Karen and Gregg
October 7, 2001
St. Louis, Missouri

ABOUT THE BRIDE: Karen hails from Toronto, Canada. She is a professor of music at Northern Arizona University, and principal French horn of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra.

ABOUT THE GROOM: Gregg was born and raised in St. Louis and is employed by a Los Angeles-based software company.

HOW WE MET:: Gregg and Karen met in an internet chat room in September 1999. He was busy traveling for work every week and she was teaching at a university in southern Illinois. After a couple of months spent chatting into the late hours of the night about books, music, and dating horror stories, they finally met in person for sushi. The rest, as they say, is history!

ENGAGEMENT: During the summer of 2000, Karen returned to Arizona to complete the coursework for her doctoral degree at Arizona State University. She flew back to St. Louis to visit Gregg often. On one of those visits, in mid-June, Karen presented an engagement ring and popped the question to a very stunned Gregg! (He said yes!) They designed Karen's engagement ring at the Diamond Shop in Clayton during her next visit back to St. Louis. They officially announced their engagement to family and friends on July 1st - Canada Day!

PLANNING: Karen and Gregg selected October 7, 2001 as their wedding date, which fell on the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend. This allowed the many family and friends joining them from Canada an extra day for travel. Karen planned the majority of the wedding herself, as her mother, maid of honour, and bridesmaids were all Canadian. She couldn't have done it without the invaluable help of Wedding-Club.com and Arina's wonderful advice!

Gregg's parents planned and hosted a lovely rehearsal dinner for the wedding party and the out-of-town guests. It was held in the unique setting of Grant's Lodge the night before the wedding.

ATTIRE: The bride chose an embroidered and beaded ivory silk gown with a semi-cathedral length train from Private Label by G. She wore a two-tier veil and a headpiece beaded with crystals and pearls. Karen's "something blue" was a pair of pale blue suede mules she wore beneath her gown. The maid of honour, bridesmaids, and female groomsperson wore black gowns of their own choosing. The groom, groomsmen, and fathers wore traditional black cutaways with black vests, grey trousers, and four-in-hand ties.

THE CEREMONY: Karen and her father rode in a white 1950 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith limousine to the three o'clock ceremony at Christ Memorial Lutheran Church in Affton. 120 guests were treated to superb organ music performed by one of Gregg's closest childhood friends. The pews were decorated with taper candles under hurricane lamps on white wrought iron stands, adorned with climbing ivy and ivory pew bows. Vibrant autumn-coloured floral arrangements adorned the altar.

THE RECEPTION:: Windows Off Washington was the setting for the festive reception following the ceremony. Guests nibbled on hors d'oeuvres and sipped champagne while being entertained with live jazz by Silk Pajamas. The seated dinner included beef tenderloin and herb-encrusted pork loin, followed by the delicious raspberry creme-filled citrus pound wedding cake created by Cravings. Family and friends danced the night away in the twinkling candlelit room. Many guests enjoyed the clear autumn evening outside on the balcony overlooking downtown St. Louis.

HOW WE PERSONALIZED THE WEDDING: Karen surprised Gregg, and all of their guests, by serenading her new husband with a rendition of "My Romance" before dinner. There was barely a dry eye in the room! Foregoing the traditional bouquet toss, Karen presented her bouquet to her Grandmother who had recently celebrated her 54th wedding anniversary. The bride and groom shared a dance with their parents who had celebrated their 30th and 40th wedding anniversaries that year, dancing to the song that Karen's parents had danced to on their wedding day - "A Groovy Kind of Love" by the Mindbenders. In lieu of favours, Gregg and Karen informed their guests that they had made a donation to the United Way September 11th Fund.

THINGS WE LOVED: The entire weekend was absolutely perfect! It was so touching to have our many family and friends join in the celebration of our wedding! All of our vendors were terrific - we could not have been more pleased. We love looking through the stunning photographs by Susan Jackson and reliving every moment. It is truly a day we will never forget!

Photography by Susan Jackson Photography
Flowers by Belle Fleur
Ceremony/Reception at Windows Off Washington
Bridal Gown: Blustein's House of Brides

If you have questions or comments for Karen and Gregg please e-mail them at corenfa@msn.com.