From March 2009 to August 2011, just about two and a half years, Adam and his three brothers all got married. Good thing their parents have four sons, not four daughters!
Alex, the brother that's closest in age to Adam, was the last to join the married club. He met his new wife, Kate, when they worked as teaching assistants at a summer camp. Now they are both in graduate school at Indiana. Alex is getting his master's in public policy and Kate is getting her PhD in religious studies.
Another random {but important} fact about Alex - he really likes China. He studied abroad there for two semesters in college. After graduating, he got a Fulbright to teach English there for a year. He was actually in China again this summer, doing an internship at a consulting firm.
But anyway, on to the wedding weekend. We flew into Saint Louis, Missouri early Friday morning and immediately headed to the City Museum to meet up with the rest of the fam. The museum is basically a really awesome giant jungle gym. Alex had been before and really enjoyed it, so he thought everyone else would too.
We had lunch at a little deli and then made a two-hour drive to Rolla, where Kate grew up. Then it was time for the rehearsal. As you can see, Adam got to be the best man!
Followed by the rehearsal dinner, of course. Adam's parents hosted it at a nearby banquet facility. There was the usual slide show {always a crowd-pleaser} and a delicious buffet.
The wedding festivities began at 1:00 the next day. The ceremony was held at the church Kate grew up attending. She wore a really pretty vintage-y dress that her aunt actually sewed for her. Alex wore a suit that he had custom made in China for a ridiculously low price. Pink was the color of choice for the bridal party's attire.
Right after the ceremony, there was a dessert reception at the church. Kate did such a great job with the decorations. There were so many cute little touches that made the wedding really special. Of course, I did a horrible job of snapping photos of them.
But, I did remember to grab one shot of the centerpieces. Kate's mom scoured thrift stores for vintage cake toppers and wedding figurines. Kate thought of fun sayings for each. The one above says, "Love the nerd you're with."
After the dessert reception and some group pictures, family and close friends headed to Kate's parents' house for an after-wedding picnic. Barbecue was on the menu for dinner, followed by games {like ping-pong and corn hole} and an ice cream sundae bar.
Yet again, there were lots of cute little touches. Like this "Kate and Alex" themed crossword puzzle that was waiting at each place setting.
Before we knew it, the party was over and the newlyweds were off to their honeymoon in the Florida Keys!
On Sunday, we were planning to go to Mass and see the famous St. Louis Arch before catching our flight back to Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, Adam and his dad both came down with a nasty stomach bug {maybe food poisoning?} in the wee hours of the morning.
So, we had to scrap the Mass and Arch plan. But Adam was feeling well enough to make it back to Pittsburgh, thank goodness. And our friend Andy picked us up from the airport so we didn't have to take the horribly slow city bus home. Thanks, Andy!
Now that the boys are all married off, Adam's parents can breathe a big sigh of relief. His little sister, Katie, is just about to turn sixteen, so there won't be another wedding in the family for quite a while.
Alex, the brother that's closest in age to Adam, was the last to join the married club. He met his new wife, Kate, when they worked as teaching assistants at a summer camp. Now they are both in graduate school at Indiana. Alex is getting his master's in public policy and Kate is getting her PhD in religious studies.
Another random {but important} fact about Alex - he really likes China. He studied abroad there for two semesters in college. After graduating, he got a Fulbright to teach English there for a year. He was actually in China again this summer, doing an internship at a consulting firm.
But anyway, on to the wedding weekend. We flew into Saint Louis, Missouri early Friday morning and immediately headed to the City Museum to meet up with the rest of the fam. The museum is basically a really awesome giant jungle gym. Alex had been before and really enjoyed it, so he thought everyone else would too.
We had lunch at a little deli and then made a two-hour drive to Rolla, where Kate grew up. Then it was time for the rehearsal. As you can see, Adam got to be the best man!
Followed by the rehearsal dinner, of course. Adam's parents hosted it at a nearby banquet facility. There was the usual slide show {always a crowd-pleaser} and a delicious buffet.
The wedding festivities began at 1:00 the next day. The ceremony was held at the church Kate grew up attending. She wore a really pretty vintage-y dress that her aunt actually sewed for her. Alex wore a suit that he had custom made in China for a ridiculously low price. Pink was the color of choice for the bridal party's attire.
Right after the ceremony, there was a dessert reception at the church. Kate did such a great job with the decorations. There were so many cute little touches that made the wedding really special. Of course, I did a horrible job of snapping photos of them.
But, I did remember to grab one shot of the centerpieces. Kate's mom scoured thrift stores for vintage cake toppers and wedding figurines. Kate thought of fun sayings for each. The one above says, "Love the nerd you're with."
After the dessert reception and some group pictures, family and close friends headed to Kate's parents' house for an after-wedding picnic. Barbecue was on the menu for dinner, followed by games {like ping-pong and corn hole} and an ice cream sundae bar.
Yet again, there were lots of cute little touches. Like this "Kate and Alex" themed crossword puzzle that was waiting at each place setting.
Before we knew it, the party was over and the newlyweds were off to their honeymoon in the Florida Keys!
On Sunday, we were planning to go to Mass and see the famous St. Louis Arch before catching our flight back to Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, Adam and his dad both came down with a nasty stomach bug {maybe food poisoning?} in the wee hours of the morning.
So, we had to scrap the Mass and Arch plan. But Adam was feeling well enough to make it back to Pittsburgh, thank goodness. And our friend Andy picked us up from the airport so we didn't have to take the horribly slow city bus home. Thanks, Andy!
Now that the boys are all married off, Adam's parents can breathe a big sigh of relief. His little sister, Katie, is just about to turn sixteen, so there won't be another wedding in the family for quite a while.
City Museum is an outrageously cool place! I'm glad you got to experience it!
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