Meet Claire  →

I am a wife and mother that is passionate about sharing content that helps us each live a beautiful and virtuous life. As an etiquette instructor, I love to seek out the beautiful things that surround us. You can often find me making a meal with my husband, building LEGOs with my son, and reading a good book - all in a beautiful dress! Thank you for being a part of this community, I am so happy you are here!

Hello, I’m Claire!

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Insights on Literature, etiquette, and Beauty from a Catholic wife and mom

Couche Wedding Day

Today is our two year wedding anniversary! We wanted to share some of our most treasured wedding day memories with you. There are so many details about the day that truly made it the best day of our life. Here are a few of our favorite things:

  • We started our rehearsal with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Confession. This truly set the tone for our wedding the next day. We were so excited for the actual sacramental aspect of marriage and it was a such a special moment in time as we adored Christ in the Eucharist with our family and friends. Offering the opportunity for everyone to receive the Sacrament of Confession helped place everything in perspective. It was the reason why we were getting married – so that we may help aid each other in learning how to adore Christ here on earth, so that we may be together adoring Christ for eternity.
  • Our wedding colors were blue and gold in honor of Mother Mary. Everything we did for our wedding had a little meaning behind it, and the colors were no exception. Mother Mary has been at the center of our relationship, and we wanted to honor her on our wedding day in a special way. We had gold roses in her honor, and all the bridesmaids wore blue – two colors that are traditionally associated with her. Our cake was decorated with fleur de lis and topped with a gold crown to represent her purity and queenship, and our favors were Ferrero Rochers – chocolates that were created in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes!
  • During our wedding mass, we honored all the saints we prayed to during our engagement. We had a small table filled with framed images of the Saints we had been praying to throughout our engagement. The priest blessed them and now they hang in our home! Those images are such a beautiful reminder of our wedding day, vows to one another, and fulfillment of the fidelity of the Saints towards us!
  • Our hearts were beating as one during our wedding mass. There were a few times where we heard each other’s heartbeat and we felt each other’s pulse, only to check our own and realize that our hearts were beating in time together. What a beautiful little sign from God to show His mark on our marriage, and an awesome reminder of how the sacraments change reality. The sacrament of marriage bonds us together in a spiritual, emotional, and physical way. This oneness is the foundation of our relationship together here on earth.
  • Our wedding party visited the Carmelite Monastery together after the wedding. The Monastery is our favorite place in Buffalo, and was our first stop after we got engaged. We visited a very dear friend there and prayed for our family.
  • The top tier of our wedding cake was funfetti!
  • My wedding dress was from a gorgeous bridal shop in Montreal, Quebec. The day I picked it out remains one of my favorite memories. My mother and sisters drove out to Montreal with me, we went to several boutiques in search of the perfect dress, and then I saw this one from across the room and knew it was the one! Afterwards, we drove in the heavy snow to a small Polish restaurant and shared a meal together. It was one of the few times since I moved to Buffalo that all of my sisters and I were together with Mom. Whenever I see pictures of the dress, I think of that day!
  • I had a piece of my mother’s wedding dress, a piece of my baptismal gown, and a miraculous medal sewn into my wedding dress.
  • Our reception was held at Sean Patrick’s Banquet Hall, the restaurant where we had our very first date!
  • The song that we danced to for our first dance was written by Mike. It is called “We Are One” and we tear up every time we listen to it, as we are transported back to that day, right to the dance floor, looking into each other’s eyes and holding each other. In that moment, there was nothing else. It was just the two of us.

There are so many more memories from our wedding day that we hold in a special place within our heart. These two years have been filled to the brim with joy and deep love. They are the best two years of our life. There is no greater gift than to stand beside your dearest friend and your greatest love each day, knowing that we are part of the greatest adventure together – to fall deeper in love.

Michael Couche

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

Couche Wedding Day

– M & C

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