We (Joel & Shannon) had the pleasure of spending their wedding day with them, and it was such a great day. Not only did we get to be at one of our favorite wedding ceremony venues, Graham Chapel on the WashU campus, but we also got to be at one of St. Louis’ newest reception venues, the Wild Carrot. And let me tell you…the Wild Carrot is an incredible place! One of our highlights from the day, though, was having a stop at Sasha’s Wine Bar on Shaw…which is where they had their first date and where Preston proposed. Little did we realize, though, that there are actually TWO Sasha’s wine bars. And we definitely went to the wrong one first.

Congrats to Jessica and Preston!!! We had such a wonderful time working with you both!!!

When I first talked with Claire and Mark, I knew they were my kind of couple. Not only did they share a certain level of nerdiness with me (Joel), they sounded like a ton of fun who were funny, corny, and so so much in love. They were a drama kids…like I was. They loved Harry Potter and other geeky things, like me. A perfect match! As much as I enjoy working with all sorts of couples, I especially love it when people can blend the deep and solemnity of the day with the fun, carefree, and slightly off-the-wall side of who they are. It’s so much fun. And, this is exactly how these two were. The ceremony and depth of their commitment to each other, and their connection with their families, were the hallmark of the first part of the day. After the ceremony, they were so jubilant and excited that their joy just exploded out…and we had a blast during the photo time with them and their wedding party at the St. Louis City Garden. After photos, we headed to Orlando’s for a pre-reception dance lesson for anyone who wanted to take their skills up a notch. After speeches and dinner, everyone kicked it up and danced with such passion and gusto. It was a blast!

Here are some of my favorites from the day. Huge congrats to Claire and Mark! SO happy to have been a part of your wedding day!

Joel

I probably was the only one, but I (Joel) had Simon and Garfunkle’s “At the Zoo” going through my head ALL day at Blaire and John’s wedding. Partly because, yes, we were at the St Louis Zoo all day, but also partly due to the wild tale of how everything ended up being at the zoo. Blaire and John were originally scheduled to have their wedding at another venue, but due to the venue suddenly closing and declaring bankruptcy (yikes!!!), they had to do some major scrambling, which included changing their wedding date, and get everything moved around so they could now have their wedding here. Even with all of the craziness surrounding everything, the reality is that is undoubtedly worked out for the best. The day was outstanding, and for a couple that is as much fun as they are, they deserved something fun and adventurous. And they got it!

Here are some of our favorites from the day. Huge congrats to John and Blaire, and we are so happy that we were a part of your wedding day!

A little over a week ago we had an amazing wedding with two of the sweetest people you could imagine. When we first met Kayleigh and Tanner, that was what we walked away saying. Just so sweet. Kayleigh is from St. Louis originally and Tanner is from Kentucky…where they both now live. And even though she is not technically from the South, you would hardly know that because she is that sweet (and has some of the accent now as well!). Together, they are something very very special. We had such an incredible time with these two at the amazing Grand Hall in Union Station. It was our first day back at weddings after our August break, so it was great to jump back at it all at our favorite Saint Louis location. Like any wedding day, there were a few small curve balls thrown their way, but they handled everything amazingly, and you would hardly know it. Their family and friends were a pure joy to be with, and it is one of those weddings that we wish we could do again and again.

Here are a few of our favorites from the day. Thank you SO much for letting us be a part of your day! Blessings to you both!

Joel

P.S. Special thanks to the amazing vendors! Katie from Union Station (our venue hero). Tina Barrera the master florist of Special Events Florist (sorry again for breaking your candle glass haha). Chris McMahon from McMusic DJ (very nice to finally meet and work with you).

P.P.S This wedding was a week after having emergency appendix removal. Thanks to my amazing wife for being a rockstar and making sure I took small breaks here and there to sit down so I could make it through the day. Love you, babe. And thank you to my amazing friend (and future-bride-in-front-of-my-camera-to-be) Tara. Thanks for yelling at me to stop carrying heavy things…even if I ignored your commands and glares most of the time.

Every wedding has its own unique elements that make it special, but some weddings have just a little bit extra. Usually for me, that has to do with family. Kacey and Matt’s wedding was unique in that it was a joining of families. Matt came into the relationship with four amazing kids, and anytime you have a situation like that, it can go various ways. But it was amazing for us to see how excited they were. Kacey and Matt have been together since 2016, so everyone has already seen each other as family for a long time. But this made it official, and it was amazing to see how much the kids love her (which was especially on display when Matt’s oldest son Jack gave a very moving and loving speech at the start of the reception). It was such a blessing to see. We were thrilled to be a small part, and here are some of our favorites from the day. Huge congrats to Kacey, Matt and the rest of the family!

Kelsey and Brandon!!! This wedding was an absolute blast. Most weddings have a ton of running around…driving from place A to B to C and D and sometimes even more. We were excited, though, because the entire wedding day was happening at the incredible Chase Park Plaza in the central west end of St. Louis. Because of that, it took a lot of stress off, and everyone could just let loose and have a great time. For those that know Kelsey, they know that she is a bit of a fireball. When I asked her in the morning what her level of freaking-out was, it was like a 3 or 4. I (Joel) jokingly told her that was incredible because her being at 3 or 4 is about the lowest level of freaking out she is capable of at any point. We love her, though…he fire and humor kept us laughing all day. And Brandon is definitely the more relaxed of the two, but he and I have a connection in that we are both huge hockey fans…and we wasted no time talking about the Blues. When Louie, the Blues mascot, showed up. Everyone lost it. I can assure you that “Gloria” was sung with great gusto that night.

It truly was a very fun day, and we were so honored to be there. Here are some of our favorites…hope you like them. HUGE CONGRATS TO KELSEY AND BRANDON!!!

First off, let me say that this was an amazing wedding that basically popped off a Pinterest page. This was largely thanks to the mother of the groom, Stacey, who was wedding planner extraordinaire! Jessica and Colby had a vision to be married outside at Colby’s parent’s home. Think Father of the Bride style for those of you old enough to have seen it. There was a gorgeous ceremony spot complete with 2 wooden doors for a double door entrance down the aisle and pews for the guests to sit on…in the yard. Then the tent for the reception was one of the most beautifully decorated spaces I have ever seen. Mad shout out to the amazing team that put all of those details together! Ok, so that is the wow of the location. And while all of those details, décor and beauty are what we often think of and obsess over for a wedding (particularly if you are the bride!), that is not really what made this wedding over the top.

Jessica and Colby have surrounded themselves with an amazing group of friends that they share memories and adventures with and who do life with them. It was incredible to see how much love and support they had from them, along with their incredible families! Not least of all from their adorable little “dog of honor.” The best man was one of our former grooms, Nick (here you can see their Perryville Wedding photos). And we always love it when we get to work with friends of our past couples. Good people know good people, and this was certainly the case here.

Sometimes things just all come together to make a truly magical day. Great people, beautiful surroundings, even the rain decided to quit and not spoil the plans! We were honored to get to be a part of this new chapter for Jessica and Colby and can’t wait to see where life takes them!

~Shannon