Spoken Bride

It's that time of year, where Hallmark movies and a flurry of engagements inspire us to wonder: "how did you know he was the right man for you?" We wanted to get the perspective of real women who have been through this discernment process, so Podcast Host, Audrey Herold, reached out to our listeners & founders. Join her as she reads and reflects on the beautiful stories and insights listeners had to offer.

"Your relationship is only as strong as what each of you bring to it." Podcast Host, Audrey Herold, talks about the "baggage" each of us brings to relationships, shares the story of the relationship that began her own mental health journey & her recommendations for resources.

Not all of us are engaged or newlywed-- some of us are still discerning! Tune in to hear live content recorded from our Instagram Takeover with Catholic Match earlier this summer. Media Manager, Audrey Herold, shares her one piece of dating advice, and invites her boyfriend, Nick, along as a special guest! Together they answer questions submitted by Catholic Match and Spoken Bride Instagram followers.

To celebrate the launch of Spoken Bride's new customizable invitation suites, host Andi Compton brings her professional wedding coordination and calligraphy background to this breakdown: What is an invitation suite? What goes on paper and what's done digitally? How do you choose what elements suit you best? No matter what your budget, priorities, and tastes, we're here to share how these items can bring glory to God. Invitation suites, pre-sized for the perfect print format and available in 3 beautiful designs, are available now in the Spoken Bride Shop. This episode wraps Season 2 of Spoken Bride! We can't wait to share more wedding education and faithful, honest conversation in fall 2021. Photo: Maggie Dunn Photography

"Prioritizing your budget." It's one of those phrases that's frequently said, yet rarely defined. How can you actually do this as you plan your wedding, and how does it serve you and your guests? Spoken Bride Vendor Evan Kristiansen, a Boston-based wedding photographer, shared with us the unexpected questions and conversations that can best help you and your families identify priorities, get the most out of your vendor experiences, and keep Christ at the center of the day.

The past year has brought a new dimension of uncertainty and pain to every engaged couple's wedding plans, yet it has also brought with it new opportunities for hope and trust. We spoke with Spoken Bride Vendor Emma Dallman, a Philadelphia-based wedding photographer, about her clients' experiences adjusting to the pandemic and her actionable steps for helping shift your mindset and work within any limitations to create a celebration no less steeped in beauty and joy.

Written by Corinne Gannotti, read by Andi Compton Beyond the incredible sacramental significance of our wedding day, or maybe because of it, there is a profound invitation for everyone to bring their minds and hearts back to a focus on what matters most: family, love, the relationships at the core of who we are.

The Lord whispers to each of our hearts through his creation--beauty is an unspoken language that reveals his love. Spoken Bride Vendor Kate Capato of Visual Grace, an artistic ministry of sharing goodness, truth, and beauty through photography, dance, and sacred art, firmly believes in the power of beauty to draw us to the divine. She shares her tips for couples to bring the language of beauty into their wedding liturgy, home, and daily routines.

Written by Carissa Pluta read by Andi Compton "Catholics talk a lot about vocations–about how to find it and then, how to live it. But what does it actually mean to have a vocation?"

Everyone in the room takes notice at a holy, beautiful wedding celebration: there is something so captivating about a couple rooted in the love of Christ. But what should you feel when all you can think of is how deeply you yourself desire that kind of love? We spoke with Spoken Bride Vendor Mary Kate Anthony of I'm Mary Katherine Photography about her experiences as a single woman in the wedding industry: the tension of longing and joy, and the surprising realization she's come to about marriage after walking alongside her clients.

Written by Stephanie Calis, read by Andi Compton As you and your beloved work through your own past dating experiences on your path to the altar, know that honesty and prudence aren't always the same thing. Here are some concrete ways to build vulnerability and bring healing and peace to your relationship: Ask yourselves the purpose of what you're revealing. Get rid of all items from past relationships. Appreciate who you are now, not who you were then. If necessary, don't fear professional assistance. Give every part of yourselves to the Lord. Resolve to forgive, no matter what.

In or out of a pandemic, wedding planning can involve frequent adjustment of your expectations. Host Stephanie Calis speaks with Elizabeth Mahon, a Spoken Bride Vendor and photographer from Baltimore, Maryland, on how leaning on the Church--specifically, the sacraments and beautiful traditions of the Catholic faith--offers abiding peace and strength when you find yourself changing your plans, and on her tips for planning a wedding liturgy that creates a feast for the senses.

Written by Christina Jaloway, read by Andi Compton One of the unique challenges to planning a Catholic wedding liturgy is the fact that in many cases, a large number of guests are either not Catholic or are no longer practicing the Catholic faith. This presents an excellent opportunity for evangelization through beauty: a well-planned and joyfully celebrated nuptial Mass can serve as a moment of grace for your guests who may be skeptical or misinformed about the Church. Your wedding programs are the perfect place to explain the significance of the Eucharist to your wedding guests. Shop for Catholic wedding program templates at www.spokenbride.com.

Written by Stephanie Fries, read by Stephanie Calis. Our Way of the Cross for Married Couples provides a new lens for the Stations of the Cross. Offering prayers and reflections specific to married life on Christ's every step to Calvary, this devotional was written to invite you and your beloved into the excruciating--from the Latin word for cross--and compassionate--from the Latin term meaning to suffer with--self-gift that spouses are called to. If you'd like to follow along, visit our shop at spokenbride.com to pick up your copy of the ebook.

The St. Andrew's Christmas Novena is traditionally prayed 15 times a day from St. Andrew's Feast day, November 30, until Christmas Day. It's an excellent way to slow down during advent and prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. You can pray this for a single intention or pray it with a group for all your intentions. Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires through the merits of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.

Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet with Andi Pineda Compton and Stephanie Fries.  “Say unceasingly the Chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it, they will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy.” (Diary, 687)

Reza la Coronilla de la Divina Misericordia en español con Rhady Taveras Tulloch and Andi Pineda Compton. Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet in Spanish with Rhady Taveras Tulloch and Andi Pineda Compton.

Read by Andi Compton. Katherine Finney shares ideas for incorporating the places you love into your wedding mass and reception.

Written and read by Andi Compton Have you ever struggled with feeling like your home doesn't look like anything on social media? You're not alone. Our homes aren't meant to be picture perfect snapshots, they are places of transition, where our families and friends can change and grow.

Bridget Busacker, founder of of Managing Your Fertility, shares what Natural Family Planning (NFP) is and isn't, an overview of the different types of methods, and explains why it matters to us as women and Catholics.

Do you suffer well together? It's kind of a disarming question, and at least in American culture, we tend to push away suffering and focus only on the positive. But suffering is a part of our lives. God allows us to experience suffering to perfect us in love, to strip us all our lesser attachments and desire Him.  Spoken Bride Features Editor, Mariah Maza, shares how suffering has shaped her marriage how to practice vulnerability during suffering.

Read by Andi Compton. How do you respond to suffering and hard moments? Mariah Maza shares how she and her husband have struggled and suffered together and gives hope that God will use our suffering to bring about greater love.

Read by Andi Compton. A spirit of curiosity is good, and your guests may have questions about the rituals that are part of the Rite of Marriage. The four traditions we'll cover are: Why do you have to get married in an actual church? Speaking of vows, why can't you write your own? What about Mary? Why is a part of the Mass dedicated to her? Who's walking you down the aisle? If not your dad, why? We hope you find these points help you articulate why you're marrying in the Church, what sets it apart, and most importantly,that they provide the seeds of truly fruitful conversation.

No matter how short or long your engagement, your planning depends on a solid foundation, with bigger decisions making way for smaller decisions, then executing it all. Join our host, Andi Compton, as she shares her signature 5 phases of wedding planning. You can also purchase our Catholic Wedding Workbook from our shop, the fruit of over a decade's experience in professional wedding coordination and event planning. The Spoken Bride team is proud to offer this comprehensive guide, featuring expertly curated checklists for a distinctively Catholic engagement, ceremony, and reception.

Spoken Bride Vendor, Evan Kristiansen of Evan Kristiansen Photography, shares how humility, not perfection, must be the foundation for our relationships with God and our Spouse. Learn more about Evan's work: Evan Kristiansen Photography

Emily and Patrick's wedding plans were completely changed by the pandemic. Wedding date moved further away, wedding location changed, guest list rearranged. How did they deal with ever-changing guidelines and expectations of their families? By the grace of God, they faced the changes together, and can look back and see God's hand in the way everything worked out.

Written by Dominika Ramos, read by Andi Compton The Catholic Church is ever ancient and ever new, with so many beautiful rites and blessings. If you've never witnessed a Rite of Betrothal, listen to learn more about what the rite is, and why some couples choose to celebrate it.

Ever wondered how to request one of those beautiful certificates offering a blessing from Pope Francis? Andi walks you through the simple process of requesting a blessing through the Vatican's website. It's a great gift to commemorate your wedding, anniversary, and other sacraments! For further reading: How To Request An Official Papal Blessing For Your Marriage + Home Order your parchment here: Papal Blessing Parchments

Host Andi Compton speaks with co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Spoken Bride, Stephanie Calis, about how to invite Jesus into the days and moments before your wedding Mass. To read the whole story, please visit https://www.spokenbride.com/blog/2016/6/16/wedding-tips-making-the-most-of-the-moments-before-your-mass?rq=moments%20before%20wedding.

A recording of our popular blog post by Christina Dehan Jaloway. Christina shares her tips for creating a wedding mass program to clearly and respectfully explain the Catholic faith to your wedding guests. Your time is valuable. Spoken Bride wedding programs were created with real brides' input to provide an uncomplicated, elegant, and fully customizable worship aid for your Norvus Ordo wedding mass or Rite of Marriage ceremony. Available in English, Spanish, and Bilingual (English/Spanish). For more information, visit SpokenBride.com and click on "Shop."