Two years ago, Oliver was the best man when we photographed Joe & Theresa’s wedding. Now the roles were switched, and it was Oliver’s turn to be standing at the altar as the groom!

We’ve loved getting to know Oliver & Mary throughout this whole journey to becoming husband and wife! Their relationship story is one for the books too! Oliver was in the AirForce with Mary’s brother Phil. It wasn’t long before he was interested in getting to know her from all the wonderful and funny things that Phil shared about her. The one problem? She lived halfway across the country.

Oliver didn’t let that stop him. He grabbed his high school buddy Victor and the two of them set out on a road trip from Minnesota to Colorado. They made up lots of excuses for activities to do while they were there, like needing to have a Coors Lite at the source, as ways to make it seem like they were visiting for more than just her. But it was clear to all of his friends that Oliver was there to meet this once in a lifetime girl, Mary, and intentionally pursue her. They hit it off and the rest is history!

A Perfect September Wedding Day

Their early fall wedding day was absolutely beautiful! The two of them got married at Oliver’s childhood parish, the Church of St. Mark’s in Saint Paul.

Oliver and Mary wanted to save the surprise of seeing each other on their wedding day for her walking down the aisle. However, we carved out time so that they could exchange notes behind a door, hold hands, and pray together. They had been doing Louis de Montfort’s 33 day preparation for total consecration and prayed their Marian consecration prayer together in the moments before their wedding. After their vows they brought a bouquet flower offering to the Marian chapel and offered prayers of thanksgiving. It is one of our favorite catholic traditions that becomes increasingly popular and is a beautiful way to squeeze in an extra hymn into the wedding mass.

The celebrant, Fr. Humberto, shared memories in the homily from when Oliver was an altar server there and that bringing him back to this sacred place to say his vows is all part of God’s plan. The holy family is the perfect model of what it means to surrender our own plans for His. Trust in God’s plan, despite a world of uncertainty, is the biggest theme for these pandemic weddings.

There was a subtle detail during the mass that included a special crucifix was placed on the altar. It was blessed and will now be hanging on the walls of their home as a tangible reminder of their vows and the deep reliance on Christ to give them sacramental graces to live out their vocation well.

After the wedding we headed off with the wedding party to Centennial Lakes for their bridal party portraits. We love doing these first and then sending them off to enjoy cocktail hour while the bride and groom spend a few extra minutes just the two of them for some more intimate moments together during newlywed portraits. The amount of joy they shared in the relaxed comfort knowing that they were officially married was so clear to see!

We all headed off to the Mahon Center in Edina for their reception. The dessert macarons flew off the plate but were sooooo delicious! We loved hearing the stories that Oliver’s best man Joe shared about their relationship in his speech followed by the playful humor of Mary’s little sister in her maid of honor toast before they opened up the dance floor.

Our favorite surprise was seeing past wedding couples there whose love had now multiplied with little ones in their arms. We got a picture at the end of the night with THREE of our couples!! Wow oh wow was it so fun to have all these incredible people together in one place and to see how their love has grown!

Wedding Team

Ceremony: Church of St. Mark
Reception Venue: Mahon Center
Catering: K & J Catering
Hair Stylist: Melanie Rivers
Bridesmaid Dresses: Azazie