'Literally taking the plunge': Couple marries at Barton Springs' New Year polar plunge
For Janeen Bailey and Steve Smith, Monday marked the start of a new chapter as they — literally — plunged into marriage, wedding at Barton Springs Pool's annual polar bear plunge.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — For Janeen Bailey and Steve Smith, Monday marked the start of a new chapter as they — literally — plunged into marriage, wedding at Barton Springs Pool's annual polar bear plunge.
Their wedding came decades in the making of their love story: The pair, onetime sweethearts in College Station back in the mid-1980s, broke up after their lives went in different directions. Back in 2015, Smith said he was newly single and trying for a new start in life when he decided to participate in the plunge.
Janeen, not knowing where Steve even lived at that point, said she decided to do her first polar plunge that same day. And the rest, as they say, is history.
"I'm standing down there, ready to start a wild, crazy year, waiting to jump in the pool, and I hear 'Steve! Steve!'" Smith recounted. "I turned around, and we've pretty much been together ever since."
It became a tradition for Bailey and Smith to return each year to partake in the plunge. In 2019, it also became the site where Smith proposed to Bailey.
"It's just a wonderful, magical place," he said.
That magic extends beyond the nostalgic sentimentality it means to the couple. Smith described it as the "spiritual heart of Austin," where those who come to swim in it leave the waters feeling refreshed and renewed.
He added it also signified an opportunity to get outside his comfort zone, with that first plunge in 2015 changing the trajectory of his life. Now, he said he and Bailey have embraced living outside their comfort zone, tapping into newfound hobbies like mountain climbing, rock climbing, kayaking, ziplining and other activities.
As the two gathered early Monday morning, there was a bit of cold feet — they don't call it a polar bear plunge for nothing. But each told KXAN they are looking forward to starting this next chapter at a sacred place in their lives, surrounded by loved ones.
"I will cry," Bailey said. "I'm thrilled by the people who showed up for us."