioning them, "& the two became one."
"May the success of our marriage not be gauged by fame, fortune, or flash. But by submission to one another, a supernatural unity, & the pursuit of reconciliation for others," he concluded.
Amongst the photos Levrone posted was one showing the Bible verse 1 John 4:19 embroidered on the tongue of his sneaker.
The verse says, "We love because He first loved us."
"We've been waiting for this day for a very long time, so just excited that it's finally here and we can say we're married," McLaughlin, 22, told People magazine.
Both McLaughlin and Levrone have been outspoken about their Christian faith on their social media accounts.
Pastor Greg Hendricks, the campus pastor at The Rock Church in San Diego, California, officiated the ceremony at the Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison, Virginia. As the couple exchanged their vows, they were serenaded by Chandler Moore & The Gospel Group.
McLaughlin told People that she knew Levrone was the one just days after meeting him. For Levrone, it only took util the third date to be 100 percent certain that she was the one.
McLaughlin is "down to earth, she's cool, she's not super materialistic. I was like, 'This is the type of woman I want to be with,'" the former football star said of his new wife.
Several of McLaughlin's training partners and some fellow Olympians were among the guests at the Friday wedding. Levrone's friends from the NFL also served as his groomsmen.
The newlywed couple is currently planning their honeymoon, which they said will probably be in September or October after the track season is over.
"We're still figuring out where we want to go and what we want to do, but we're definitely not taking that off of the calendar at all," McLaughlin told People.
Photo courtesy: ©GettyImages/jodie777
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.