Emily and Mark
June 19, 2005
St. Louis, Missouri

Photography by Joel Marion Photography

ABOUT THE BRIDE: Emily grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. She graduated from Ladue high school. She earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from Miami of Ohio. Emily currently teaches fifth grade in the Parkway School District.

ABOUT THE GROOM: Mark moved to St. Louis from the East Coast when he was 11 years old. He graduated from Lafayette high school. He received a B.A. in Communications from University of Missouri St. Louis. Mark now works as Vice President of Publishing for River City Group.

HOW WE MET: Believe it or not, Mark and Emily met on Match.com. Emily's sister convinced her to sign up and Mark was close to canceling his membership. Mark first e-mailed Emily when she was on vacation in California. The two corresponded for three weeks before meeting for coffee at Kaldi's in the Hi-Pointe-Demun Neighborhood. After only two dates the couple started spending all of their time together.

ENGAGEMENT: After teasing Emily relentlessly (including creating a ring out of tin foil and sliding it on her finger), Mark decided to pop the question just as Emily was getting ready for bed. Her response... "Are you serious?" Emily quickly responded with an emphatic, "Yes!" Mark had planned the timing based on the fact that the next day was Emily's last day of school for the year. This allowed Emily the opportunity to have "Show and Tell" the next day.

PLANNING: Mark and Emily did all of the planning together. Because the couple spent so much time in Forest Park, it did not take long at all to determine that this is where the wedding would take place. Mark and Emily both really enjoyed the process. They had the best possible vendors, many of which they had used for Emily's sister's wedding years before. Between Emily's mom, Marian, and Katie Fechter from Details, the couple knew they couldn't go wrong!

ATTIRE: The bride had a dress made from scratch (modeled after a Vera Wang dress). Her dress was made by Connie Simpson at R&M Designs. She was able to create exactly what Emily wanted! The bridesmaids dresses were from St. Louis Wedding Design and they were a Jim Hjelm design. The groom and the groomsmen rented tuxedos from Stallone's. Mark and Emily would not recommend them.

THE CEREMONY: The ceremony took place at The Jewel Box in Forest Park. It is so naturally beautiful that it needs little help. However, Randy Felkey managed to make it absolutely breathtaking. Mark and Emily were blown away by how amazing everything looked!

THE RECEPTION: The reception was at The World's Fair Pavilion. Luckily, the day was probably the most perfect weather in all of June and so watching the sunset with the water fountain in the forefront was enjoyed by all of the guests. Joel was able to get some incredible photos! The area is so spacious, but does not take much to create a very comfortable, personalized environment.

VENDORS WE USED:
Wedding Coordination - Details Event Coordinators
Invitations and Envelopes - Ultracolor
Photography - Joel Marion
Videography - Video Views
Ceremony - The Jewel Box
Reception - The World's Fair Pavilion
Flowers - Randy Felkey
Ceremony Music - Jennifer Adams & Company
Reception Music - Arvell and Company
Bridal Gown - Connie Simpson (R&M Designs)
Caterer - LaChef & Company
Make-Up - Stefani Marion