Belzinha,

 

Writing these vows was almost as hard as planning three different events. I remember that two months after we got engaged you told me you woke up in the middle of the night and had already written yours. Me, on the other hand? I was still rewriting and rethinking mine up until yesterday. First, I tried to make a list of all the reasons I love you and tell our story in a funny way. Then I went through this self-deprecating phase where I started listing all my flaws and how you’re basically the cure for them. But pretty quickly I realized that would be endless — and way too verbose, in my classic know-it-all rambling style. Besides, you’ve already heard and lived all of this before. And you know me: I’m better at speaking spontaneously, but I’ll admit, the pressure of going after you — and knowing your words would be perfect — didn’t exactly help.

 

So today my challenge is to be simple and direct: the truth is I’ve always considered myself the best person to make decisions about my life — my way, of course. Last minute, improvised, with empty promises, a bit of charm, and a lot of luck. I had never found someone I could actually trust to make decisions for me… until I let you take that place. With you, I’m not only happier — I’m my favorite version of myself.

 

A lot of people here today already know you really well. Others,

on my side, maybe not as much — although I’m sure they’ve

heard me talk about you a thousand times and are dying to

finally meet you. But what I really want is for

everyone to know who Belzinha is to me.

 

To me, you are everything I always imagined I wanted to be, but never had the strength to fight against my own chaos. You are determined, decisive, loyal, rational, intense, detail-oriented, organized, and generous. You’re full of wonderful contradictions. The stylish, revolutionary “princess from Jardins” who refuses to follow the rules — especially your mom’s (hehe). Always beautiful and impeccable, but also the one spraying mosquito repellent on your armpits before leaving the house so you don’t come back covered in bites — and as unglamorous as that sounds, I love it, because it’s when you’re being your most authentic,

unfiltered self with me.

 

And I love how you’re full of so-called “medical chart fragilities” — can’t stay in the sun, mosquitos love you, allergic to aspirin, bronchitis — but your personality has nothing fragile about it. You’re calm, brave, direct, and you never hide behind anything. You even once roughed up a security guard after he called your dad saying you had blacked out at a club. And when I hear that story, all I can think is: yep, that’s it, she’s my lucky number.

 

And yes, we are opposites. You are discipline, method, planning; I am impulse, improvisation, emotion. But we’re also alike. Who would’ve thought we’d end up together? Well, maybe everyone: two single Brazilians at an MBA, perfectly matched in height, the last ones to leave every party. But who would’ve thought it would last? That’s another story. Me, the emotional one, already said on our very first date that I didn’t want something casual. After being a classic toxic boy, I wanted to get my act together. You, on the other hand, just wanted a contatinho. But in the end, little by little, you let Victorlin sneak some adrenaline

and mess into your life.

 

And speaking of Victorlin, let me tell you why everything I just said makes you perfect for me. With you, I found meaning in who I can be beyond all the empty labels. No longer the reckless guy always messing around, but a reliable, present, intense partner — someone who does his best to live up to your expectations. And let’s be honest… they’re pretty high. But that’s exactly what gives me conviction that we’ll make it. In all my pride of thinking I always make the best choices for myself, I learned that the most important thing is to make the best choice for us.

 

That certainty became crystal clear on the most stressful night of planning for today, when we were going over a thousand things that could go wrong. That’s when I realized that when you’re worried… I become unbearable. Not because I suddenly turned into someone organized and full of solutions, but because nothing matters more to me than you being okay. Seeing you anxious messes with my inflated ego, and I get desperate to be your source of calm and joy. Maybe that’s my biggest insecurity: not being the main reason for your happiness. It’s a selfish addiction, I know. But it’s the one that makes me

obsessed with making you happy.

 

This past year may have been the biggest challenge of my life, and the clearest proof that with you, I can get through anything. Endless days, weighed down by the frustration of not being where I wanted to be professionally, getting rejection after rejection, questioning my own ability. Me — the guy who always chased my ambitions with almost arrogant confidence — for the first time, I doubted myself. And that’s when you saved me. On every day I doubted myself, you gave meaning to every moment and made me certain that being there with you was the one thing I was doing right. All the other parts of my life could be falling apart, but seeing you smile fixed everything. The best part of my day is always when you come home from work and I run to the door like an abandoned puppy. Your favorite part is when we lie down together at night. And me, disorganized as ever, I often stay up late dealing with all the things I didn’t do during the day, and I don’t go to bed with you. That contrast is proof

of how you are my balance.

 

I grew up used to always finding shortcuts to get what I wanted. But with you I learned — gently, yet definitively — that life is not just about getting by. It’s about having intention. Thinking beyond myself. Putting our partnership first. Partnership comes from “pair”: two people who work much better together than apart. And I’ve felt it: today, when anxiety hits, only you can calm me down. Seeing you happy by my side is all I want. And yes, at the beginning it was hard for me to get used to doing things “your way.” I hated admitting you were right. But now I actually appreciate when you show me the limits I’m too blind — or too stubborn — to see.

 

Taking care of myself so I can take care of you

has become what I most want to do in life.

 

To close, I’ll make you just three promises — and

I’m sure they’re enough:

​

1. No more empty promises. But you also can’t look at me with those puppy-dog eyes and say, “Victorlin, please, promise me you’ll go to the gym today?” or “promise you’ll actually eat lunch?”

2. To make your life lighter. Rule #1 of the game: never let Belzinha get stressed!

3. To lower my ego and listen to you more and more.

 

And above all, I promise that tonight I will live every single moment by your side and make it the happiest night of our lives. Always chasing your look that captivates me, your laugh that calms me, and your kiss that I got addicted to. Always seeking our balance — part of me rushing as if there were no tomorrow, and part of you stopping to think through every possible tomorrow before making a decision.

 

When no one who knew you expected it, you opened yourself up to me — and I’ll be forever grateful to give that back to you, every single day. May we always be happy.

 

Love you,
Bebelino