Honoring Mary and St. Joseph on Your Wedding Day

Alexa Christine Photography

I love it when couples honor their patron saints during their wedding! It is a unique way to see which saints have helped out the couple in their relationship and will continue to be by their side throughout their marriage. Specifically, it is popular to honor two very important people during a Catholic wedding: Mary and Joseph! So what does it look like honoring Mary and St. Joseph on your wedding day?

How to Honor Mary

There are many beautiful ways to honor Mary throughout your wedding day. My favorite one is presenting flowers to Mary during your ceremony. This typically happens after communion, right before the final blessing. The maid of honor or best man hands the newlyweds a vase with the flowers and the groom leads his new wife to the Mary statue in the church. They place the flowers in front of Mary and take a second to ask for her intercession as they begin their new vocation as husband and wife. Most couples like to have a Marian hymn sung during this time.

Other ways to honor Mary include praying a rosary the night before or the morning of your wedding. You can do this with your bridal party, your family, or make it a special moment for just you and your fiancé! I have also seen brides incorporate their Marian devotion through more discrete ways. This can be done by gifting miraculous medals to your bridesmaids or wrapping a rosary around your bouquet. You can even include Marian symbols and colors in invitations, programs, and reception décor.

How to Honor St. Joseph

One of the titles of St. Joseph is Pillar of Family Life and he is the patron saint of families and fathers, so it is beautiful to see couples begin to honor St. Joseph on their wedding day as well. A popular way to honor this amazing saint is also by presenting flowers to him during your wedding ceremony! After the couple goes to the Mary statue to ask for her intercession, they go to the St. Joseph statue and place flowers, typically lilies, at the base of the statue and ask for his intercession as well. You and your fiancé can also consecrate yourselves to St. Joseph. If you want to finish the consecration on the day of your wedding, start it 30 days before your wedding day since it is a 30 day consecration. You can also gift your groomsmen St. Joseph medals. 

There are so many ways to honor Mary and St. Joseph throughout your wedding day, we are just scratching the surface here! If this is something you are interested in, talk to your fiancé and pray about ways in which the both of you want to honor Mary and St. Joseph!

Photos courtesy of Alexa Christine Photography and Noteworthy Expressions