Couple waits until wedding day to share first kiss

By Michael Lee Simpson and Emma Dunn

A couple didn't share their first kiss until their wedding day - and said it was worth the wait.

Rebekah Hurford, 32, and her partner, Kirk Peter, 33, decided to wait until they tied the knot to have sex or make out properly.

The New York pair had only shared a peck or hug for 19 months - despite both previous having been in intimate relationships.

They waited until the reception after their wedding in September last year - sneaking into the bathroom for a "great but awkward" first make out.

Rebekah, a marketing communications director and Kirk, a video producer, say they hope waiting has strengthened their relationship.

“It’s kind of funny,” Rebekah recalled.

“Our reception was kind of in this old Gilded Age mansion on the Upper West Side, so we snuck into the bathroom and made out during our reception.

"It was great. It was as good as expected. A little awkward, but we figured it out.”

Rebekah and Kirk met in February 2023 through the church where Rebekah works and Kirk volunteers.

“He started hitting me up and was flirting in my DMs,” Rebekah said. “I wasn’t interested at all. He wasn’t my type. I was very picky.”

After an initial date, Kirk brought a list of 30 thoughtful questions to ask her on the second one.

“I thought this is special,” she said. “This is different.”

By June 2023, they began dating and made a commitment to take a different path than in their past relationships - choosing to wait until marriage to kiss or have sex.

“Not having sex until marriage is a value I hold,” Rebekah said. “Sleeping with people and doing other things – it didn’t work out.

"When I went outside these boundaries, it created an internal conflict.”

The couple agreed on strict boundaries like not sleeping over or staying in the same room during trips.

Rebekah said the reason for waiting was to “honor” each other and create a “deeper connection.”

“It’s definitely not an easy thing,” she said. “I had been a bit skeptical about it.”

She added: “It’s been a really beautiful relationship.”

Kirk said: “I told Rebekah really early on that I want this to work out so I want to honor her in the way we do this relationship. I don’t want her to think I’m just after her for her body.

“In past relationships it was really easy to not think about that boundary and whether it had any significance at all. I told her ‘I don’t even want to kiss you before we get married.’

"This is the shortest part of our relationship. What is this time next to forever?”

Despite holding out, the couple had no concerns.

“We’re very attracted to each other,” Rebekah said. “It’s hard not to move forward.”

Kirk said: "I just think of it as another level of us climbing the intimacy ladder."

He added: “Hard things are worth it.”

They had a pop-up wedding in Central Park and then Kirk moved to New York from Connecticut.

“He proposed in front of the apartment building that we now live in,” she added.

While the Peters are looking forward to the future, they are currently focused on health.

"We want kids at some point," Rebekah shared. "Right now, I am dealing with Lyme disease, so we’re just kind of focusing on me getting better.

"He's doing a great job taking care of me and helping out with all the things. He's very, very sweet.”