"Beauty pierces her heart and draws her into the sacred. She wants not only her wedding, but her marriage to reflect this in every way: through awe-inspiring liturgy, decor, and photographs, each infused, above all, with the radiant beauty only made manifest in sincere holiness. No matter her past, she has a love for all that is pure. She desires nothing more or less than to make a complete gift of herself. She chases fearlessly after virtue, knowing excellence is the path to true freedom, and freedom is for love. Deeply, profoundly, she is in love..."

Megan + John

December 15, 2021/ Editor Spoken Bride

Megan and John became fast friends in college. John says he immediately knew Megan was the one for him, but was hesitant to risk their friendship. Once they started dating, it became evident the Lord was at work.

From the Videographer:

Absolute and utter joy.

That’s the best way I could describe John and Megan’s wedding day.

Nothing says it better than when you see John’s face as his bride floats down the aisle toward him: laughter; tears; the sheer excitement and joy at the beauty of this moment.

Megan and John are a beautiful example of two people who are running together towards Christ, and their wedding film captures that story. I loved the words they wrote to each other beforehand--genuine, solid, and self-sacrificing. Their Catholic Nuptial Mass at the Newman Center in downtown Lincoln was an absolute blessing to capture, and I’m so thankful they asked me to witness and take part in their wedding day.

The entire was surrounded with prayer. I found John and his groomsmen sitting together and praying the Rosary before the ceremony. Megan and her bridesmaids shared a prayer together as well, followed by Megan and John’s own prayer time as a couple before the ceremony.. Seeing this couple and their friends take the time to pray in the middle of a hectic wedding day brought such joy and peace--this couple is supported by family and friends who are people of prayer.

One reception highlight was the mashup Megan’s dad, Dan, put together for their Father-Daughter dance, complete with the song “Dawn” from Pride and Prejudice (Megan’s favorite movie) and the theme from The Pink Panther.

One of my favorite moments was John’s reading a letter aloud that he wrote to Megan. Each and every part of both his and her letters was amazing, but the line I lose it at is this one. John said:

“As your husband, I promise to run with you towards Christ. And I know there will be times when that’s a challenge, but when those times come, I promise to put you on my shoulders and just keep running. We both know there will be times when I struggle, too, but I have no doubt in my mind that you’d carry me to heaven and back.”

And lastly, with the words, “It was through spending time with you that I learned so many things about myself,” I remember the exact reason I first fell in love with my husband! It’s a beautiful mark of a good relationship for so many couples, coming to better understand who they are and who God is.

I hope this film is a treasure for Megan and John in the years to come. To echo the words of John’s Best Man, “I can’t wait to see the love they’ve built be shared with the world!”

Nuptial Mass Location: St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center, Lincoln, Nebraska | Wedding Reception Venue : Starlite Ballroom, Wahoo, Nebraska | Videography: Victory Media | Photography: Mel Watson Photography | Florals: Abloom, Lincoln, Nebraska | Catering: ChefauChef, Lincoln, Nebraska | Rings: Nebraska Diamond | Bridal Gown: Beloved by Casablanca, via Blush Bridal | Bride’s Jewelry: JamJewels via Etsy | Hair & Makeup: College of Hair Design, Lincoln, Nebraska | Signage: Maggie Gillis, Love and Letters Company | Wedding Cake: Hannah McQuay, Tiers of Joy, Wausa, Nebraska | Cookies: Eileen’s Cookies | Cupcakes: Truly Scrumptious Bakery, Juniata, Nebraska | DJ: ARC Music and Entertainment, Lincoln, Nebraska

May 15, 2019

Brooke + Austin | Timeless Autumnal Nebraska Wedding

May 15, 2019/ Editor Spoken Bride

“If there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

From the beginning of their romantic relationship into their new marriage, Brooke and Austin have strove to live in the wisdom of Scripture and the beauty of the sacraments. They know that saying “yes” to a strong relationship with the Lord is a “yes” to greater intimacy as husband and wife.

Their elegant, timeless wedding, centered around the sacrifice of the Mass, shows the joy of a community celebrating the union of this abundantly blessed couple.

From the Bride: Austin and I travelled in the same college friend group for three years. During our junior year, he showed up at my front door and asked to take me out on a date. He wanted to get to know me better.

I knew in that moment that Austin was something special, because you don't see men pursue a woman like that too often.

It was important to incorporate our faith from the very beginning. Throughout our relationship, we went to Mass together on Sundays and at least once during the week. Austin even shared his testimony with me one night and explained that I inspired him in his faith, and that I made him want to be a better man of God. I told him he inspired the exact same aspiration in me.

And so, we got engaged.

Austin and I wanted the Mass to be the center and most important part of our wedding day. I had not been living in Omaha long before we got engaged, so I had not yet found my home parish. I was looking for a place that felt like home and radiated God's presence. I knew after the first Mass I attended at St. Robert's that it was the church community I had been seeking. It would also be the parish where Austin and I would be married. They welcomed us with open arms.

Before the wedding began, the bridal party and parents gathered for a prayer led by our celebrant, Fr. Matya. The readings we chose were not common readings for a nuptial Mass, but were readings that spoke to our values as a couple that we wanted to build our married life on.

The gospel was Philippians 4:4-9, which includes a verse we both love: "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

The most special part of the Mass was our time after communion praying and asking for Mary’s intercession. We truly felt the presence of God in that moment and prayed that Mary would guide us along our new path as husband and wife.

Our wedding style was elegant and classic. Chic while remaining traditional. I am not all about glitz and glam, but I love a simple, timeless look. Because the wedding was in the fall, I chose a color theme with darker tones and greenery touches. I focused on the "burnt mauve" color and gold accents.

Looking back, our wedding day was another huge reminder of how much God has blessed Austin and I. One memorable thing we did happened during the reception. We stood in the back of the room and looked out at everyone celebrating our marriage. It was a day spent with all our loved ones supporting us during this special time.

Austin is the man I have prayed for my entire life. Actually, he's even better than the man I prayed for. I asked God for a faithful, loving husband, and God sent me that in Austin--and more. We are constantly striving to be better stewards of God’s grace and learning how to carry out his plan for us every day. We have learned the challenges it brings, but Austin and I have fought through them together.

The biggest challenge we have encountered is figuring out how to pray together, not settling for less in our faith lives, or becoming distracted away from time with God. We pushed past this challenge by reading a spiritual resource every day together and reflecting on it. Our favorite readings include the Bible (of course!), Three to Get Married by Fulton Sheen, My Daily Bread, and Fr. Mike Schmitz’s podcast.

Austin and I know if we choose to say "yes" to having a strong relationship with God, we will also feel closer to one another and become better versions of ourselves.

August 08, 2018

Maggie + Ryan | Vineyard Brunch Wedding

August 08, 2018/ Editor Spoken Bride

In the vocation to marriage, blindness is overcome by a true seeing and removal of the veil.

At a fundraising gala on the feast of All Saints--aptly named the Night of Hope--Maggie saw Ryan for the first time. But it wasn’t the first time he’d seen her: a few hours earlier, she’d been the reader at the Mass he’d attended. As she began reading, says Ryan, “everything closed in around me.”

He could hardly believe it when they were seated next to each other at the gala. They talked that night about Maggie’s hopes of becoming a FOCUS missionary and about Ryan’s childhood blindness that had influenced his feeling of being called to optometry. Both of them heard the Lord speaking to their hearts that night: Ryan called his father on the way home, telling him he’d just met the girl he would marry. At the same time, Maggie told her mother she knew who her future husband was.

Several months later, Maggie invited Ryan to her senior thesis defense, which prompted so many questions he insisted on taking her out to coffee to ask them all. They soon began a long-distance relationship, Maggie serving in Nebraska with FOCUS and Ryan studying optometry in Arizona.

The first year of Maggie’s mission, however, required a dating fast. This was to be a time of putting the Lord first, being radically available to her students and teammates, and praying seriously in discernment of her vocation. Knowing Christ would provide the strength and grace for their new relationship to endure this time of purification, Ryan joyfully joined her fast. They entrusted their relationship to the prayers of Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, and their first year of dating unfolded over handwritten letters, weekly FaceTime calls, the counsel of good friends and spiritual directors, and prayer and fasting on each other’s behalf.

While watching a brilliant sunset in Ryan’s hometown, days after their fast ended, he and Maggie were able to fully discuss all the Lord had revealed during that year spent far apart--including their desire to pursue the vocation of marriage together. A few months had passed when Ryan invited Maggie to get her first eye exam at his school clinic. When she reached the smallest line on the vision charts, it read, Maggie Elizabeth, will you marry me?

From the Bride: Our early-morning wedding took place in Lincoln, Nebraska, where I had served two years with FOCUS. Many of our guests joked that Nebraska wasn’t quite what they pictured when they heard the words “destination wedding,” but we were excited to bring my family from Arizona, and Ryan’s from North Dakota, to the place where our relationship had unfolded.

When we started planning our wedding, one question drove our decisions: when else will we be able to invite all those we know and love to Mass, and to show them the faith we love as fully as we can?

We wanted to share the beauty, truth, and goodness of our faith to our guests through a beautiful liturgy, with the hope that Christ could use our wedding day not only to pour sacramental grace upon us, but to lead our guests to encounter him anew.

Ryan and I prayed a 54-day rosary novena before our wedding day, entrusting the conversion of our family and friends to the Blessed Mother. We chose a morning Mass and a brunch reception so we could celebrate in the daytime. The warm sunshine of early spring was so fitting for the Easter season. The Resurrection takes place in the light and joy of the morning.

When we woke up to pouring rain the morning of the wedding, I guessed that God might have other plans than sunshine. I will never forget feeling so much peace as we prepared and the surreal joy that filled my heart when we prayed together moments before the Mass, realizing the day we had hoped, prayed, and waited for was here. A gift from the one who had planned it all.

I remember ascending the steps to the altar (precariously! Ryan moved much quicker than I could in my dress) and being overtaken by being so close to the Tabernacle. It was as if the Lord was speaking to me in the first moments of our nuptial Mass, I’m right here. Be at peace, be at rest in this time. This is a gift I have prepared just for you.

I took in the beautiful music Ryan had planned--he’d even written new arrangements for our favorite hymns, offered by friends with whom he’d played and sung with in choirs and bands throughout college.

We said our vows while holding a crucifix, a gift from our priest the evening before. It’s a miniature replica of the crucifix in a chapel on Ryan’s college campus, where he had spent so much time in as a student. It was a sweet way to honor the sacred place where he had prayed in hope for his vocation, while standing in the place where I had spent hours praying for mine.

As the liturgy of the Eucharist began, a beam of sunlight seemed to burst through the stained glass image of Christ, brightening the entire church. The morning light of the Easter season t came in God’s timing. We brought a dozen white roses to Mary, and I remember asking her to bless us with 12 children! Growing up, I always wanted 12 kids, and had 12 as my number in sports. Ryan wore the number 12 on his jerseys, as well, and has always considered it his lucky number. He also put twelve diamonds total in my wedding and engagement rings. We’ll see if that wedding-day wish comes true!

We wanted the style of our wedding to reflect the light and joy of Easter. For our colors, we chose a light, almost-neutral blue, white, and gold, complementing our vineyard brunch. All of our flowers were white with lots of greenery. I loved the simplicity and light they brought to the day. I can’t recommend our florist, Avant Garden floral, enough!

I wanted big windows and natural light to fill our celebration, so our wedding party traveled in a trolley with the windows down as we danced, rapped, and sang the entire way to the reception! I loved being able to see the Nebraska countryside on our way to the vineyard. All of that dancing--plus the wind during the drive--definitely wreaked havoc on my updo, but ended up being one of my very favorite memories from the day.

We feasted on brunch foods with a waffle bar and bacon sampling, as well as delicious white and red sangria. Our cake topper and the on our dessert table reflected the lyrics of our first dance song, Ed Sheeran’s “Tenerife Sea.” It was one of the first songs Ryan sang and played for me on his guitar.

Our favors were cards featuring a quote by St. John Paul II: “There is no place for selfishness - and no place for fear! Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice.”

We wanted to share with our guests that sometimes love looks like bright mornings, dancing, and eating mini fruit-tarts, but we know the Lord will also give us challenges, ask us to sacrifice, and to be courageous in the face of what will attempt to eat away at our love for him and for each other.

It was an incredible day, and in the months since, we have been amazed at how those graces have been continually renewed and poured out upon our relationship with God and with each other.

The one thing Ryan and I were both overwhelmed with on our wedding day was how close the Lord was to us, in so many different ways. We felt the fulfillment of the promises he had made throughout our entire courtship: all of the days of long-distance brought to an end, his presence in the holy priests who had sacrificed and prayed for us as we prepared for marriage, the gift of saying our vows just feet from the tabernacle and receiving Christ immediately in the Eucharist. We saw him in the countless family and friends who traveled to celebrate with us. It was such a gift and blessing to experience intimacy with the Lord filling every moment of the day. Our memories have become a fountain we can always return to and draw from as we face new challenges in our life together.

Videography: Oculi Cordis Media

June 06, 2018

Cynthia + Chad | Midwestern Traditions Wedding

June 06, 2018/ Editor Spoken Bride

It was through FOCUS that Cynthia first developed a deeper spiritual life, attending daily Mass and praying before the Blessed Sacrament several times a week. She was deeply convicted about cultivating a relationship with Christ during her single years and forming habits that would carry over into her future vocation.

It was through a match app that she met Chad. After a few phone calls across their distance of an hour and a half, followed by dinner and several subsequent dates, Chad asked Cynthia to be his girlfriend.

Eight months later, Cynthia found herself at the Church of the Wedding Feast at Cana in the Holy Land while on a trip with Dynamic Catholic. There at the sacred site where Jesus turned water into wine, the couples on the trip renewed their wedding vows, with each bride carrying a single red rose.

From the Bride: Shortly before the trip, I read St. Therese of Lisieux’s autobiography. She said, “When I die, I will send down a shower of roses from the heavens, I will spend my heaven by doing good on earth.” St. Therese is known for sending “signs” in the form of roses. I said a quick prayer asking her to send me a “sign” about my relationship with Chad, but quickly forgot about it.”

After the vow renewal at Cana, the group gathered outside the church. One of the women in the group, whom I hadn’t met, walked over to me, crying. She said she didn’t know why, but she suddenly felt the urge to give me her red rose and to tell me that “there is someone out there for you.” I knew that the rose was sent to me from Therese. I felt overwhelming inner peace that my vocation was marriage, and that Chad was the man I was supposed to marry. Less than four months later, Chad took me to his parent’s small cabin to fish. He handed me a fishing pole with an engagement ring hooked to it; I turned to look at him, and he was down on one knee to propose.

We desired that our wedding be Christ-centered, that it reflect the beauty of spring, and that it embodied the small-town fun of our home state, Nebraska.

After our wedding rehearsal, Chad and I both went to Confession. Our rehearsal dinner was on a Friday in Lent, so we had a fish fry! Along with fried fish, Chad’s sisters made cheesy potatoes and an assortment of delicious salads and desserts.

My mom and all of my aunts included a rosary in their wedding bouquets, and it was important to me to continue the tradition. Mom gave me a blue rosary bracelet to place in my flowers. Before the ceremony, my bridesmaids and I, along with some female guests, prayed the rosary together. That time in prayer was beautiful, and brought me so much peace.

We chose Jesus’ first miracle at Cana for our Gospel reading because of my experience in the Holy Land. After communion, my friend did a stunning job singing the Litany of the Saints. I get goosebumps on my arms every time I hear it. Next, Chad and I went and stood in front of a statue of the Blessed Mother. As we listened to the moving melody of “Ave Maria,” we offered our marriage to her.

I wanted a spring theme for our wedding, so we chose a powder-blue color and garden-inspired décor. Almost all of our vendors were local. A florist in a neighboring town, for instance, owns a thriving business called Stitches and Petals. I described to her my vision of white garden roses with an assortment of greenery, and the flowers in the bridal bouquets and reception décor were stunning; exactly what I was looking for. Even the family was involved, which was special for all of us! Chad’s aunt makes cakes for many local weddings and special occasions, and she created an amazing naked wedding cake for us.

We were married in Howells, a small town of about 600 people. In very typical small-town Nebraska fashion, the wedding party traveled from the church to the reception by way of a trolley hooked to a John Deere tractor. We invited any of our guests, kids included, to ride along.

It’s tradition in Howells to stop at the bar in town before arriving at your wedding reception. Many of the guests stop there, too, and the bride and her bridesmaids dance on the bar top with the jukebox playing in the background. My mom even joined in on the fun.

All of the town’s wedding receptions take place at the Howells Ballroom. After the wedding party arrives at the reception, the bride and groom cut the cake so it can be served with dinner. Approximately 475 people joined us at the reception--many guests are also very typical in a small town. Chad chose the menu which included chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, corn, and a dinner roll. It was catered by a family friend who serves many of the local weddings.

At the ballroom, dinner is served buffet-style as the host couple invites guests to get in line. In keeping with the tradition of guests clinking their silverware on glasses to signal the bride and groom to kiss, it’s also common in Howells for guests to start chanting the names of the couples’ parents while clinking, encouraging them to stand and kiss, as well.

To preserve my bridal bouquet after the wedding, I had it turned into a rosary that I now use several times a week.

Chad and I are now one in union with Christ. One thing I remember most from our wedding day was how much joy I felt. Many guests commented on how happy I looked--the whole day, I could not stop smiling. At the reception, I was telling one of my good friends that “it [the wedding day] is the best day of my life!” She replied, “Just wait, it keeps getting better and better.” I keep returning to this phrase. Now that we have been married almost a year, I realize just how true her statement is.

Blog

Megan + John

From the Videographer:

Brooke + Austin | Timeless Autumnal Nebraska Wedding

Maggie + Ryan | Vineyard Brunch Wedding

Cynthia + Chad | Midwestern Traditions Wedding

SPOKEN BRIDE