Pink hues and pearl-dotted details create a simple, vintage aesthetic with a modern twist. Placing an emphasis on personal touches, this wedding and reception became a true family affair.
When Olivia first met Jackson, he checked all of the boxes except one: Catholic.
While she prepared herself for the day when it would become clear that things could never work out between them—even thinking that he might pull the trigger himself when her overwhelming Catholicism got the best of him—that day never came.
This thing that she used to think of as a full-stop dealbreaker was turning out to not break the deal at all.
As she fell more and more in love with Jackson, marriage made its way to the very front of her mind.
From the Bride:
I hadn’t thought much about my future wedding before, but the one thing that I always wanted was that moment when my beloved and I would both receive the Eucharist—our first meal shared together as one would be the very body and blood of Jesus!
How could this be if the man I loved didn’t share my faith?
I eventually talked to my paternal grandmother—lovingly called Oma—whose nearly 60 years of marriage to my late Opa had always been an inspiration to me. Their marriage, like the one I would one day enter into, was a mixed-faith marriage.
A very happy life, 12 children, and 46 grandchildren came from their marriage, so I knew it wasn’t “bad” to marry a Protestant. I just thought I’d never do it.
Oma’s words resonated with me: “Does he love you? And more importantly, does he love God?”
My dream of receiving communion with my husband had to be altered, but I also found great beauty and humility in my husband when we both knelt at the altar on that day and received different blessings—the body and blood of Christ for me, and the prayer of spiritual communion for him.
Our wedding day was more lovely than I ever could have imagined. During the planning process, I found that there were very few things I cared about, so I ended up letting other people make decisions, unless I was forced.
There was only one detail that I was absolutely sure I wanted to handle: Jackson’s wedding band.
When Opa died a couple years prior, he left everything to my Oma—except one thing, which was for me.
A few days after his funeral, my Oma handed me a green jewelry box with a golden clasp. Inside was his wedding ring, which he had worn proudly his whole life.
I’d been known by all as Opa’s favorite, so I wasn’t surprised to receive a gift from him, but I had no idea what I was supposed to do with a man’s ring. So, I tucked it away and waited until its purpose was clear.
Little did I know that less than a month after I received Opa’s ring, Jackson would come into my life. He was a smart, interesting, hard-working Christian, and he really seemed to like me!
Not long after we began dating, he started to say to me, “You’re my favorite,” with the sweetest smile, and I started to understand what Opa’s ring had been for all along.
When Jackson proposed to me, he gifted me a ring that had been worn by his great-grandmother, which made it even more fitting that he would one day wear Opa’s ring.
Together, we took it to a jeweler and had it refurbished into the wedding band that I placed on his finger on our wedding day. The new version of the ring is more modern and suits Jackson’s style better, but is still recognizable to me as the ring that symbolized Opa’s vow.
This has helped me to associate our interfaith marriage with another that had been such a shining example in my life.
I should mention here that I am lucky. Though my husband is not Catholic, he has embraced the Catholic tradition in many ways: he willingly attends Mass with me weekly; has promised to help me raise our children Catholic one day; and agreed to a full Mass on our wedding day, knowing that he and his family would not get to receive Communion.
Not every interfaith marriage is so blessed. But to the brides out there who have fallen in love with a non-Catholic man, I say that not only is a Christ-centered, interfaith marriage possible, but it is beautiful.
My marriage to a Protestant man has broken down many of the uncharitable prejudices that I used to have about our non-Catholic brothers and sisters. My husband’s family has been the most welcoming force in my life, and I now strive to share that virtue, while still living my Catholic faith.
My husband’s scrupulous research about the teachings of the Church and the questions that he’s asked me have forced me to dive into the traditions of my faith.
My faith is no longer passive, but active. I seek the reasons behind the truths of our faith, and I actively pray that what we both learn leads him to heaven.
When we set out to plan our wedding, we didn’t have much of a “vision” in mind. The perfect wedding for both of us would be simple, down-to-earth, and would be well-attended by our families and close friends.
We came up with a concept for an heirloom-inspired, modern wedding based on what was most important to us, including being married in the same church as my grandparents.
Wanting to include our family and friends in our wedding day, we realized that the people who are close to us all had unique gifts to share, so we began to ask for help, turning our vintage, heirloom wedding into an all-hands-on-deck experience.
My mother used her talents honed as a graphic designer to create a lovely design for our wedding invitations, which we decided to engrave on lightweight wood for a classic feel.
For the liturgy, we enlisted my aunt and uncle to organize the music and asked some other well-spoken relatives to proclaim the Word. Some cousins were recruited as altar servers, and our siblings and friends were secured as the wedding party.
We then chose our readings and music selections. Both of us were drawn to the stories of creation, and found them very fitting for celebrating the creation of our new family.
With this in mind, I chose to process down the aisle to the hymn, “All Creatures of Our God and King.” While I walked down the aisle with my dad, I heard the congregation praising God in song as I approached Jackson, the man who was created by God for me.
For us, wearing the rings of each other’s relatives was an important symbolic joining of our families.
We can now look to the long and happy marriages of those who wore our rings as an example and inspiration for our marriage.
The aesthetic of our wedding was simple and classic, with a modern twist. I wore the simplest gown I could find, which was altered by a seamstress to match the pearl details that we’d chosen for the reception.
I chose vintage-inspired, pearl-dotted shoes, pearl earrings, and a long veil that had been worn by two of my bridesmaids at their own weddings. The bridesmaids wore dresses in shades of pink, and we all carried blush and cream flowers surrounded by lush greenery that had been arranged by the florist shop housed inside my father’s pharmacy.
The reception venue we chose was owned by a family friend. It was a historic newspaper office that had been converted into an event space.
The building itself featured built-in bookcases and large wooden columns that played into our vintage-meets-modern theme very nicely. We added pearl accents where we could, including sheer curtains with pearl details lining the windows.
Twinkle lights were placed on top of shelves, and the built-in bookcases were repurposed as glassware cabinets. The original newspaper front desk became our bar, where we served beers and seltzers brewed at my uncle’s brewery in Tennessee.
Wooden tables were arranged around a dance floor, and we served heavy hors d'oeuvres in a tent outside. A jazz band played a mix of standard tunes and more modern hits for our guests to enjoy.
We were also treated to a vocal rendition of “Under the Boardwalk” performed by my dad and his brothers, a tradition at all of our family gatherings.
When the time came to cut the cake, we sliced into a beautiful two-tier masterpiece made by my younger sister and maid of honor. It was both beautiful and delicious!
The personal touches that came from our friends and family made our wedding truly unique.
Our families celebrated the first day of our life as a new family in the most fitting way: by being a family! Time, talents, and treasures were contributed by all to make our day reflect the joy of the sacrament that we received.
We feel so blessed to be a part of a family that steps up and takes on the roles that they are most suited to—in the same way that we now fulfill our unique roles as husband and wife.
Leading up to our wedding, I heard from so many people that the wedding day isn't that important. Though this is absolutely true when comparing the wedding to the marriage, I saw something unexpected and deep in the way our wedding day came together.
What I saw was a microcosm of the Church herself. By giving to the Lord the fruits of our unique abilities, we can create a beautiful thing—a community that lives like a family.
Our friends and family who attended our wedding and helped us make the day special not only shared in our joy; they gave us joy! And there's no better gift to give to a bride and groom.
