Deborah + Mike | Romantic Backyard Wedding

Sweet blue floral details, thoughtfully accented with touches of ribbon and tulle, elevate a simple backyard setting on a sunlit, Ohio summer day.

Deborah and Mike met at Franciscan University of Steubenville and were friends for two years before they began to see each other in a whole new way. They relied on the guidance of Our Lady throughout their relationship and were engaged on the Feast of the Assumption.

In planning their wedding, Deborah and Mike joined the ranks of brides and grooms who had their original hopes turned upside down by COVID-19.

Yet at every twist, turn, and bend in the road on their journey to marriage, Our Lady continued to guide them.

From the Bride:

I had always just thought of Mike as my friend's older brother who was always very kind to me (and everyone) and a Marine Corps Veteran with a good sense of humor and some sweet tattoos. Our relationship deepened gradually and unexpectedly, and neither of us wanted to make things awkward in our friend group.

It started with being at the library at the same time and unplanned study dates. Then suddenly we were hanging out one-on-one and going out to eat, and we found ourselves catching feelings for one another.

Neither of us really admitted to it, and I think all of our friends around us picked up on it first.

Before I knew it, Mike had asked all our friends for their blessing to ask me out on a date. He took me to Chick-Fil-A and then to a live action Marvel show. It was the best date I ever had, and it only went uphill from there.

Our relationship has always been filled with the presence of Our Lady. Once, as friends, we were walking together, and Mike came with me to go pray at the Marian grotto at Franciscan, diverging from "another commitment."

As we prayed individually to see what God wanted from us and from what was growing between us, we asked Our Lady for her guidance.

Dating was new and exciting, but having known each other as friends took some of the nerves away. We didn't know how to be anything other than our true selves around one another.

We felt comfortable and confident in our relationship, we learned early on how to communicate well with one another. As always, we clung to Our Lady and to the rosary along the way.

So many rosaries and memorares were prayed at the grotto, where a beautiful image of Our Lady of Fatima stands up high against the stones.

We both knew that without God and Mary as the foundation of our relationship, things would crumble quickly. We would often find ourselves at the adoration chapel and grotto at crazy hours throughout some difficult moments.

Mary was always there, patiently and sweetly waiting for our arrival to shower us with love.

Mike asked me to be his wife in the presence of Mary and Jesus, at the same grotto where it all began, and it was absolutely beautiful.

I prayed often to Our Lady Undoer of Knots as we battled through many difficult moments that arose, and we were challenged to re-plan our wedding during a pandemic.

Once again, Mary was there, and I clung to her more than ever as I asked for the graces to be the wife and mother that Mike and our future children deserve.

There is no greater role model than she, our sweet mother—a beacon of joy, love, and hope.

From the Photographer:

During an exceptionally gorgeous afternoon on the last day of July, Deborah and Mike were married in St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Steubenville, OH. They had originally planned on having a May wedding in Georgia, but—like most couples getting married in a pandemic—their plans had to change.

Although both the location and date had to shift, Deborah still had a beautiful vision for her wedding. She has such a gift for decorating, planning, and putting together such pretty details, which elevated the whole day.

Surrounded by family and friends, and the prayers of those who watched via livestream, Deborah and Mike promised to be faithful to each other through all of life’s ups and downs.

The nuptial Mass was stunning, and it was such a joy to photograph a wedding in our home parish! Their reception was in Mike’s family’s backyard, and it was the perfect setting for a joy-filled evening.

One of my favorite details at the reception was a little table filled with images of Deborah and Mike including a watercolor painting of them. Guests signed it, and it will hang in their home as a reminder of their wedding day.

Planning a wedding in a pandemic is certainly not for the faint of heart, and couples are tested in so many ways. Through it all, Deborah and Mike kept their eyes on what mattered most: the sacrament.

As long as they were married in the presence of God and His Church, they were happy.