Imagine saying your vows to each other while holding the greatest representation of Christ’s love in your hands:

“I take you to be my husband. I promise to be faithful to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life.”

This resonated with my husband and he immediately said he wanted us to do it.

If you’re looking for a creative nudge, check out the list below. I’ve included themes as well as gift ideas plus Catholic-inspired presents that fit within the themes.

This list goes through the first 10 years of marriage. Send me an email if you’re looking for your eleventh anniversary or beyond and I might just add it!

Learn to love yourself first and notice God's graces in the little things around you in your daily life. If you're constantly looking to your partner to “make you happy” or “save you,” you'll become distracted from everything God is blessing you with.

Although we can’t really pin down its origin, one new trend from the last few decades has been the unity candle. The unity candle includes some brief ritual where the parents of the bride and groom or the couple themselves light two separate candles, which are then brought together in one larger candle in the center. Two families, two individuals, however you want to look at it, are becoming one just as the separate flames become one flame.