Weddings

Joanna & Aidan | Downtown Cincinnati Catholic Wedding at Saint Cecilia’s Church

posted on : June 21, 2022

Cincinnati, Ohio + Northern Kentucky

Joanna and Aidan's wedding day was immersed in the traditions of the Church, and it's very apparently that their faith is the heartbeat of both families. They incorporated the perfect amount of tradition and devotionals throughout the day to ensure that it was the Sacramental counterpoint that it is! Visually, the Mass celebration and reception was beautiful and welcoming, and I was very captivated by the kindness and joy of everyone present throughout the whole day.

I personally have a lot of favorite moments from this wedding day. To start, Joanna and Aidan decided to do a first look together in the Saint Joseph garden, nestled next to the church, and exchanged letters there together. Next, the bridal party and myself gathered in the Rectory where incredible European-style antiques adorned the place, not to mention within the beautiful church itself! Saint Cecilia’s is VERY Germanic-looking to me, and everything about the interior to the church exterior is stunning and inspiring. A beauty that is fitting for the Church!

While inside the rectory, Joanna, her mother, sisters, bridesmaids and close friends surrounded her to pray over her before she walked down the aisle to the bridegroom. I don’t think I’ll ever forget how beautiful this moment was. They sang a song, unique to their “Household” while attending Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH. It was a very tender moment with a few teary eyes!

Next was their gorgeous ceremony, whom the brother of the groom officiated! Another moment I want to highlight is when they brought flowers to Mary, they also completed their Consecration to St. Joseph together during this time. How incredibly beautiful! Following mass, we visited Our Lady of Fatima beside the church for some bride and groom portraits. This also happened to be the spot where Aidan proposed to Joanna!! Then, the entire bridal party took photos outside of the church in the St. Joseph’s garden again before walking a few buildings down to the Skyline Cafe, where Aidan and Joanna treated everyone (including me!) to the Cincinnati “Skyline Chili” special before heading to the reception. Going to the diner/cafe after Sunday mass was a tradition that Aidan and Joanna started together while dating and throughout their engagement, so they thought it fitting to also visit it on their wedding day!

The reception was at Joanna’s parents residence in northern Kentucky. The bride and groom were surrounded by tons of family, children, delicious food and a lot of love from everyone present. It was a spectacular day and celebration, and I’m so honored to have been a part of it!