Sarah + Joseph | Chesapeake Bay Wedding

During a school break, Sarah needed a ride home. Joseph offered to give her one. That week, he continued making himself available for taking Sarah and her friends to the mall, out to dinner and the movies. Their conversations in the car made Joe consider how similar he was to Sarah. Meanwhile, she’d begun realizing how different they were.

Despite their initial differences, their friendship grew through studying together, spending time with their mutual group of friends, service, and Joe’s encouragement that Sarah attend the daily 6:00 A.M. Mass at their parish.

After Mass one day, Joe told Sarah, "I can see myself marrying you." He asked if he could date her with the intention of discerning marriage. Their discernment led them to entrust their relationship to Mary and grow both individually and as a couple. After an elaborate all-day scavenger hunt, Joe proposed during a boat ride on the Chesapeake Bay. Out on the water, he pulled out a letter and a ring. He read the letter and asked her to marry him.

From the Bride: Family is a huge part of our lives, and it’s a big part of what marriage is about. Every marriage gives birth to a new family. We are both from large families-- I’m the oldest in my family, and Joe is the youngest in his. We wanted to highlight the beauty and vocation of family through our wedding, so we invited our siblings to process into the church in groups. One of my favorite memories from the day is being driven to the church in the big old family 15-passenger van!

I brought all six of my sisters, my mom, and a close friend to the bridal store where I found my dress. After narrowing down a couple choices, I couldn’t make up my mind between a classic white dress and this beautiful bohemian dress. I decided to sleep on it and send a picture to my future mother-in-law. She responded with the question, “What dress makes you feel beautiful?” I picked the boho dress.

Because the dress was so unique, we decided to keep it a big secret amongst the sisters and moms. My grandmother passed on to me a family veil worn by her, my mother, and my great-grandmother wore. My aunt graciously transferred the handmade lace to a chapel length veil. It was quite the family effort.

For our family wedding party, I chose a few shades of blue and encouraged everyone to buy attire that suited him or her. We chose the guys’ anchor bowties and suspenders because they fit well with what we love: blue water, sky, and boats! The Mass was filled with flower girls and little boys in bowties. Joe’s goddaughter carried a crucifix we said our vows over. It now hangs in our bedroom, a daily reminder of the vows and cross we carry.

Joe's father passed away a few months before our wedding. Our wedding date was on Father’s Day, a special gift from our Heavenly Father and it made us feel Pop was there in a distinct way. On the back of our wedding program, we placed a picture of Pop holding hands with his wife: a nod that marriage is until death, pointing us to the eternal love in Heaven.

Our prayer for our nuptial mass was that everyone focus on Christ. We read the USCCB’s suggested readings and prayed with them a couple months before the wedding, talking about what readings correlated with the journey God had led us on and asking him what Scripture message our guests should hear at our wedding Mass.

Our first reading, Tobit 8:4-8, is Tobit and his wife Sarah’s prayer on their wedding night, begging God’s mercy upon them and their marriage. We identified with this throughout our journey and desired this to be the prayer of the Mass: that we would all ask God’s mercy upon us and seek his help in living out our vocation calls. The second reading was 1 John 4:7-12, “this is how God showed his love among us: he sent his only Son into the world that we might live through him.” Our relationship with Christ was paramount to everything; without strong personal relationships with him, without his love transforming our hearts, there would have been no wedding day for us. Christ worked everything together for our good.

Ultimately, this marriage is about Christ. It’s a crazy calling to exemplify his love for his Church to a broken world.

This is why we picked John 17:20-26, the Crucifixion, for the Gospel. Jesus is praying for us all in these verses, that humankind know the unity that he has with his father, “that they may be one as you and I are one.”

Music is an integral part of our prayer. Joseph plays guitar and I love praise and worship music. We picked songs that correlated with the themes in our readings and invited our guests into worship. We kept the decorations in the church simple: flowers on the altar and bouquets for Our Lady and St. Joseph. On the windowsills of the chapel, we placed pictures of our patron saints as a prayer of intercession.

Our hope for the reception was that it feel like a giant family reunion. Both of us have large extended families, so when it came time to discuss our budget and priorities, our focus was on celebrating with as many of our family members and friends as possible. In our rough estimation, we had about 100 kids between ages of 0 and 12 in attendance!

We were blessed to hold an outdoor reception at Joe’s family home overlooking the Chesapeake Bay. The reception preparation involved lots of precious time with our families: Joe’s family focused on getting the yard ready for the rehearsal dinner and reception, and my mother had us taste test different parts of the meal. My sisters helped me paint decorative pallets, took care of little details like a Jenga block set for our guestbook, and together we arranged our bouquets the morning of the wedding.

We had a large open tent with plenty of dancing space. We served tacos, chips, white queso and salsa dips with beer, water, lemonade, and sangria. For desert, there was delicious key lime and lemon meringue pies. No one went away hungry--afterward, no pie or tacos were left! We set out yard games, but looking back, people were more interested in visiting with each other, dancing, and watching the little ones play in the Bay. The younger party guests played in the water until dusk, then crowded the dance floor with glow sticks.

The morning of the wedding, Joe and I met up on a dock to pray over our wedding day and upcoming marriage. It really centered us in the grace of the sacrament we were about to receive! Matt Maher’s song “Instrument” played as I drove to get ready. The refrain stuck in my head throughout the day: to the Father and the Son / and the Holy Spirit, three in One / I offer you myself, though I’m broken and spent. / Let me be your instrument.

I offer you myself. Those words sum up the beauty of marriage’s grace and love. I offer myself to my husband; I offer myself to my God. We offer ourselves to God. Our wedding day was so peaceful because of those words whispering over in my heart. Peace overflowed in joyful gratitude for God having offered us himself in our journey to the altar, and continually teaching us how to offer ourselves and our love each other.

Photography: DG Photography | Church: St. Francis de Sales, Kilmarnock VA | Wedding Reception Venue : Family Home, Reedville VA |  Bride Dress: BHLDN | Veil: Family Heirloom | Bride shoes: Target through Poshmark | Headpiece: Burlington Coat Factory | Hair- Pins and Curls | Make-up-Sister of Bride | Groom’s Attire- Brooks Brothers, Van Heusen, and Procuffs | Groom and Groomsmen’s bowties and suspenders: Etsy shop crystalAmour | Wedding band for Bride: Zales | Engagement ring and wedding band for Groom: Ross’s Rings and Things | Wedding Flowers: Norfolk Whole Sale Florist | Catering- Clare West and co. Invitations- @solivaganartist, Rentals: Clement’s Party Rentals.

Brooke + Timothy | Southern Classics Wedding

We are honored by the opportunity to walk alongside you in this marriage ministry, from Yes to I Do and beyond, and we love returning to our couples' stories as they continue to unfold. If we've featured your love story in our How He Asked engagement series and you now feel called to share your wedding with us, as well, submission details can be found here.

Revisit Brooke and Timothy's testimony and proposal here, then read on for the story of their Southern Virgina-inspired wedding day.

 Brooke and Tim became best friends at 13, more than friends at 16, husband and wife-to-be at 21, and spouses at 22. During their four years at separate colleges, they trusted in God’s faithfulness to sustain their relationship, growing in sacrifice towards their vocation through the distance.

It was Good Friday of their senior year when Tim got down on one knee, promising to spend the rest of his days laying down his own life for Brooke, the way Christ did for his bride on the cross, and asking her to do so in return. He proposed on the campus of the Catholic University of America, Brooke’s alma mater, and they returned there a year and a half later to become one.

From the Bride: Tim and I are really passionate about three things, all of which we wanted to pervade our wedding day: our Catholic faith, our Southern upbringing, and each other. These were the guiding inspirations we strove to weave into each and every part the day.

We knew that first and foremost, we wanted our wedding to be a testament to the grace, faithfulness, and love God has revealed to us throughout our relationship. Our top priority, then, was planning the Mass. Our priest said to us during marriage prep, "The Mass is your gift to one another." He was so right.

Taking the time to intentionally and prayerfully plan each part of the Mass was an opportunity to let God's story of faithfulness to us shine forth to our guests.

Every song, reading and prayer was hand-picked to communicate to our guests just how wonderful our God is. We were so blessed to have two of our dear friends be the musicians and cantors for us, and let me tell you, their voices must be a glimpse of what heaven sounds like. We asked them to sing "Set Me as a Seal" by Matt Maher as the Communion meditation, a special nod to our love story and the words Timmy used to propose to me: "You've been the perfect sister to me; will you be my bride?

Other family members and friends played important roles as well: My sister-in-law and Timmy's sister were our two readers, a dear friend was the altar server, and our marriage preparation mentors brought up the gifts. Seeing so many of our loved ones play integral roles in the Mass felt like a small glimpse of the Communion of Saints.

Not only did the readings, prayers and music we chose help our wedding feel uniquely us; so did two very special decisions we made. The first was our decision to walk down the aisle together. The Catholic Church believes marriage is the only one of the seven sacraments where the bishop, priest, or deacon is not the minister. It is actually the couple themselves who are the ministers of the Sacrament--how awesome is that? What a high calling and gift.

To symbolize our equal role as the ministers of the Sacrament, Tim and I walked down the aisle last, and together. As the bride, walking down together was especially important to me precisely because I didn't want all eyes on me.

I wanted all eyes on both of us. The wedding day is not just about the bride, despite the many times we are told that. Rather, it is about two unique and unrepeatable individuals becoming one.

To honor our parents, we asked them to wait at the end of the aisle, on either side, so we could hug them and thank them for bringing us to this moment before proceeding to the altar.

The second important decision we made was to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary by presenting her flowers towards the end of the Mass, accompanied by the singing of the Salve Regina. Mary has played an irreplaceable role in our relationship and our willingness to follow God's call for our lives. We truly believe we wouldn't be the people we are, or would have made it to our wedding day, day without her intercession. Honoring her was the perfect way of showing our guests how loving and powerful she is.

Our Southern upbringing found its way into the Mass. We wanted to incorporate family traditions and heirlooms into our wedding, while also starting new ones for us to pass down to our own family. In terms of carrying something of our family with us, my sweet mother-in-law so generously sewed us both handkerchiefs made out of Tim's great-grandmother's wedding dress, embroidered with the family initial, F. My own Nana gifted me a bridal satchel that her own mother had made her for her wedding day. As for creating our own tradition, my mother-in-law also helped us make a ring pillow out of swiss dot fabric and the same embroidered F. God willing, we will pass it on to our children one day.

Our love for the South, particularly our home state of Virginia, was most evident at the cocktail hour and reception. The outdoor cocktail hour featured chicken and waffle sliders, watermelon skewers, and a biscuit bar with Virginia Ham. Virginia Bold Rock Cider was served as our bride-and-groom specialty drink, along with a sweet tea bar for our guests to enjoy, as well. Guests played corn hole and ring toss on the grass as they waited for the reception to start.

Inside the hall, the sights of hydrangeas, garden roses, monograms, and swiss dots made our wedding unmistakably Southern-inspired. Our buffet was a good ole' Southern barbecue that also included bacon brussel sprouts, mac and cheese, and cornbread. For desert, Tim and I had a small, personal red velvet cake and offered guests five different flavors of homemade pie.

Getting back to sharing our Catholic faith, though, we found small and intentional ways of continuing to celebrate the reason for our joy--the sacrament of marriage--during the reception. First, each guest's place card was a letter to them, thanking them for being with us on the most important day of our lives, singing God's praises, and gushing over some personal anecdote of our love for them.

Next, each table's centerpiece featured a framed quote by Saint John Paul II, written in calligraphy by one of my fantastic bridesmaids. Each quote spoke to the nature of the sacrament. We hoped to use them as an opportunity to share with our guests the beauty of the Church's teaching, as well as teach them about the saint we are forever indebted and devoted to. Lastly, our favors were prayer cards to Saint John Paul II, plus a JPII medallion with hand-tied velvet ribbon. We were so grateful for the opportunity to share things so close to our hearts.

When I think back to my wedding day, honestly, a lot of it is a blur. Any bride can tell you there are so many moving pieces and faces that it is hard to sit back and truly take it all in. It is easy to become overwhelmed and distracted, and I felt that temptation so many times on my wedding day.

But there are two times of the day that I remember clear as day: our first look and our wedding Mass. And for that, I am so so grateful. We did our first look in our favorite chapel on the campus of The Catholic University of America, and I can still feel the stillness, quiet and light streaming in from the stained glass windows. Having the opportunity to see each other for the first time in that chapel, to kneel side by side and to pour our hearts out to God together, just the two of us, was such a blessing. That time allowed us to focus on why we there and what was most important to us: the sacrament of marriage. It let us pray about all of our anxieties and worries, our families, our guests, and our own hearts. It wasn't long after that we were walking into the church together. This time, too, is a memory that is so clear to me and that I cherish so much.

Looking back, I realize that it was the times of prayer on my wedding day that were the most important and memorable.

So many other things happened that day, all of which were beautiful and good in their own right, but even those things pale in comparison to the peace and joy I felt standing beside my beloved, letting God's grace work in our hearts to bring us into this glorious sacrament.

As for everything else on the wedding day, for any other brides who may need the same reminder I needed, I frequently thought of this quote by St. Francis de Sales: "Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset."

Photography: Birds of a Feather Photography | Church: Saint Vincent's Chapel at The Catholic University of America | First look location: Caldwell Chapel at The Catholic University of America) | Reception: Heritage Hall at The Catholic University of America | Rings: Royale Jewelers, MD | Flowers: Purchased from Potomac Wholesale and Trader Joes
Chair Rentals: Party Rental LTD | Caterer: Aramark Catering at The Catholic University of America | Bride's Dress: Hayley Paige | Bride's Shoes: BHLDN | Bride's Necklace: BHLDN | Bridesmaid's Dresses: BHLDN | Groomsmen's Attire: The Black Tux rentals | Planning, Coordination, Design: Bride

Emily + John | Classic Virginia Wedding

Her freshman year at James Madison University, as Emily prepared to leave for a retreat called Arise, a young man approached and shook her hand, saying, “You may not know me, but I know you’re Emily. I’m John.” A friendship was formed that weekend, yet until their final semester of college, Emily only thought of and referred to John as her “Catholic guy friend.”

That Lent, Emily and John both decided to dive deeper into their faith before graduation. On Ash Wednesday morning, they sat in a Starbucks and decided they’d both attend Adoration as often as possible over the next 40 Days.

John had a key to the campus ministry building, and early in the mornings they’d sit before the Lord in silence, praying and growing in their individual relationships with him. Afterward, they’d share coffee and reflections. Unknowingly...

From the Bride: ...all the while, God was forming a rock solid bond between our two souls. It wasn't until the end of Lent--Easter Sunday to be exact--that we realized we were seriously in love.

Exactly one year later, John brought me back to the same chapel where we had prayed side by side throughout Lent. He started praying out loud, which was weird to me. I kind of tuned out because I hadn't had coffee, but I snapped out of it when I heard, "... and I pray she says yes."

He asked me to marry him, and as we drove to our favorite spot to watch the sun come up, it started snowing!

There are no words to express my gratitude to God for allowing such deep relationships to exist between people on earth and for giving us the gift of the sacrament of Holy Matrimony. We were beyond excited to profess our vows to God and each other, to uphold the sanctity of marriage, and to embrace this vocation as our pathway to heaven.

My maternal grandmother passed away one week before the wedding.On the day of, I realized I’d never chosen a bracelet to wear. My mom brought my grandmother's rosary beads to the hotel where we were getting ready, and without thinking twice I wrapped them around my wrist. I held the crucifix from her beads in my hand the whole day, from getting ready through the ceremony and reception. Her beads kept me ever-mindful of the cloud of witnesses above me and the realness of the presence of Jesus Christ that day--and every day since.

We got married in John's home parish by our good friend and spiritual leader, Father Thomas Cavanaugh. Two priests from my hometown of Jacksonville flew in to concelebrate. The image of the three of them genuflecting before the altar will never leave my mind. It was unreal to see all of my worlds come together for the day and to kneel before the Lord with John beside me, our family and friends behind us, and the unseen presence of all the angels and saints around us.

John and I had consecrated our lives to Jesus through Mary the previous year, and my good friend sang the Ave Maria as, together, we processed to Mary to ask for her intercession as we began our marriage. Mary is a huge part of our story: John asked for roses from Mary to signify it was "time" to propose. She gave them to him within a few months, when the timing was perfect. We strive to trust God by way of Mary.

A dear friend's mother handcrafted 250 rope rosary bracelets that were carried down the aisle next to our rings. The bracelets were blessed just before the end of the Mass and given to each guest as they left the chapel, along with an insert of how to pray the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet.

My mother gifted us a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, which sat next to our guest book. Each guest got to sign next to a prayer of the rosary. So when everyone prays the one prayer they signed next to in the book, a perpetual living rosary is prayed! This still gives me goosebumps.

Each table and place card at our reception featured the icon of a saint instead of a number. We chose these holy men and women whom we have a connection with and carefully selected whose table got which saint. We also provided a personalized description of each saint, who they are and why we selected them for each table. We wanted our reception to be tied to our ceremony and for each guest to feel intimately invited into the love of our Church, not outside of or confused by it. John and I feel called to be missionary disciples; our wedding was the perfect opportunity to begin to share the love we are blessed to enter into.

Nothing was missing from our wedding day, because Jesus was truly present in the Eucharist. He was there. Not just in my mind, my heart, or in the people around me. But there. Physically. Fully. Truly. No doubt in my mind. For his love is so full and so true it's not possible for him to remain hidden in our hearts and minds and friends.

He has to pour himself out and enter us, for there's no other way he--or we--can be satisfied.

Our openness, our conscious consumption of him into ourselves, our yes, our acceptance, is only truly possible by receiving the Eucharist. Exactly like how married love must be consummated. Not because it has to, but because it wants to be made complete. Lovers feel a lacking until the moment their love is made complete. It is no different with God, our first love.

He can dwell with us in many countless ways but only in Holy Communion can our love be complete while we're separated from heaven. It's not a requirement, but an abundance of an out of control love that can't stay small; can't hide; can't blend into the background. His love is powerful, unique, strong and physical. It's his body and his blood that are alive and with us always.

Photography: Jen Harkleroad Photography | Church: St. Theresa Catholic Church - Ashburn, Virginia | Reception: Lansdowne Resort & Spa - Leesburg, Virginia | Rings: Ketterman's Jewelers | Bridal Gown: Love: A Bridal Boutique Jacksonville, FL (Dress: Essence of Australia) | Cake: Connie's Cake Creations  | Flowers: Rick's Flowers  | Planner: Lynn Iannizzi -The Finer Points  | DJ: Kurtis Cross | Video: Vu Nguyen - nVu Films  | Favors: Jill's Jellies and Jams | Rentals: Imperial Decor | Hair/Makeup: Alison Harper & Company - Ali (makeup) and Ilda (hair)

Robyn + Greg | Spring Garden-Inspired Wedding

After a season of not enjoying or feeling at peace on dates, the sound of a man’s incredibly joyful laugh made Robyn pause, listen, and take a deep breath before opening the door to a bonfire and bourbon-tasting party. It would be the night she met her husband.

Robyn and Greg talked at the party that night and continued the conversation over the following weeks, sending each other music and poetry recommendations. But it wasn’t until a month after their first meeting, when they found themselves the only two in a D.C. Metro station on Divine Mercy Sunday, that their friendship moved toward dating. As Robyn descended the escalator to catch her train, she found herself face to face with Greg.

From the Bride: That day Greg and I met again at the station, we spent the next few hours walking up and down the Georgetown waterfront, talking nonstop about everything. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, "They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered." It's a line that comes to mind often when I think of how our story started. The next week, we had our first date.

 We dated for two years before getting engaged--traveling, camping, wine tasting, dancing, reading--slipping more and more into that intimacy. It wasn't always easy between losing a job, adjusting to new careers, and much self-discovery about how to be the best version of ourselves in a relationship, not just the “best girlfriend” or "best boyfriend” to make each other happy. But it was full of more laughter and joy than I had ever known.

Two years after I stumbled upon Greg in the Metro, he surprised me at the same escalator with his great-grandmother's ring.

We wanted to make sure our wedding celebration expressed our personalities and our stories. Picking the Mass readings was somehow the easiest part our wedding planning. Although both our families are mainly Catholic, we have many friends who don't belong to a church, and wanted this to be a moment for them to hear the Word of God in all its joy. We wanted the readings to not just represent the sacrament of marriage for that day, but to express ideas everyone could relate to. With that in mind, we chose Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 31-31, Psalm 34, and Romans 12:1-2,9-18, and Matthew 22:35-40.

 Our wedding took place the weekend after Easter--Divine Mercy weekend, echoing when we found each other in the Metro. Gorgeous Easter flowers still filled the Church, and the joyful music of the liturgical season reflected that of our wedding feast. Looking back, two of my favorite moments during the Mass were walking down the aisle to "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" with my father, such an important song in my spiritual life, and us receiving the Eucharist together on our knees for the first time as man and wife.

 It was a gorgeous spring day, with a few cherry blossoms remaining in season, and we had such sweet moments alone after the Mass to take pictures. But being quickly whisked away into our huge reception was surreal. Greg and I had both agreed on a large wedding because it was important to us to have all those we loved there, and less important to have the most expensive dress or fanciest reception.

Our first dance song was "Like the Dawn" by the Oh Hellos, a beautiful love song written from the viewpoints of Adam and Eve, and one of the first songs we really bonded over early in our friendship. The opening line is "I was sleeping in the garden when I saw you first." With that in mind we tried to make our reception feel like a laid-back spring garden: large windows around the room, centerpieces I designed with my favorite flowers, and a pie table--our favorite dessert to bake together. The day was overwhelmingly full of joy and tenderness, and hands down the best day of our lives.

At one point during the Mass, about to say our vows, I remember looking out over the congregation and seeing loved ones from all points of our lives, and it really felt like we were in heaven. During our wedding reception, when Greg had the chance to thank my parents for making this magical day possible, he addressed the crowd and echoed my feelings perfectly: that he’d always imagined heaven as a large banquet, and here we all were today at the wedding feast, our own glimpse of heaven.

Through so much of my spiritual life I've focused on planning (and then worrying), achieving and searching. I could never have planned for Greg. I could never have orchestrated finding him on the Metro on Divine Mercy Sunday. Our wedding day was a strong reminder of the joys and mercies God desires to lavish upon us. Having a day to feast with everyone we love most, the many helping hands who made the day wonderful, and even the last minute perfect weather made it feel that creation was rejoicing over Easter and seemingly over us. It was a day, much like our marriage, abundantly full of joy and mercy.

Photography: An Endless Pursuit | Nupital Mass or Engagement Location: St Leo the Great, Fairfax, Virginia | Wedding Reception Venue : Harbour View, Woodbridge, Virginia | Caterer: R & R Catering, Dianna Gilbert | Florist: Twinbrook Florist, Tonya Evans | Transportation: Reston Limosine | DJ: Black Tie, Deon Wilson | Wedding Designer: Be Seated, Janeen Parrott | Dessert: Mom's Apple Pie, Avis