After just five months of dating, my now-husband proposed. It was a dream come true. 

Five months might sound fast to some, but for us, it really was one of those “when you know, you know” moments. That said, we weren’t impulsive – we intentionally discerned marriage together from the start. 

Planning a wedding, however, wasn’t always easy. We definitely didn’t do everything the conventional way. So if your wedding planning process isn’t picture-perfect, it’s okay: it doesn’t have to be. Especially when you’re planning a Christian or Catholic wedding – Christ belongs at the center of everything.

But how do you prayerfully plan a wedding? It sounds like a contradiction. Prayer often involves surrendering our plans, while wedding planning requires you to make a thousand tiny decisions. How do you surrender your plans while still planning? 

It’s a fine line to walk, but it comes down to your heart’s disposition and trust in the Lord. When you trust that He will help line things up beautifully, He will show up. Our entire wedding planning process was evidence of the Lord’s faithfulness. 

Weddings are wildly expensive these days. We had a decent budget, but it wasn’t anywhere near the “average” wedding costs nowadays. We knew we’d have to be creative and cut costs – at times it felt impossible. But over and over again, God provided. 

When you bring the Lord into the wedding planning process, He will make a way. Here’s just a few examples of how the Lord showed up for me while planning our wedding:

The venue

I scoured venue websites and recommendations, trying to find a space that matched my style without draining our entire budget. I wasn’t drawn to barns – even though they can be so beautiful – but many of the other options cost more than half of our budget just to reserve the physical space. That didn’t even include decor, catering, services, my dress, and all the other things one needs for a wedding. I felt hopeless and overwhelmed. 

So, I asked the Lord to provide. The next day I stumbled across a venue that hadn’t shown up in my extensive searches before. It was within our budget and included little luxuries we never dreamed of having. But we had to act fast in order to secure a date. So we prayed again, and the Lord led with peace. So, we booked the venue, and it was the perfect space for our day. 

The florals

I reached out to florists way earlier than necessary, partly because I was excited, but mostly because I kept seeing minimums that were triple my entire floral budget. It was discouraging. I even started seriously considering DIYing my own Trader Joe’s florals – which sounded nice in theory, but practically? I had no idea where to start, how I would store them, and honestly, doubted they would look good. 

So once again, I brought it to the Lord in prayer. Florals mattered a lot to me – they were one of the details I really cared about – but I had to stay within our budget.

On a random Tuesday I reached out to a local florist. We met to talk through my vision, and they created a stunning proposal – it was everything I had dreamed of. But it was over budget. I felt crushed.

Then came the twist: at the bottom of their email, they mentioned they were running a birthday sale. If I booked by the end of the week, my entire purchase would be 50% off. That discount not only brought the proposal well under budget, it let us add in a few extra florals I thought we couldn’t afford.

My eyes teared up, I thanked the Lord, talked with my then-fiance, and we booked the florist. 

The photographer

While florals were a big priority, photography stood at the top of the list. I wanted someone who understood how to capture the sacredness of the Mass – since the Sacrament of Matrimony was the true focus of our day. 

I specifically looked for Catholic photographers who shared the same reverence.Unfortunately, some were well beyond our budget; others were affordable, but our artistic styles didn’t line up. Then I came across Fidelitas Catholic Wedding Photography.

After our inquiry call, I knew we had found the one. Megan was so personable, completely understood the vision, and her portfolio felt like a perfect match. At the end of the call she let us know that her prices were increasing at the end of the month, but we didn’t have a venue, or a date yet! 

We knew once her prices increased, we wouldn’t be able to afford her services (although we knew she absolutely deserved the compensation, we were just on a tight budget). So we let her know that we would remain in contact, and once again, we surrendered it to the Lord. 

Just in the knick of time, we finalized our venue and secured our date – and booked Megan within our budget. The Lord provided for us so well. 

The Lord is really taking care of us

Throughout the whole process, whenever someone asked me how wedding planning was going, all I could do was smile and say “the Lord is really taking care of us.” 

Some people may find it silly to bring these things to the Lord in prayer, but if I didn’t bring them to the Lord, how would he have the chance to spoil me with good gifts? 

You are a daughter of God, He delights in giving you good gifts. Don’t be afraid to invite Him into the ordinary, logistical, spreadsheet-filled parts of your life – including wedding planning. Let Him provide. Receive the gifts He gives you and glorify Him.

He may show up in the ways you’re expecting, but that’s exactly how He works. His plan is greater than our own. 

Take the initiative and make the plans. Do the research. Send the emails. But always surrender everything to Him, knowing He will take care of you. 

P.S. I had one other secret hack to planning my wedding, check it out here.