Tara + Sean | Elegant Extended-Celebration Wedding

While wedding planning during a pandemic brought countless challenges, Tara and Sean were determined to be married on the date they originally set, May 16.

These college sweethearts chose to celebrate their marriage on two distinct days, allowing them to fully focus on the different aspects of the celebration. After five years of dating and an 18-month engagement, God provided for them to be joined as husband and wife in the presence of their closest family members and bridal party.

On a sunny day later that summer, they gathered with the rest of their wedding guests to celebrate their union. With months between their nuptial Mass and reception, Tara and Sean learned firsthand that love is patient, and God is faithful.

From the Bride:

Our story is one of faithfulness. A story that stood the test of time and of doubt, fear, and uncertainty. The rainbow at the end of the storm.

Seven years ago, Sean began to pursue me in a way that no other man had ever sought to know me. We met our freshman year of college and were drawn to each other because of our similar beliefs. 

He’ll claim that it was my smile and my faith in God that he was first attracted to. I’d say it was his selflessness and sense of humor.

I knew we were on the right path when he asked my dad for permission to date me. After five years of growing closer to each other and closer to God, Sean proposed during a surprise photo shoot with my family. 

The next day, we felt God’s blessing over our engagement when the readings from the Mass reminded us that, “what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

In 2020, not even the 18 months of wedding and marriage planning could prepare us for all of the uncertainty that came with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We were forced to make unimaginable changes, but God prevailed in the end. He sent us the most compassionate priest and allowed us to celebrate our marriage on two days.

After many tears and lots of prayers, we were able to be joined in the sacrament of holy matrimony in the presence of our closest family members and wedding party. 

God protected us that day and allowed us to experience pure joy. A few months later, we finally got to celebrate our marriage at a reception with the rest of our wedding guests. 

Our faith was strengthened through the trials, and the final results were a testament to God’s faithfulness.

The blessing of having two days to celebrate our marriage was that I was able to focus on the two major parts of the wedding. For part one, the emphasis was on the nuptial Mass, and for part two, the emphasis was on the celebration. 

Thankfully, we had quality time with our wedding party to get ready together on both days. This time together meant the world to us after months of being apart. 

We shared gifts with our closest people, and they wrote letters to us. It was the perfect way to start the day with a walk down memory lane of some beautiful friendships and a reminder of our support system. 

Sean and I both come from large, Irish-Catholic families. Being the oldest girl cousin in my family, I knew I wanted some of my cousins to be involved in the wedding. We were so thankful that they were able to be there as our flower girls and ring bearers. 

Our parents received special gifts as well, since these days would not have been possible without them. I will forever treasure the moments of my mom helping me get into my dress and my dad seeing me as a bride for the first time. 

While Sean and I decided to go the traditional way of waiting to see each other until I walked down the aisle, we had a special moment together back-to-back as we read letters to each other. Sean also read a letter that I had written in 2013 to my future husband—just a few days before we officially started dating. 

Just moments before walking down the aisle, one of my bridesmaids offered to pray over me.

Her words of faith and encouragement were exactly what I needed in that moment. After a crazy morning of rushing to get ready, those moments to pause and take it all in were incredibly special. 

My dad and I joked about the first time he walked me down the aisle, which was actually about 20 years earlier when I was a flower girl in my aunt’s wedding. I wouldn’t walk alone because I had just busted my lip moments prior to the ceremony. 

I promised him this time I would be more careful, but he could still hold my hand as he walked with me. 

As the church doors opened, Sean turned around and started bawling. I couldn’t help but smile as I walked towards my soon-to-be husband—a moment that I honestly wasn’t sure would happen during the uncertainty of changed wedding plans. 

The beauty of the Catholic Mass put me at ease. It felt like a ceremony I had attended many times before, but this time God was uniting us in the most holy way possible.

Our family members read some of the same readings that we heard at Mass the day after our engagement. We were reminded of “a still more excellent way” and that He will “allow us to live together to a happy old age.”

During the homily, our priest talked about how our love is so resilient. As a part of our marriage preparation, he had us write letters about our hopes for our marriage in 10 years. 

We didn’t know until that moment that we would read those hopes aloud to our family and friends. We both talked about our commitment to each other, desiring a God-centered family, and growing together as we lead each other to heaven. 

Perhaps one of the best moments of our May ceremony was the opportunity to be extraordinary ministers of holy Communion. Because most churches were still closed due to the pandemic, this was the first time in months that many of our guests had physically received the Eucharist. 

We could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit as we offered the body of Christ to each of our loved ones. 

We left that Mass as husband and wife with celebratory “Mr. & Mrs.” balloons to show for it. 

In August, the rest of our guests came together to witness our final wedding moments. We finally got our first dance together, special dances with our parents, speeches from our loved ones, amazing food from our caterer, ice cream and cake for dessert, and a sparkler send-off as a grand finale. 

Although we had to wait a few more months, it was worth it to have most of our friends and family there to celebrate with us. 

During the planning, I remember focusing so much on the songs, timeline, decorations, and other little details of the day. But when the pandemic occurred, I was reminded that I am not in control. 

It was a lesson of giving over control to the One who is in control. Because in the end, both days came together beautifully. 

While it wasn’t the original plan we had imagined, the love and support that we received surpassed all of our expectations. It was a testimony to God’s plan for us and the ways that He has instilled our trust in Him as He continues to bless our marriage.

Photography: Catherine Rhodes Photography | Nuptial Mass Location: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, O’Fallon, MO | Wedding Reception Venue: Stone House of St. Charles, St. Charles, MO | Rings: Diamonds Direct St. Louis | Floral Design: Petal Pushers STL | Stationery: Rock Paper Scissors | Caterer: Ces & Judy’s | Bride’s Dress: Cleo Bridal | Bride’s Jewelry: Olive & Piper | Bridesmaid Dresses: White Traditions Bridal | Suit Rentals: Savvi | Cake: Wedding Wonderland | Ice Cream: Clementine’s Creamery | Bar: Booze Brothers | Hair and Makeup: Belleza Salon | Videography: Pancho3

Mary + James | Sacred Heart Cathedral Wedding

Mary and James first connected online, and it quickly became obvious that they were both looking for similar qualities in a spouse.

Although circumstances kept them long distance, their relationship remained strong, and the Lord blessed them with an unexpected grace: a wedding on the solemnity of his Sacred Heart.

From the Bride: James and I met on Catholic Match. We were both looking for someone who shared our faith and way of life--the most important things to us. After that, we dated long-distance between Jefferson City and St. Louis for a year and a half.

Before boarding his train back home one day, James asked if I wanted to go visit St. Peter’s church nearby. Next to the statue of Saint Louis, James told me that our time in the city had taught him that the world was not enough. He wanted to give me more than this world could offer, just like Saint Louis himself who lived his life not for this world but the next.

He proposed to me at St. Peter’s in Kirkwood, Missouri. Needless to say, I said yes!

Shortly after getting engaged James left to Army JAG (Judge Advocate General) Training in Fort Benning, Georgia, and Charlottesville, Virginia for five months. During this time, our Pre-Cana classes were put on hold while he completed his training and I finished grad school.

When he returned we hit the ground running with our Pre-Cana courses at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis under the supervision of Deacon Todd.

A month before our wedding we were told it fell on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart. This meant we would not be able to use any traditional wedding readings or psalms. Although we did not realize it when we picked the date, we were now presented with a great opportunity.

It was a chance to show our guests the love of Christ found in His Most Sacred Heart and the reflection of this love found in the marriage of a husband and wife.

Our wedding mass was special in many ways. The biggest grace was celebrating our big day on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart in the beautiful Cathedral Basilica. Another fun and unique bonus was when the Archdiocesan Handbell Choir volunteered to play for the wedding, since I am a member! Hearing the beautiful bells ring throughout the cathedral was such a wonderful gift to us.

Additionally, even though James and I both have big families, we wanted everyone to have a part in the Mass if possible. Every member of the family was either in the wedding party or had a role as a lector, usher, or gift-bearer. Our photographer told us that our Mass was the most spiritual that he has ever witnessed.

Right before I walked down the aisle my bridesmaids and I began to pray, I could not hold back the tears of joy because I was overwhelmed with love and gratitude for the wonderful ladies in my life. As the tears began to flow my future sister-in-law took over the prayer, somehow taking the words right out of my mouth. It was such a special moment I will always remember.

Photography: Mirage Photo | Church: Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MI | Reception: The Christy, Saint Louis, MI | Music: Archdiocesan Hand Bell Choir | Reception Music: DJ Connection | Hair & Makeup: New Seasons Hair Spa | Flowers: Carol’s Corner Florist & Gifts

Katherine + Ian | Statement Florals DIY Wedding

The hand of God’s providence can reach even as far as your computer screen. Ian was a recent graduate of Thomas Aquinas College, finishing up a second Bachelor’s degree in Diesel Mechanics at a school in Montana. Disheartened from few dates in such a remote location, he signed up for CatholicMatch.  

Around the same time, Katherine had tentatively joined CatholicMatch after constant prodding from a good friend--only with a free trial account, as she felt certain it wasn’t something to be taken seriously.

Fast forward to a few messages from Ian that left Katherine feeling bad about her initial lack of interest; she worried about being perceived as rude. After watching her agonize over it, the same friend who encouraged Katherine to sign up for CatholicMatch took it upon herself to send Ian Katherine’s phone number. A few days later, she got a text from him, and they haven’t stopped since.  

From the Bride: We talked about our faith, about our families, about our friends; literally everything. We wrote so many letters. Finally, just after my sister’s wedding Ian came to visit and meet my family. I told him I wouldn’t consider us to be dating until we’d met in person, and had my parents’ approval. Many prayers, anxious jitters, and pages of text messages later, my family approved and we were official. After, that Ian and I took turns visiting each other every few months.

We prayed about our vocations constantly, and we tried to use our long distance as fruitfully as possible to serve each other well in the discernment process.

When it came time for Ian to pop the question, I wasn’t a bit surprised. He’d been telling me for months that he’d never been so sure of anything in his life. He was certain our prayers were answered that we were meant to be. Ian was so excited to propose and can’t keep a secret to save his life-- so much so that he informed me when the ring was purchased, and when it was supposed to arrive! He came to visit me that weekend, and after pretending nothing was up for about 30 agonizing minutes, he got down on one knee and held out the ring without a word. His expression said everything.

For someone who is incredibly shy, I wasn’t nervous at all on the day of my wedding. I spent the morning getting ready with my mom, bridesmaids and close girlfriends who were in town for the wedding. I did my mom’s and two of my bridesmaids’ before I had even finished my own and almost walked out the door with hot rollers still in my hair! I was just so happy for the big day to have finally arrived, and there were so many details I was looking forward to sharing with the people I love so dearly.

We got married at St. George, the same parish where I had been baptized, had my first Reconciliation, and received my First Holy Communion. It felt like hours as I waited for the bridal processional to start, and all the nerves I thought I had left behind came surging back. I just wanted to get down the aisle and hold my best friend’s hand.

I knew my dad would be holding back tears as he walked me down the aisle, and the thought of it was making me choke up. I was so nervous to get started that I got mixed up and we went before our cue! As soon as I got to the altar and was with Ian, all of my nerves melted away. All that mattered then was that we were here, in front of God to enter into this holy sacrament of matrimony.  

My favorite part of our wedding Mass was during our vows. I thought for sure I wouldn’t be able to look Ian in the eye and get through all of it without crying, but somehow I made it. To my surprise, I could tell Ian was starting to tear up. He was saved by an amusing difficulty with the rings. Our ring bearer was Ian’s brother Anton, who has Down’s Syndrome. We wanted him to actually carry the rings, so my bridesmaids tied them very simply and made sure to show the Best Man how easy they’d be to untie. But when the time came, he struggled to get the rings free. Even with Father’s assistance, it took a few minutes to figure everything out, which gave Ian just the right amount of time to compose himself.

Then, as if to seal the deal and help Ian avoid pausing for tears, our priest dropped one of the rings as he blessed them. The ping as it bounced around on the floor had me shaking and trying not to laugh. It just seemed so perfect; such a reminder that even though this life and this vocation we had chosen was serious business, it would also be filled with laughter.  

We wanted our wedding to be three things: beautiful, budget friendly, and DIY. From the invitations I designed, printed and arranged with my sister’s help of my sister (I even hand-painted the decorative elements on each RSVP card) to the décor and all of the flowers, we did everything ourselves.

I’m a big planner. After doing lots of research, I found that for the size of wedding we’d have, it would actually be much more affordable to buy linens instead of rent them. The centerpieces and bouquets were made up of silk floral stems I had found on sale at the end of the summer and evergreen branches we gathered from tree lots. Using lighted garland, sprinkled with beautiful faux peonies, hydrangeas, ranunculus, and more for the head table made such a statement as our guests entered the reception. We made things elegant and clean-up friendly by using wine glasses as favors. We even incorporated a little family history into our décor: using a low table and a evergreen tree we’d decorated, we created a corner featuring photos of our parents’, grandparents’, and great grandparents’ wedding days.

Our wedding was catered entirely by my mom. She is an avid baker as well as a cook, so she was excited to make the our giant spice cake. Since cooking and baking is a labor of love for her, she was so happy to be able to gift her hard work to Ian and I on our wedding day. With her team of friends and her grown children, she made the best food I’ve ever had at a wedding.

When the time came to save the top layer of our wedding cake, we learned that traditionally the top of the cake was saved to be pulled out again at the baptism of the couple’s first child! As it happened, Ian and I welcomed a baby girl the September after we were married. She was baptized four days after our anniversary, so we did eat the frozen cake-top for our anniversary and our daughter’s baptism!

From beginning to end, our wedding was a family affair. It was overwhelming in the best way to be surrounded with loved ones there to support us, first in our marriage, and then in celebration afterward. It was a powerful reminder of how we are to live in communion in the Church.

People were pitching in using their special gifts and talents everywhere you turned; from my mother’s delicious food and  beautiful cake, my in-laws’ voices, which assisted in our prayers at the Mass, my two uncles’ filling the roles of DJ and MC, and my very-extroverted younger brother’s perfect fit as the bartender. It was the best wedding day I could’ve ever imagined, and I was so proud of how it turned out.

From the early planning stages we wanted our wedding to be a gift of ourselves to our families and loved ones, and not just a great party.

We wanted to put in the work and to be frugal where we could and splurge where we ought. This outlook seemed like a great challenge that would prepare us for married life.

I never thought preparing for such a big change in my life would be such a peaceful experience. Ours was exciting and relatively stress-free from start to finish, thanks to lots of prayer and reminders of what is truly important. Even the things that went “wrong” or didn’t go as planned didn’t matter because at the end of the day, we would be married.
 

Photography: George Street Photo & Video | Church: St. George Catholic Church, Affton Missouri | Celebrant: Rev. John C. Deken, uncle of the bride | Wedding Reception Venue: St. George Hall | Engagement Ring: Gemara | Wedding Bands: Kay Jewelers | Silk Flowers: Michaels | Invitations / Stationary: DIY, designed by the bride and her sister; handmade watercolor and acrylic art half-printed and half painted by the bride. Printed on Watercolor paper with green foil details. Supplies from Michaels. | Linens: Smarty Had a Party | Bride’s Dress: David's Bridal | Bride’s Veil: DIY; lace from Hancock Fabrics | Bride’s Shoes: BCBGeneration Niro Pump | Jewelry/Accessories: DIY; supplies from Michaels & JoAnn Fabric | Bridesmaids' Attire: Union Station | Groom’s Suit: Savvi Formalwear | Groomsmen’s Attire: Savvi Formalwear | Cake: Mother of the bride | Hair & Makeup: Bride and bridesmaids | Music: Ryan Murphy & siblings of the bride and groom | Bar: Andre's Champagne, Schlafly

Kelsey + Jacob | Missouri Summer Wedding

Kelsey and Jacob first met at a summer camp when they were 18. They became fast, close friends, but that remained the extent of their relationship for the next eight years. They went their separate ways, living in different states and cordially keeping in touch now and then. Until the Fall that everything changed.

In 2015, Jacob and Kelsey both found themselves back in their Missouri hometown over the holidays and reconnected. When Kelsey returned to her current home in Alabama, a three-page handwritten letter awaited her.

From the Bride: It was the most courageous and beautiful letter I’d ever received. It was from Jacob, basically asking if we could put the stuff in our past behind us, and saying he would like to fly to Birmingham, from Texas, and take me on a date.

I was shocked and still very hesitant, but with my sisters’ encouragement I said yes. We started talking every day on the phone and even before Jacob came to visit, I could tell something was different. We were both very confident from the beginning that this was the ‘thing’ people talk about when they are falling in love.

We dated long-distance--800 miles--for our whole courtship and engagement. On a September weekend in Birmingham, Jacob and I to St. Paul’s Cathedral for Sunday Mass. At the end of the liturgy he leaned over and asked if we could stay behind to pray. After ten minutes that felt like forever, he asked me if I was ready. I said ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Are you sure?’

Instead of exiting the church, Jacob took me to the altar, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I thought the day couldn’t get any better. Then I walked out the doors. As he opened them, our family, friends, and loved ones from so many different states were standing out there, waiting for us. It was one of the most incredible gestures anyone had ever done for me: to bring all the people I love into one place. The long-distance wedding planning began from there, and I believe that the distance only strengthened us in preparing to enter into the holy sacrament of marriage.

One of our favorite parts of engagement was our mandatory preparation. Given our long-distance status, weekly meetings with a teaching couple weren’t really an option for us. We received permission to attend a one-day marriage preparation retreat in a diocese of our choice. The most convenient place for us meet ended up being Little Rock, Arkansas. A priest there and gave some of the best advice we’ve ever been given, and it truly has become a cornerstone for our marriage, and we pray it continues: he challenged us to individually sit down and write a prayer to God about our future spouse and our hopes for our marriage. He said after a few days of prayer, come together, combine the two, and write your marriage prayer.

We were encouraged to start praying it every night and to continue it as a nightly habit in our marriage. So, that’s what we did. And it was so enriching for us both. It was so nice having a uniting prayer that we could pray over FaceTime each night while we were engaged, and by the time we were married it became part of our nightly routine. Our prayer helps us keep a clear perspective on what our goals for each other and our marriage are, with God’s help.

One of the most meaningful parts of our Mass was after Communion. The hymn, “Ave Maria,” began to play, and Jacob and I took a lily to St. Joseph’s statue and a rose to the statue of the Blessed Mother. These two, along with the child Jesus as the Holy Family, have played a huge role in our lives and bringing us together as a couple. As we placed the lily at Saint Joseph’s feet, Jacob and I prayed our marriage prayer. We then went to the foot of Our Lady, placed the rose, said a Hail Mary, entrusted our marriage to her, and said an individual prayer of thanksgiving to the Holy Family.

Our priest paused afterward, before the final blessing. He said to the congregation that during the meditation hymn, something happened that he’d rarely seen before. He then turned back to us and said, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounded like you were both praying the same prayer out loud. I have never heard this prayer before.”

We responded that yes, we were praying our marriage prayer. He asked, “Can we hear it?” It was absolutely unplanned, but now looking back it’s one of our favorite memories of our wedding day. The priest took his mic and placed it between us. We prayed the prayer out loud for all our guests to hear before the final blessing. To this day we have so many guests from our wedding come up to us, or tell our parents that they were so moved by the prayer and the idea of having a specific prayer with your spouse.

Before the wedding my mother-in-law offered to make us holy cards with our marriage prayer. On the front she printed a picture of the Holy Family, and on the back our names, date of the wedding, and our prayer. It was such a great way to commemorate our wedding, and we loved handing the cards out with the programs. Many people have asked for a copy, and this made it so convenient to have the holy cards to give them.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for showing us the love we have for each other and the love you have for both of us. We ask that every day you remind us of the blessing we are to one another, and that every action of our marriage is a sincere gift back to you.

We pray our children will be healthy, that we may always show them our truest love, and that they may become pillars of your love. Always encourage us to see the best in each other; to laugh, cry, and lean on the other through all of life’s challenges. Empower us to be beacons of light for others and to help each other become saints. We ask this through the intercession of the Holy Family.

Amen.

For both of us, sharing our marriage prayer was probably one of our favorite and most cherished moments, but there were many other special times throughout the day. Jacob and I both wrote letters to each other before the ceremony, and I will cherish his words forever. My middle sister had just gotten married a month before, so it was a summer packed full of celebration for our family. The thing that made it so special, though, was I got to stand by her side and be a co-maid of honor, with my youngest sister, and she got to stand by my side and be my co-matron of honor.

Another special part of our ceremony was that two of my former students and a seminarian drove all the way from Alabama to serve at our Missouri wedding. I taught high school theology and was the Campus Minister for a high school in Birmingham for two years, and it meant so much seeing my students participating in our wedding Mass.

After the ceremony, the wedding party took a bus to a local ice cream shoppe, Andy’s Frozen Custard, which was such a fun addition to the day. Finally, the individual touch to top it off was my mother-in-law surprising Jacob during their dance together. Growing up, she always used to read him the story Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, and she would sing the song to him at the end of the book. Without Jacob knowing, she had a special recording of her singing the song made, and before their mother-son dance, her version of ‘Love You Forever’ came on over the sound system. It was a really special moment. Our wedding day was one of the best of our lives, but it was just the beginning. We are so thankful for the memories and for all who made it such a special beginning to our vocation.

Aside from getting to join my life with Jacob's, I think my biggest spiritual take-away from the day, was the feeling of, this must be a fraction of what Heaven feels like. And that fraction was amazing! Jacob and I have both separately moved around and lived away from our families for the past decade of our lives. We've met many people, and so many souls have impacted our lives greatly.

On our wedding day they were all there. They traveled thousands of miles. We even had a friend who lives in Austria come to celebrate this incredible sacrament with us. I still have trouble putting into words that feeling of looking around and seeing all the people who have loved, cared, and sacrificed for you throughout the years. It was a feeling of immense gratitude, joy, and longing for Heaven. I believe that is one of the greatest reasons people say they want their wedding day to last forever.

Videography: Claire Bira

Photography: ImageClairity | Nuptial Mass or Engagement Location: Guardian Angel Catholic Church in Oran, MO | Wedding Reception Venue : Knights of Columbus Hall in Jackson, MO | Rings: Buchroeders Jewelers | Bridesmaid Dresses: RenzRags Bridal on Etsy | Bride's Dress: Low's Bridal in Brinkley, AK