These two are so close to my heart. They booked me for their wedding over a year ago; it’s been so fun to see the planning and vision come to life over that period of time! When I did their engagement sessions last April, I knew their wedding day would be so full of joy and fun. Christin and JD got married this past Saturday, and held their wedding at Old Hickory Golf Club in St. Peters, Missouri! Their colors were very spring-inspired (light grey, blush, white and navy!) and meshed so well with the golf course setting. JD loves to golf (a big reason why they chose to have their wedding at Old Hickory). He had the best time driving us around on a golf cart to their bride and groom pictures location. Christin told me I made his day when I asked him to drive for us, ha! There was tons of laughter, dancing and cheers throughout their wedding day, making it one that I will never forget. 

I asked Christin all about their thoughts behind their proposal, planning process and wedding day. Here’s what she said:

Christin and JD met each other randomly at a Blues game by having seats next to each other! A few years later, JD proposed to Christin. He works for the St. Louis County Police and wore his dress uniform when he proposed to her, something that Christin said was so special to her. When it came to planning their wedding, she said that the whole experience was a whirlwind. She also said that since their engagement was 16 months long, she kind of got lost in details! Christin was in grad school during their entire engagement, which made wedding planning daunting for her. She said that the best parts of wedding planning for her were the times she spent with her friends and family. John and Christin loved picking out their wedding cake together too! Christin loved when her and her mom went shopping together and enjoyed picking out decorations with her sister. She went dress shopping two separate times – Christin said that she had no idea what she wanted the first time they went. When she went for the second time, she found ‘the one,’ with the first dress she tired on! She was looking for a lace-covered, sparkly dress with a slim silhouette, and felt it was the perfect fit. She said that throughout the entire planning process, she couldn’t wait to wear her dress for a whole day! Christin was wanting their wedding day to look clean and crisp, but to also to feel like spring. She wanted the details to be functional as well as beautiful, even down to her navy blue bedazzled flats and their photo-guestbook. She said that she was really happy with how all the decor worked out; the flowers, cake, favors, and signs! Get this – Christin designed all of the stationary herself! She downloaded software from Etsy, and took inspiration from Pinterest. She did everything from the invitations, details, and rsvp cards to the place cards and programs. They even had to make last minute changes to the programs and ended up picking them up from the printers just hours before the wedding (they looked SO good – I love that she made them herself!) Christin hadn’t really planned on doing the old, new, borrowed, blue, but with help from the ladies in her family, she had it all covered.  She had her Great-Grandma’s wedding band that had been given to Christin by her Grandma (old). Her necklace that she wore was from her Mom (new). She used a purse of her Cousin’s (borrowed). Last but not least, her sister helped her pick out her shoes (blue). Christin’s cousin even brought back two sixpence from the UK for her and her Dad to each put in each other’s shoes. John’s favorite detail about their wedding was the cake – it was their first time seeing their names as Mr. and Mrs. O’Connell, and was so sweet (literally and figuratively, ha!) for them to see. Christin was obsessed with their flowers – she said that when she saw the flowers, they brought her whole vision to life!

When it comes to giving advice to another couple planning their wedding, they said to “spend time with all of your family and friends. Make sure to give yourself enough time with the people you want to spend it with.” Their most memorable moment of their day for them was walking down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs. O’Connell. The feeling of finally being husband and wife. They had a Hall & Oates song playing in the background, making them both feel full of joy and happiness.

Mr. and Mrs. O’Connell, congratulations. I am so excited for the two of you as you begin this next adventure in life together. I wish you the best!

Cheers,

Allison

Vendors:

Photographer: Allison Slater Photography

Wedding Gown: Clarice’s Bridal

Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal

Groom and Groomsmen Suits: Jos.A.Bank

Florals: Marry Me Cottage

Cake: Sarah’s Cake Shop

DJ: Jeremy Roeder with First Class Weddings DJ Service

Videography: A Moment in Time Video Productions

Venue: Old Hickory Golf Club