Well, they did it. My friends Nick & Jarah are officially married. I think the way things unfolded on their wedding weekend was so perfectly THEM. Their rehearsal night kicked off the fun festivities… they had a casual buffet dinner in the private party room at Flamingo Bowl. Neil and I had a great time hanging out, eating and bowling (I even got a two strikes and a few spares!!!)
Their actual wedding day was Snake Saturday in St. Louis, and all of their events took place downtown. Jarah and Nick, both with a “Mc” adorning their last names, are no strangers to the Irish celebratory events. So the blocked-off downtown streets that were blanketed in boisterous parade-goers and thrill-seekers dressed in green were somehow fitting for their betrothal. Despite the challenge of getting around downtown (Courtney and I had our own share of getting from one place to the other with all our heavy equipment!!!), all of Jarah & Nick’s family and friends were able to get to their marks and see this fun-loving couple down the aisle.
As aforementioned, Courtney Tompson from Moberly, was my sidekick for the day!
Jarah’s fraternal twin niece and nephew were the ringbearer and flowergirl. They were characters!
Courtney was with the guys, who were rolling in style…(Jarah’s gift to Nick is on the right…great seats to a Cubs game…which means A LOT because JArah is a HUGE Cardinals fan..)
Jarah told me beforehand that the elements she was most looking forward to were seeing Nick in his tux and seeing him react to her in her dress. (She LOVED wedding-dress shopping because it made her feel so pretty!)
Let’s just say he was wowed…and might have even shed a tear. 😉
Everything had been running behind all morning…but luckily, Jarah had taken my advice and padded the timeline enough so we didn’t have to make any sacrifices. And Jarah was determined to get to the arch before they arrived at the church. So we did a quick photo session there!
Nick was wowed TWICE!
In Nick’s words…these are a few of the reasons he loves Jarah.
“I love the way she makes me a better person. I love the drive she has; Jarah has such great focus in school. I love her beautiful brown eyes! They can melt me. I love her pudgy little fingers! Ha! And I love her heart. She cares so much for everyone in her life!”
“I love the way she makes me a better person. I love the drive she has; Jarah has such great focus in school. I love her beautiful brown eyes! They can melt me. I love her pudgy little fingers! Ha! And I love her heart. She cares so much for everyone in her life!”
In Jarah’s words…these are a few of the reasons she loves Nick.
“I love Nick because I knew from the very beginning that he was willing to go the distance to make our relationship work…literally. We were long distance the first 2 years of our relationship, and he drove hundreds of miles every weekend to see me, without complaining about it. He’s attentive and compassionate, and he puts me first. He has so easily blended in to my family, loving my parents and other family members like they are his own. When I see him playing with my niece and nephews, I think about how great of a father he will be someday. Nick is a hard worker and he’s ambitious, I know he will always work hard to provide for me and his future children. Oh yeah, and I love his smile and his ornery little laugh. :-)”
And then it was party time…at Windows on Washington (I love this venue!!! Great lighting…a blank canvas on which brides and grooms can paint the mood of their wedding!!)
Such an inexpensive way to totally change the vibe of the space…lanterns! and on the right, their table names were their favorite love songs!!!
Courtney and I were mesmerized by the cake…because of the changing lighting, we thought we had to take a photo of it in each color…over and over… and because it was so darn cute, we had to tear ourselves away. haha The cake topper is actually 60 years old…was used on Jarah’s Grandma’s cake, too!
Their first dance song was “Chances Are” by Bob Seger & Martina McBride from the movie HOPE FLOATS
Phew! Sorry for the copious amount of photos…but that is what happens when have known the bride for a decade!!!!!
Usually at this time, I mention something like…”have fun on your honeymoon!” or “hope you had a great time on your honeymoon”…etc… BUT… Jarah, as Nick said above, is so dedicated to her career goals (of becoming a CRNA) that the Monday after her wedding, she was whisked away…to Rolla, Mo., for a six-week rotational, sans new husband!!! At least it will prolong the newlywed bliss, right?
And I’ll close with this pic of Jarah & Nick…and Neil & me!!! When the four of us are together, there is guaranteed to be a good kind of outrageousness!
Jarah & Nick…so excited to have been a part of your special day…and can’t wait to watch you two grow as a couple and a family. I love you both to pieces!!!!!!
Vendors of note for Jarah & Nick’s wedding day…..Hair/makeup–Autumn HandBridesmaid dresses–Jim HjelmWedding dress–EnzoaniChurch–Lafayette Park United Methodist ChurchFlorist–Les BouquetsCake–Sugaree/PatCaterer–Windows on WashingtonDJ–TKO DJs
