Amanda + Evan | Rustic Rose-Colored Wedding

Cathedral-style summer nuptials on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, centered on Christ and the Cross.

Amanda and Evan met while on mission with FOCUS. Evan was assigned last minute to a medical mission trip to Peru that Amanda had already been working on for months.

Despite not having any medical experience, Evan joined the trip full of enthusiasm!

During their time in Peru, they developed a new and life-giving friendship that continued for the next few months.

During a FOCUS summer training, Evan decided to ask Amanda on a date, to which she happily said yes. Even though they were assigned to different mission locations, they invested in their long distance relationship wholeheartedly.

Soon after discerning that Amanda was the woman for him, Evan asked for her parent's blessing.

They were thrilled and gifted him with some family diamonds to make a ring for their daughter.

Over Thanksgiving break later that year, during a private holy hour, Evan proposed to Amanda, who joyfully agreed. Afterward, they prayed together in front of the Blessed Sacrament and celebrated with Mass.

From the Photographer:

Amanda and Evan’s wedding day was seriously one of the most joyful events I've ever been a part of!

They were united in a full nuptial Mass at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Woodstock, GA on the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Since Amanda and Evan both have a devotion to our Lady, it was perfect for them

The church was spacious and designed in the cathedral style, which was important to the bride and groom. They wanted a space to celebrate their marriage that was big enough to hold all of their family and friends without it being crowded in COVID times.

Amanda looked absolutely elegant in her lace-backed dress and cathedral veil. Wearing earrings from her grandmother, she wrapped a rosary from Fatima around her bouquet, and wore a small embroidered icon of the crucifixion inside her wedding dress.

Evan wore an identical icon pinned inside his coat.

Amanda and Evan shared an emotional first look in the church’s adoration chapel. They prayed together and exchanged gifts.

Amanda gave Evan a gold Sacred Heart case that contained letters from her and a prayer of consecration to the Blessed Mother. Evan gifted his bride a print of “The Wedding of Joseph and Mary.”

Afterward, they had their close friends, family, and priest celebrant pray over them before their ceremony in the chapel.

The bridal party wore a dusty pink dress from Roolee, which complimented the white and green florals. The bouquets and boutonnieres coordinated beautifully with white roses, baby's breath, and eucalyptus leaves.

Amanda and Evan had many friends dear to their hearts, but logistically could not fit them all into the wedding party.

They decided to honor these friends by making them "wedding party attendants," who wore the wedding colors and took photos with the bride and groom like a bridal party would. These friends also joined in the group prayer for the couple.

During their wedding Mass, Evan and Amanda incorporated traditional music and included the Croatian wedding crucifix tradition as part of their vows.

Their reception was at a beautiful, two-story, brick, all-inclusive venue in historic downtown Acworth. During the father-daughter dance, Amanda's sisters came out to join at the end as a tribute to their love for her and the closeness of their family.

After dancing the night away on a packed dance floor, Amanda and Evan left their reception with a sparkler and bubble exit into a getaway car.

One thing I was consistently wowed by was how the Lord drew people to Himself through the witness of Amanda and Evan's relationship.

Marriage is meant to be a living example of the domestic Church, and through two people who are absolutely in love with the Lord coming together, it can invite others into the knowledge of the intimacy Christ wants with us.

I found myself convicted that my own marriage should be such a reflection.