Charlotte + Gabriel | Whimsical Blue-and-White Multinational Wedding

Charlotte, an American, and Gabriel, the boy from Brazil, crossed paths and fell in love during an exchange program in Belgium, before parting ways again. After that, they entrusted their long-distance relationship to the Lord, praying he would eventually provide a time and place for them to be united in marriage. Their love story spans more than four years, 4500 miles, and several countries, but no earthly obstacle is impossible for God.

From the Bride: When Gabriel and I decided to participate in a Rotary exchange program, we were not expecting to meet our future spouse. We left our families--mine in the US and his in Brazil--to spend a year in Belgium, immersing ourselves in the language and culture. We were hosted by the same Rotary club, so we got to know each other during monthly meetings.

After an afternoon spent in the snow-covered Ardennes forest, a trip to the North Sea, and several guitar lessons, Gabriel asked me to be his girlfriend.

When he asked to come to Mass with me a couple days later, I realized the Holy Spirit might be nudging me to take the relationship seriously.

After that, our time left in Belgium together was short: a mere four months. As we spent weekends exploring gothic cathedrals and walked hand-in-hand along cobblestone streets, we revealed to one another the desires of our hearts and began to discern marriage. When it was time to return to our respective countries, we felt confident we had found our beloved.

Anytime I was discouraged about the impending long distance, Gabriel reminded me that “God often calls us to be patient when it comes to the best things in life.” We were in a long-distance relationship for four years as I completed my undergraduate degree in Canada and Gabriel studied in Brazil.

He visited me in the United States every Christmas, and I flew down to Brazil every July. Our relationship consisted of constant messages and Skype calls, forcing us to cultivate healthy communication habits. We learned to accept that our relationship was not in our control, and that Christ was calling us to trust in him and his perfect timing.

Long distance was a source of many blessings, but it was often a heavy cross to bear as well. Gazing at our Lord on his cross at Mass every week strengthened me, and I was reminded I was not alone in carrying my temporary cross. I knew by God’s grace and through his divine will, Gabriel and I would one day be united as husband and wife.

During one trip to Brazil, on top of a waterfall as the sun set along the horizon, Gabriel asked me to be his wife. One year later, he immigrated to the United States, and we closed the distance after four years and five days of living over 4,500 miles apart.

We knew our wedding would be an international affair. Gabriel is Brazilian, and I come from a multi-national household. My mother is half-French, half-Italian and my father is American. We wanted to embrace the reality that we would have guests coming from five different countries, speaking four different languages. So we incorporated elements into our nuptial Mass and reception to reflect our mixed backgrounds.

Having family in various parts of the world also proved to be a challenge. Gabriel’s mother, father, stepfather, and sister were all denied their tourist visas to the United States, so they were unable to attend the wedding. It was difficult to adjust to the idea that Gabriel’s immediate family would not be there on the big day. This was particularly heartbreaking for my husband, who had already uprooted his life in Brazil to move to an entirely new country.

In spite of this, he looked at the situation as an opportunity to focus on what really mattered about our wedding: entering into the beautiful sacrament of marriage and beginning our vocations as husband and wife. As much as we wanted to share the moment with family and friends, the sacredness of the day rested on our vows to one another, the priest as our witness, and the pouring out of God’s grace and eternal love.

July 20th, the day of our wedding, was the hottest day of the year. Waking up that morning, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Gratitude that God was calling me into the vocation of marriage, gratitude that I found the man who would lead me to Heaven, and gratitude that Christ’s abundant grace made it possible to patiently wait for this day. My heart leapt for joy when I saw Gabriel waiting for me at the end of the aisle.

We were blessed to have Father Gerry, the chaplain of my undergraduate Newman center, celebrate our nuptial Mass. He allowed us to set up a YouTube live stream during the liturgy, so Gabriel’s family in Brazil could be virtually present.

Something my husband and I find so special within the Catholic Church is its universality. To demonstrate this, we had each scriptural reading read in a different language. The first reading was read in French, the psalm was sung in Italian, the second reading was in Portuguese, and the Gospel was read in English. Quite the polyglot himself, Fr. Gerry was also able to pray several prayers in the various languages.

Gabriel and I recited our vows in English and then in Portuguese while holding a crucifix, a beautiful Croatian tradition we stumbled upon while preparing for marriage.

The crucifix is a reminder that we are each bound to Christ and his cross, and that within the vocation of marriage we are called to die to ourselves to rise in a new life together. This crucifix now hangs above our bed, a visible sign of our wedding vows.

Seated at the foot of the altar, Gabriel and I often forgot we were in the presence of so many others. We felt the love exuding from our families and friends, but our focus was on each other and Christ the king. It was a blessing to share our love with our guests and to remind them, including those who were not Catholic, that our love was an infinitesimal fraction of God’s love for everyone.

The inspiration for our reception came from blue and white delftware, the typical ceramic “style” of the Netherlands. The pairing of deep cobalt and white was elegant, while also fun and whimsical. To follow the blue and white theme, my mom made runners from toile fabric, crocheted doilies for tables, and I cross-stitched our table numbers. We spent the two years of our engagement collecting blue and white décor and candlesticks to use as centerpieces, as well as mis-matched vintage china and glassware for the place settings.

Gabriel and I wanted to include multi-cultural aspects in our celebration, so we offered our guests cocktails from every country represented. Gabriel and my uncle constructed a directional signpost to display the various locations from which people traveled.

Our reception was incredibly joy-filled. Gabriel’s aunts had his family on Facetime so they could catch glimpses of the festivities. I dearly wanted to include them in some special way, so we surprised Gabriel with a Skype call projected on a big screen. Our family and friends animated the evening with frequent cheering and napkin twirling. And during our first dance to “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley, a song we played together at the beginning of our relationship, our guests sang along to the chorus.

We wanted our cultures reflected in the music, so our playlist included a mix of songs from the US, Brazil, France, and Italy. It was fun to see my family from Europe dancing with Gabriel’s Brazilian family and our American friends.

As the night came to an end, I shed tears of happiness and gratitude. It was touching to realize how many people traveled great distances to support us and share in our wedding day. Looking at my husband that night, my heart swelled as I remembered the boy I met years before in Belgium. Gabriel and I will always cherish those memories.

As beautiful and joy-filled as our wedding day was, the most exciting part was embarking on our journey as husband and wife.

To live out our vocation of marriage doesn’t mean seeking fulfillment in the other’s love, but looking to God to satisfy the innermost desires of our hearts. Then, through God’s grace, we can pour ourselves out selflessly for the good of the other.