Brides Who've Been There: 8 Women Share the Saints Who've Shaped Their Relationships

I'm taking a blogging break to soak up our sweet Lily Grace (and, let's be honest, to keep my head above water through this beautiful newborn chaos), so I asked some of my married friends to contribute in my absence.  Over the next few weeks, they'll be taking over to chat about wedding planning, bridal beauty and style, and sharing stories about their newlywed days.  

For today, I asked these ladies if there's a saint who's taken on a particular significance in their marriage and family lives, and about the stories behind them.

A favorite saint of mine is St. Helen of the Cross.  Family legend says that I am a direct descendant of her.  I don't know how accurate that is, but I figure that she better be a special saint just in case --I figure St. Helen will claim me as family if I claim her, and who better to have as a patron saint than someone you are (at least in theory) related to!  - Jenn 

Within the past year, Our Lady Undoer of Knots has become a special patron in our marriage.  My husband and I struggled for a time with infertility.  This weighed heavily on both of our hearts, especially with each passing month and each negative pregnancy test.  I knew of the devotion Pope Francis has to Our Lady Undoer of Knots, but I did not know much about the story behind the image or anything like that.  I did, however, know I had always been drawn to the image for the silly reason that I love to crochet, and I just imaged the ribbon in her hands as yarn.  My mother one day recommended that Chris and I pray to Our Lady Undoer of Knots for our infertility.  We learned more about the devotion to her, as well as the history of her image, and then began a novena to her, praying that she would undo any physical knots in our bodies preventing us from getting pregnant.  We went to our doctor and were prepared to begin blood work and other tests.  The cycle after we finished the novena we found out we were pregnant.  I attribute this pregnancy to her intercessory prayers and continue to pray to her for a healthy baby and delivery. - Tiffany 

Saint Dominic is our family patron; we chose him before we were married. I spent a year in a Dominican convent and had a special relationship with him, and we are both planning to become Dominican tertiaries in the near future. We have a big picture of Dominican saints in our living room, the first thing you see when you walk in. - Rachel

St. Thérèse! It is hard to pick a moment or a reason, she's always been a huge intercessor for both my husband and I, long before we met and throughout our entire relationship. We knew from the day we got engaged that if we ever had a daughter, Thérèse would be somewhere in her name to honor this holy woman! - Amanda 

My husband and I are both converts, and my relationship with the saints has grown quite a bit over the past nine years since my conversion. My birthday is on St. Joseph's feast day, so he's definitely a saint we ask for intercession from. Another favorite is St. Margaret of Scotland, whom I actually found out about before my conversion because I wrote a history paper on her husband. He's a slightly obscure Scottish king whom nobody has written books about, so I had to research him by reading about his wife (ironic for the Middle Ages!) and his English contemporaries. Anyway, he and Margaret were known for praying together. Other saints we like include St. Gerard, St. Briget of Sweden, and St. Josemaria Escriva. - Bonnie

We don't really have a particular patron saint, but we are honoring a few of our favorites by naming our kids after them: Seraphia (another name for St. Veronica), Cecilia, and Sebastian. - Sheena

We were married on the vigil of the Feast of the Holy Family, in a church named for St. Joseph.  On our first anniversary, we attended Mass at another church named for St. Joseph, thousands of miles away from where we were married.  We had every intention of making it happen again on our second anniversary, but the weather was terrible that day and we weren't super comfortable driving 30 minutes away to attend Mass in the storm.  Hopefully we can get back on track for our third anniversary this year!  I guess I got side tracked there.  The Feast of the Holy Family speaks to me because of the aforementioned details, but also because I feel called for us to imitate the holy family in our home, the domestic church.  I long for raising a family with Alex, and recognize the family is the root of Christianity in our society.  It all starts at home. - Lauren

St. Patrick, patron saint of Evangelization. Our friend Danielle sent us saints that she had picked for us to be our special saint for the year, and, well, Patrick stuck! We also always ask for St. Francis and St. Joseph to intercede for us because the are the patrons of the school our kids have attended. - Andi

What about you?  I'd love to hear about the saints you and your love have a special devotion to!  And, if you missed 'em the first time around, a few past posts on my own favorite saints, and a sweet way to incorporate your devotions into your wedding:

Why, thanks to St. Therese, I said no the first time Andrew asked me out, and why I'm happy about it

A printable for using saint medals as wedding favors

How St. Raphael is probably responsible for my relationship 

Inspiration from St. Gianna on creating a prayerful home

The reason I became obsessed with JPII, and a picture of him with a koala

Brides Who've Been There: 8 Tried-and-Tested Beauty Tips

I'm taking a blogging break to soak up our sweet Lily Grace (and, let's be honest, to keep my head above water through this beautiful newborn chaos), so I asked some of my married friends to contribute in my absence.  Over the next few weeks, they'll be taking over to chat about wedding planning, bridal beauty and style, and sharing stories about their newlywed days.  

I asked them to share their best bridal beauty advice.  Here's what they recommend for letting your outer radiance reflect the inner throughout a day of crying, photos, and dancing.  Tl; dr: waterproof mascara!

Airbrushed makeup!  I'm not a beauty or accessory girl, but I will say the airbrushing was awesome!  It felt super light, lasted forever, and just looked so much more natural overall.  If at no other time in your life you spring for something extra, that's what I'd recommend.  - Lauren

I had my makeup professionally done, and then didn't worry about it again.  - Leslie

I wore waterproof mascara on my wedding day, but I didn't cry, so it wasn't really necessary.  It was just a huge pain to try and take off on my wedding night!  -Sylvia

If you hire someone to do your makeup, always do a trial run and take a picture of it.  It gives you a relaxed couple of hours with your makeup artist to hash out the details, and you can see how the makeup will feel for the rest of the day.  A great day to schedule this is the day of your bridal shower--just sayin'!  And side note; fake eyelashes can be super comfy!  I was afraid of them, but when expertly applied they add just enough drama.  - Andi

Andi rockin' the false eyelashes

Put deodorant between your legs to help prevent chafing.  You'll thank me later when you're sweaty and dancing up a storm at the end of the night.  - Emily  (NB from Stephanie: If this weird but genius tip didn't give it away, Emily's a serious runner!)

Definitely waterproof mascara--I'm a big crier, but I didn't anticipate how many times I'd find myself in tear again and again throughout the day: walking down the aisle, seeing David for the first time, exchanging vows, listening to toasts, and all the rest!  The cheap kind at the drugstore works just fine, if you're not picky (I'm pretty sure I used the $3.99 Maybelline Great Lash).  Also, comfy shoes aren't a beauty product, but they are so important for the reception, at the very least!  I bought a neutral gray pair of TOMS to change into and it was the best decision, especially because I could easily wear them afterwards.  I still wear 'em today, two and a half years later!  - Hannah

Target's ELF line--very inexpensive and it stood up to everything throughout the day!  I also love Rimmel's eyeliner; it's easy to apply and doesn't smudge.  Genius.  - Amanda

Waterproof mascara!  My favorite is L'Oreal Voluminous.  I've been using the non-waterproof version for over 10 years!  - Sheena

And you?  Tell me; what's your best recommendation for beauty products that can stand up to an entire wedding day's worth of events and emotions?  Also, past beauty posts, if you missed them:

How looking to Our Lady is the best remedy for any beauty-related anxiety

My favorite products for giving your skin a pre-wedding boost

Wedding nail color ideas that go beyond the basic French mani

6 women share their beauty and style picks

Brides Who've Been There: 7 Ways to Pray With Your Husband

I'm taking a blogging break to soak up our sweet Lily Grace (and, let's be honest, to keep my head above water through this beautiful newborn chaos), so I asked some of my married friends to contribute in my absence.  Over the next few weeks, they'll be taking over to chat about wedding planning, bridal beauty and style, and sharing stories about their newlywed days.  

Today, they're shedding some light on their married prayer lives:

We are not experts in this area, but the things we do consistently are praying with our children before they go to bed, praying for our own intentions before we go to bed, and on the weekends we do the Scripture readings for the day and have prayer time in the morning after breakfast. Before we had kids we shared a holy hour at our parish Adoration chapel. It was at 2:00 a.m, and it was a very cool and unifying experience to get up in the middle of the night and go pray together. We're not able to do that now that we have little kids, but sometimes we go to the Adoration chapel together as a family...for about 2 minutes! - Anna

Anna, her husband Alex, and their two sweet babies, Johnny and Trixie

We started St. Bridget's 12-Year (yes, you read that right) Novena not long before we got engaged. We still pray it together nightly, as well as sharing any special intentions we have. We also try to incorporate various Scripture readings and discussion into our prayer time. - Amanda

This has been a struggle for me, as I find it hard to pray out loud or with someone else. Before we start praying, we often discuss things we need to pray about, like what's going on at my husband's job, things that are coming up in our lives, or friends and relatives who need prayer support. Sometimes, we've used short devotionals together, like Gary Chapman's Life Promises for Couples (I wrote about it here) or Emerson Eggerich's The Love & Respect Experience (and about that one here). We've often also prayed set prayers together, like the Rosary, novenas, or other prayers written by saints. - Bonnie

We pray together before meals and at bedtime.  For the sake of entertainment, I'll tell you about our routine...We rotate who leads prayers throughout the day.  So, if I lead at breakfast, my husband will lead at lunch.  At bedtime, we each prefer to sleep facing one side or the other, so we rotate that too. Whoever prays at night gets to face their preferred direction for that particular night!  It rotates every day, and we poke fun at each other when one person gets gypped out of "their night" due to travel schedules and such.  Yeah, we're weird.  It's okay. - Lauren

 I wish we actually did more of this. We pray with our children and do our personal devotions separately. This is why I love date nights, because we can actually pray together--just the two of us. - Sarah

Sarah, Derek, and their kids!

We go to Mass together. We sing hymns together. We read and discuss scripture and theology and papal homilies--often one of us reads aloud while the other does dishes. We pray evening prayer sometimes on big feast days. We pray with our babies when we tuck them in at night. We made our wedding vows holding a crucifix in our hands, and we have that crucifix on our bedside table and kiss it before going to sleep. - Rachel


Learning to pray together as a married couple is something that takes time to develop a strong routine. My husband and I have many different ways we like to pray together: read spiritual books, go to Eucharistic Adoration, or pray the Rosary. But one particular way we pray together has been most beneficial and life-giving to us as a couple is our nighttime ritual of "the dailies." I have wrote about here, but I'll give you a quick run-down right now: every night we give each other two affirmations, we share 2-3 feelings we felt over the past day, and then we pray over each other. We always start and end our "dailies" in prayer; so if I start my husband Jim will usually close, and vice-versa.  It's been a unique and life-giving way or us to incorporate the spiritual and emotional parts of ourselves into drawing closer together and to God. Try out the dailies!  It's been life changing for our spiritual relationship together! - Patty

Your turn!  Nearly five years into married life, consistently praying together, rather than on our own and never speaking of it, is still something Andrew and I are always trying to be better at.  Share your devotions and the ways you pray together in the comments!

Brides Who've Been There: 10 Gorgeous Gowns and the Stories Behind Them

I'm taking a blogging break to soak up our sweet Lily Grace (and, let's be honest, to keep my head above water through this beautiful newborn chaos), so I asked some of my married friends to contribute in my absence.  Over the next few weeks, they'll be taking over to chat about wedding planning, bridal beauty and style, and sharing stories about their newlywed days.  

I asked them today to share some deets about their wedding gowns and how they chose them!

People often describe me as old-fashioned.  I love old movies, could listen to “old” music any time, and cherish many values of days gone by.  In fact, I often say I was born in the wrong century!  Knowing this about myself, I wanted a dress that was classic; something that wasn’t too trendy but at the same time didn’t make me look like a grandmother!  When planning my wedding I loved everything lace – lace-wrapped votive candles, lace invitations, lace around my bouquet...so it made sense that when looking at dresses I gravitated toward lace.  I originally found this beautiful, strapless, A-line dress that fit comfortably, and the lace just took your breath away.  I knew, however, that I personally did not want to wear a strapless dress, especially in church, so the store showed me this slightly off-the-shoulder lace jacket that hit at around my waist.  They added a beaded belt to the mix to accentuate my waist where the jacket hit.  When I walked out in that ensemble and my mom saw me, and when I saw myself in the mirror, we both started tearing up.  I used to watch Say Yes to the Dress and would scoff at the girls who cried when they tried their wedding dress on.  I’d say to myself, “Really?  It’s a dress people; get a grip.”  But there I was in the bridal store, tearing up because seeing myself in that dress I felt comfortable, it screamed "me," and I could just see myself walking down the aisle to Chris.  It was like it all came together.  When you feel comfortable and like yourself in anything you wear, you feel more confident and that shows!  Finding a dress that fits your personality as much as it fits your waistline is just as important. - Tiffany

Tiffany...

…and that gorgeous lace. 

Mine was a fairly typical 80s-style dress, with a full skirt and lots of beading.  It was ivory taffeta and was originally long-sleeved, but I had them shortened.  I had had a subscription to Bride magazine since I was a sophomore in college (before I was even dating my husband), so I had plenty of time to look at dresses and figure out what I liked! My senior year, my roommate and I went dress shopping every Friday (we arranged our schedule not to have classes that day).  After all that, the dress I ended up with was basically the one I first tried on. - Leslie

It was a classic A line strapless dress with pockets and a kimono-like bow in the back! - Sylvia

I'm really proud of the money we saved on my wedding dress. On a whim one night, my mom called  asked if we should jump in the car and head to David's Bridal to "just look" at some dresses, since I hadn't started yet and wanted to get a feel for a few before buckling down to actually buy one. We went in with my sisters, and I only tried on a total of 3 dresses before I put The One on! It was originally listed for $250, but because of some tiny flaw none of us could find (including the bridal consultant!), it was marked down to $99.  I knew right away it was the one for me! It actually came as two dresses - a short dress with an attachable long A-line skirt on top, which I just kept on the entire night. It was a sweetheart neckline, strapless, with a poufy-but-not-too-poufy skirt. We added a flowered belt and the look was complete. And for only paying $99, it looked and felt as beautiful and elegant as I had ever imagined! - Hannah

Hannah and David

It was tea length, A-line, with an organza layer on the outside, cream and ivory colored. It was the first one I tried on! I knew that I wanted a tea length dress because our wedding was small, not very formal, and also in December with yucky weather. I knew I wanted an off-white shade because I have a warm skin tone. I was opposed to wearing strapless, but all dresses are strapless, so I bought a very pretty lace jacket and wore that the whole day with the dress. - Rachel

I got married in 2009.  My wedding dress was sleeveless, with a fitted bodice and a full (not puffy) skirt. It was covered with a gauzy material and had lace at the waist and hem. It also had a simple ribbon around the waist that tied in a bow and hung down the back of the dress. I was in. love. with that thing.  I had actually seen it on a website a couple of years earlier -- before I'd even met my husband! A friend of mine was getting married, so I'd spent some time (too much time) indulging my own marital fantasies, looking at wedding dresses online. From the moment I saw it, I was struck. The dress had lovely details but it wasn't fussy. It was simple, but not boring. It was soft and feminine.  In late 2008, when I was engaged, I found that I compared every dress I tried on to that dress. So finally I called around to bridal shops to see if anyone still carried it. One of them did, I tried it on, and I was sold. Literally. - Julie

It was a big 'ole ball gown.  I initially wanted zero bling, but then I tried on my future dress which had beading everywhere on the bodice and my mind was changed in an instant.  - Sheena

Sheena, her hubs Anthony, and the dress

My gown was a Priscilla of Boston Platinum Ball Gown. It was huge and sparkly.  The very first day my maid of honor and I started working at a bridal shop, she looked at it and said, "That's your dress, Andi." She was right. I went gown shopping with my parents when we visited Houston for Thanksgiving and after trying it on and seeing their reactions, I knew it was the one! And by that point I had tried on several gowns at work doing weekly bridal fashion shows, so I knew exactly what I wanted! - Andi

Ironically, I wanted an ivory non-strapless dress and I ended up with a strapless, white dress. It was chiffon and had a little bling on it and it just fit me perfectly. I felt like a princess! - Emily


Once Jim and I got engaged, one of the things I was most excited for was to shop for my wedding dress with my Mom. I always knew and had a picture of what I wanted. Growing up, I had a deep love for old movies and elegant Hollywood actresses like Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn. I swooned for many years of Grace Kelly's exquisite wedding dress and knew I wanted something similar with lace, modesty, and elegance. I actually ended up only trying on maybe 10 wedding dresses at two different shops. I ended up picking one with simple beading, lace, and it made me feel like a modern day Princess Grace.  What really helped me in picking a dress was not taking a lot of people with me to shop; I just went with my Mom which was awesome time to bond as well as it was easier to not have so many extra opinions. Also before you go shopping, have a good idea of elements of what you would like to see in your perfect dress. And be sure to go in with a set price point! Know ahead of time exactly what you can afford, and be sure to stick to it! - Patty

Patty, giddy to have found The Dress!

How about you?  Brides-to-be, what are you looking for in your dress, if you haven't found it yet?  If you have, or if you're already married, I'd love to hear the story behind your gown!