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Retta and Eric
October 9, 2004
St. Louis, Missouri
Photography by Tina Halturin Photography
ABOUT THE BRIDE: Retta grew up in St. Louis and graduated
from St. Joseph's Academy and from Miami University Design. She
proceeded to spend time working in New York for designers Betsey
Johnson, Tommy Hilfiger and Nicole Miller. Circumstances soon brought
her back to St. Louis where she is currently working on her own design
business, starting with a line of high-end stationery.
ABOUT THE GROOM: Eric grew up in St. Louis and graduated
from Ladue High School and the Rhode Island School of Design, with a
BFA in Illustration. He returned to St. Louis and quickly started a
productive freelance business. Eric's works can be seen in everything
from children's books to stained glass. He is also a former freelance
artist for Mary Engelbreit.
HOW THEY MET: Eric and Retta met through mutual friends, all
members of their favorite local band, in early 2002. For several
months, they seemed to run into each other in the most unusual places.
Finally, fate hit them and they started dating in December. It only
took six more months for Eric's proposal. A definite whirlwind!
ENGAGEMENT: Eric had intended on proposing to Retta on a
trip they would be taking that July to New York. However, Retta was
starting to catch on to Eric's plan. In May, the couple went to their
friend's restaurant/bar for drinks. Little did Retta know that Eric
had picked up the ring that morning and that it was burning a hole in
his pocket. That evening, amongst all of their closest friends, Eric
took Retta completely by surprise and popped the question. (She, of
course, said yes).
PLANNING: The couple decided to focus their wedding around
one thing -- the wedding invitations. Both of them artists, Retta and
Eric decided to start her design business off by designing their
wedding stationery trousseau. Each piece, from the save-the-date to
the thank-you note, was hand illustrated by the pair and represented
their special day.
The overall planning process was made quite easy for the pair,
mostly due to their choice in vendors. Each one brought their unique,
artistic touch to the event. Josie Littlepage, of
Cosmopolitan Events, helped
take the stress out; Tony Corso, of Simply Fabulous
Flowers, brought his amazing creativity to the décor; and photographer
Tina Halturin helped capture
all of the excitement of the engagement, leading up to the big day.
ATTIRE: The "Three Rettas" (the bride, her mother and her
grandmother) met up with the maid of honor in Chicago for an annual
"girls weekend", but this time the focus was the wedding dress. They
all looked at several designers, but it wasn't until they went to the
Vera Wang Salon at Barneys that all of their diverse tastes coincided
and Retta (the bride) found the perfect dress. The bridesmaids wore
chocolate brown, tea-length dresses from BCBG, which were also found
in Chicago. The groom and groomsmen wore black, European-style
tuxedos from Men's Warehouse.
THE CEREMONY: Retta and Eric had a full, Catholic mass at
The Church of Saint Joseph's in Clayton. The church was the one in
which Eric served mass as a child and the same one in which Retta's
parents married almost thirty years ago to the day. Msgr. John
Shamleffer, a friend of the bride's family, performed the afternoon
ceremony.
THE RECEPTION: Immediately after the ceremony, Retta and
Eric were whisked off to Norwood Hills Country Club in a friend's
1938 antique Woodie, which was a highlight for the car-enthusiast
groom. Once at the club, guests enjoyed a lengthy period of music and
cocktails by the pool. At dusk, they all proceeded to the ballroom
for a lavish dinner of beef tenderloin and Alaskan halibut. After
toasts and dessert, they headed outside onto the patio where they
danced the night away to Arvell and Co., all under a magnificent tent.
With so many out of town guests, some from halfway around the world,
Retta and Eric wanted to treat everyone to a true taste of St. Louis.
Therefore, the evening was topped off with 'late-night snacks',
featuring food from some of St. Louis' favorite late-night haunts.
VENDORS WE USED:
Wedding Planner - Cosmopolitan Events
Photography - Tina Halturin Photography
Cake - Truffes
Flowers - Tony Corso at Simply Fabulous Flowers
Reception - Norwood Hills Country Club
Attire - Vera Wang, BCBG, and the Men's Warehouse
Band - Arvell and Co.
Stationery - Retta le Ritz Paperie
Hair/Makeup - Dominic Michael Salon, Phillip Goodman of Chanel
If you have questions or comments for Retta and Eric, please
e-mail them.
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