Novenas to Pray Before Your Wedding Day 

Let’s face it: planning a wedding can be extremely stressful. And even if you have the help of one of our wonderful wedding planners, the process can fill an already hard engagement period with anxiety and unrest. But these emotions are not of the Lord, and He is always waiting to help us experience the fullness of His graces, especially within the sacraments.

Hopefully through your marriage prep, you and your fiance are diving deeper into not only the Sacrament of Matrimony, but also your individual and communal prayer lives as future husband and wife. Engagement is a time of patient waiting—allowing the Lord to heal the things within you that need further grace—and the best way to embrace this season of preparation is through prayer, especially with your fiance.

As you prepare for this sacred occasion, here are a few novenas we hope serve you in the days leading up to your wedding:

Photo by Merciful Love Photography

The Surrender Novena

If you’re feeling anxious at all about your wedding day, this is the novena for you. The Surrender Novena is a beautiful way to spend the final days of wedding prep and allow yourself to let go of any anxieties, fears, worries, or attachments to things outside your control. It’s also a realization that—no matter how long you’ve been planning or dreaming of this day—the Lord’s will is beyond your own, and He is the One that truly knows best for you. Surrender the entire day to God with your fiance, bridal party, and family as a sign of your trust in His provision—on this day and every day of your marriage.

Pray The Surrender Novena

Novena to Our Lady Undoer of Knots

Feast Day: September 28

This is another powerful way to release any burdens that may be blocking your reception of God’s graces. Our Lady of Knots desires all her children to be free from the snares of the world, and this novena offers all to Mary as she untangles the complexities of our lives. It could be a physical, mental, spiritual ailment you, your fiance, or someone dear to you is suffering, or it could be a problem that’s come up in planning you just don’t know how to resolve. Give your knots to Mary, and she will undo them for you.

Pray to Our Lady Undoer of Knots

30-Day Novena to St. Joseph

Feast Day: March 19 & May 1

If you and your fiance have a special patronage to St. Joseph, this novena is a wonderful way to start or end your engagement. A bit longer than a normal 9-day novena, this prayer is said every day for 30 days and meditates on the life of Joseph and his most intimate moments: the suffering in Bethlehem, the fear in Egypt, the pain of Simeon’s prophesy, the peaceful life in Nazareth, and the joy of the Resurrection. As protector of the Holy Family, St. Joseph is a powerful intercessor as you enter this new season of your vocation, with all its joys, sorrows, blessings, and trials. 

Pray to St. Joseph

Novena to Sts. Anne and Joachim

Feast Day: July 26

This one may seem obvious, but you won’t find a better example of sacramental marriage outside the Holy Family than Anne and Joachim—parents of Mother Mary. It was in the womb of St. Anne that Mary was immaculately conceived, the moment that made the Annunciation and birth of our Savior possible. With Mary being so young, it’s very probable that St. Anne and Joachim would have been near when she received the call from St. Gabriel, a moment I’m sure brought a series of emotions, from joy to uncertainty, and sadness to gratefulness. This novena is a beautiful way to start your marriage in the intercession of the ultimate example of holy marriage and parenthood—maybe even invite your parents and future in-laws to pray it with you!

Pray to St. Anne and St. Joachim

Novena to Sts. Zélie and Louis Martin

Feast Day: July 12

Rightly following Anne and Joachim, Sts. Zélie and Louis are having a resurgence in the Church (and for good reason!). They are the first married couple to be consecrated together and are the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who was canonized in 1925 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997. Although four of their children died in infancy, their five surviving daughters all became religious sisters, one of whom is a current candidate for canonization—Sr. Leonie Martin. Sts. Zélie and Louis are a great testament of how good holy marriages inspire good holy families, and if you or your fiance discerned religious life before entering engagement, they also serve as a powerful witness of following the will of God, even when it doesn’t match your own. 

Pray to St. Zélie and St. Louis

Exterior photos from Merciful Love Photography, middle photo from Sanctus Photography

These novenas are mere suggestions to encourage deeper conversation with you and your fiance about preparing for your wedding day. And when it comes to prayer, you can’t have too many people join in! Consider inviting your bridal party, family members, or close friends to join you in your intentions.

The most important thing is to pursue the Lord in all His grace, mercy, and love together, as you patiently wait for your sacramental union as husband and wife.