Noelle and Kristian | Filipino Latin Mass Wedding

An Oregon wedding that combined the ancient beauty of the Latin Mass with the beloved traditions of the bride and groom’s Filipino culture. Ivory tones, lovely handcrafted decor, Hawaiian and Samoan dances, and live music brightened the celebration.

What started as a college high five became a mutual desire to more deeply explore their shared faith, and eventually transformed into a lifelong marriage. Noelle and Kristian’s wedding was a celebration of two people and two families becoming one, under the banner of Christ.

Their love for each other and for the rich beauty and symbolism of the Catholic liturgy only added to the profound joy of their wedding day.

From the Groom

The first time I saw her, we were standing in line for our first day of freshman orientation at college. We did a silly ice breaker activity, and all nine hundred freshmen gave each person in line a high five while entering the university arena.

I received dozens of high fives, but one of them I would never forget.

Noelle high fived me and took her place in line beside me. I remember glancing over and feeling myself drawn to her. We made eye contact and smiled, both finding the activity amusing. Then she said, “hi!” and asked me, “what's your name?”

From the Bride

We soon bumped into each other again on campus and gradually shared many of the same friends. We ate meals at our dining hall between classes, studied in group study sessions, attended weekly Mass on campus, and enjoyed university life.

Kristian is gentle, kind, and has a great sense of humor. It was easy to become friends. We bonded especially over our mutual love of ping pong, and we played many games of it in the basement of his dorm. Our friends told me that Kristian had a crush on me, but I didn’t see him in that light.

In the meantime, I did briefly date someone else. The first few months were wonderful, and I enjoyed getting to know the great person he was. But as someone who found joy in living my faith, I longed to share that part of me with another person.

I would invite him to Mass, but he didn't share the same faith and wasn’t interested. As supportive and respectful as he was of my religion, one thing became clear: I wanted, one day, to be with someone who walked with me on this journey of faith, not watching and supporting me from the sidelines. And so, that relationship came to an end.

As we neared the end of university life, I began to ponder this desire. At that point, I really didn’t know why I was Catholic. As a baby, I was given the gift of faith from my parents and raised in a loving Catholic household. As an adult, I retained bits and pieces of the faith, but I realized there were still many missing pieces of the puzzle.

I started to have questions about Catholicism and wanted to know how it fit into the story of humanity.

From the Groom

I also found myself wanting to learn more about the faith. This led to a deep love for it, because I quickly discovered how truly beautiful it is. I realized that as a Catholic man, I needed to consider discerning my vocation, such as religious life or marriage.

From the Bride

Kristian was already striving to live a holy and virtuous life. He was diligently serving as an altar server during school Masses, and he led a small rosary group on campus. And so, I began to notice him in a different light.

It became clear that Kristian and I shared a common goal: to live a life pointed towards Heaven and to love God intensely.

After that, our friendship and our shared desire to learn more about the faith drew us even closer together. It has been an exciting journey ever since, and I’m so glad we high-fived each other that first day on campus years ago.

On our wedding day, Kristian and I processed hand-in-hand towards the altar where our priest waited. The nuptial Mass began with the Rite of Marriage, starting with an admonition, reminding us of the sacredness and seriousness of the union we were about to enter.

Once our consent and freedom were affirmed, we joined our right hands, and the priest gave us the Lord’s blessing upon our union. He also blessed my ring. We exchanged rings as a sign of our marriage vows, and on each is engraved the Chi Rho, the first two letters of the Greek word for Christos.

It serves as a reminder that we offer our joys and sufferings that come with marriage to the Father, in union with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Kristian and I are both of Filipino descent; both of our parents immigrated from the Philippines. Though we were not born and raised in the Philippines, it was special for us to incorporate Filipino customs during the Rite of Marriage.

Our parents and our wedding party wore barongs, traditional Filipino clothing. My parents draped us in a belo, or veil, to symbolize two becoming one. Kristian’s parents placed a lasso cord upon our shoulders in the shape of an infinity symbol to represent the un-breaking bond of marriage. Kristian then presented thirteen arras, or gold coins, to me as a pledge for my welfare and happiness. Then, we celebrated our first Mass as a newly-wedded couple.

During our relationship, we discovered stories of how Catholicism was brought to shores like the Philippines and how the traditions of the people were inculturated into the liturgy. These stories were a reminder to Kristian and I that we were part of something bigger than our own individual lives. Catholicism is not limited to a single race, and it’s meant to be shared with all people.

The Latin Mass was something Kristian and I discovered as we searched for a parish to call home, and we were instantly attracted to the beauty of it. It was like finding an old treasured family album, sparking our curiosity to discover how the faith grew into what it is today.

When Kristian and I pray the Latin Mass, it helps us to imagine three planets traveling around the sun in their own orbital path, at their own speed, and in their own unique way. Each planet represents the priest, choir, and laity.

At the center of the orbit is Christ, placed front and center in the church in the tabernacle. All three groups are oriented towards the tabernacle, carrying the Real Presence of the Body of Christ.

Each person plays a role in the Mass. The priest offers the sacrifice at the altar, doing as Christ commanded us to do. The choir sings the sacred prayers in beautiful polyphony and chant, elevating the soul towards the divine. We, the laity, pray silently, presenting our personal intentions and offering our own sacrifice--our thanksgiving and sufferings in this life–-to the Father, in union with Our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross.

There are many moments of silence, but at various points of the Mass, the priest, choir, and laity align and chant the same prayers aloud. Praying this way allows us to worship at our own pace. It gives us time to enter into our intimate relationship with our Lord and examine where we have gone astray. It gives us the space to wrestle in our heart the things we need to offer up and let go.

Through it all, we are reminded that we are not helpless, and that we can call upon the name of Jesus for the grace we need to do things beyond our capacity. He alone gives us the grace to align our wills with that of the Father’s.

After Mass, our reception was held at the parish’s ballroom next to the church. Our lives are centered around the life of our parish, so it was a special place to celebrate our union. Planning our reception took a lot of thought, and we utilized the gifts and talents of our family and friends.

Kristian and I chose ivory-colored tones, and the ballroom was lovingly decorated by my crafty aunts and close friends. Many details of the decor were handmade. One aunt sewed our wedding favors, another made the seating placement cards, another drew our signboards, and another arranged the flowers and centerpieces. It was truly a labor of love.

Our wedding day celebrated the union of not only two people, but two families. With this in mind, we opted for a large round table as our head table that included our parents, siblings, our small wedding party, and our priest.

Our buffet line included lechon, a whole roasted pig, and various Filipino sweets. We served beer brewed by Benedictine monks from our favorite Catholic brewery and wine made by a Catholic family nearby. In the background, live classical guitar music was performed by a local Portland guitarist and friend.

Our parents made toasts, and our friends told stories from the beginning of our relationship, which brought back funny memories and a lot of laughter. Our families sang beautiful songs, and friends danced Hawaiian hulas and Samoan sivas (dances) for us. Kristian and I even performed a duet. He sang a love song while I accompanied him on my ukulele, one of our pastimes together.

The reception was filled with special touches and moments with family and friends. We were so grateful that our guests traveled near and far to witness our wedding.

Being united in body and soul, sharing the same baptism, and partaking of the same table in communion with my husband brings me great joy. With my limited human understanding, it’s hard for me to imagine that there could be something greater than this. And yet, the Church teaches that marriage is only a sacrament–-a visible sign of something greater that awaits us. Something we can’t see yet.

Our union as husband and wife is only a foreshadowing of a greater union to come.

The more I meditate on this thought, the more I am filled with great hope. I am reminded that life (and even death) on earth is only temporary, and that one day we'll be united with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in eternity.