This is a story of two Trinity members who sat across the church from each other for years, not knowing that just beyond the altar sat the person they would one day marry. Eric Hecker sat with his family on the sound booth side of the church while Alyssa Redoute sat with her family on the Harper side of the church. One day, the two families were in the church foyer, Eric met Alyssa and the rest is history.
It all started at Trinity
Not only did Eric and Alyssa go to the same church, they lived in the same town, yet they had never officially met.
“We both grew up in Harrison Township, however, our paths never crossed. Mainly because Eric went to private school and Alyssa went to public school. Also, Eric is one year older than Alyssa, so we did do confirmation for one year together, but we never met each other. Eric claims he has seen me around church,” wrote Alyssa in an email sharing her story with us.
Eric attended Trinity and then went on to Lutheran North, while Alyssa went to L’Anse Creuse Schools.
They officially met in spring 2016 in the church foyer while Alyssa was home from Michigan State University on spring break. Eric had graduated from college in December 2015 and Alyssa was set to graduate that spring. Early in their relationship, they were separated however, after that they were only about 30 minutes away from each other and they continued dating.
Making a lifelong decision
“I think we both knew it was serious about two years into dating and we had real conversations about our future and values, and realized that we wanted to spend our future together,” said Alyssa. The couple was engaged in July 2020, after about 4-and-a-half years of dating. Eric said he knew Alyssa was the one the minute he met her.
As they began to plan their wedding,they knew their faith would be at the center. However, even though they met at Trinity, they opted to get married in another location.
“My cousin got married in 2016 at Historic Trinity and I fell in love with the history aspect and the uniqueness of the church,” said Alyssa. While they had a venue secured, they needed an officiant. That decision was easy--Pastor Ken.
“Eric and I both basically grew up with Pastor Ken as he was the lead pastor during the core of our younger lives. He also has a large impact in both of our families, as both families are involved with the church. He instructed confirmation for us as well. Both of our dads were involved with the cigar club with him and he has attended multiple family functions for our families,” said Alyssa.
The couple was married Aug. 28, 2021 and they are now building their lives together.
“We 100 percent see our Trinity and faith background playing a big part in our future. It truly was the groundwork of our relationship, and we want to create the same lifestyle for our children. We feel it is important to be able to use our faith and connect with God to be thankful for our lives,” said Alyssa.
Eric, who graduated from Michigan Tech, works as a sales and project engineer at Eifel Mold and Engineering. Alyssa graduated from MSU and then earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Wayne State University. She now works as a physical therapist at the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, specifically helping those with neurological diagnosis. The Heckers live in St. Clair Shores with their Goldendoodle Lulu.
“We both adore our dog, enjoy working out, playing volleyball, traveling, big boaters, creating spontaneous adventures and currently enjoying where life takes us,” said Alyssa.
As they continue down their path, they plan to stay rooted in Christ.
“We both were raised with very similar family values, which we want to raise our family the same way. Having such a similar faith background created a solid framework of our relationship from day one. We truly thank God for (literally) putting us together,” said Alyssa.