Shawnee Town Hall

Rehearsal Dinner

Wedding Day

St. Joseph Catholic Church

Wedding Ceremony

Stone Manor on 79th

Reception

Summer

Our Wedding

Our real life Chiefs love story 

Cassandra and Austin first met in 2021 at a Chief’s tailgate. Austin, a loyal fan, has been going to Chiefs games for 13 years, tailgating with the same group each game. Cassandra was a newbie. She was invited to the game by JoLynn (who you’ll see as a bridesmaid) and was welcomed by the tailgate group. We chatted and had a good time, however went our own ways after the game. But Austin was smitten (per Cassandra) and asked his friend if he should DM her. He was told to hold off and so he waited (good call Leon!)…   Over the next year, we hung out a handful of times with a group of friends. The running joke was that we were JoLynn’s only ‘single’ friends, so if they invited one of us, they had to invite the other to make it an even number. We hung out at game nights, dinner, and even an escape room. Finally, through JoLynn, he asked if Cassandra would be interested in going to a KU basketball game. Unfortunately, Cassandra was coaching volleyball that night and could make it, so JoLynn’s husband went instead - and will always claim he went on Cassandra’s first date with Austin!   Come July 2nd 2022. Austin and Cassandra were invited to go to the Kenny Chesney concert at Arrowhead and of course, they both said yes! Under the magic of Arrowhead and No Shoes Nation, we hit it off. He bought her a hat. She bought him a light up lei. Feeling brave, or having the right amount of liquid courage, Austin asked Cassandra to come to his family’s Fourth of July celebration two days later. He said the Fourth is his favorite holiday and he would hate missing the opportunity for her to be there.  Call it brave, crazy, or fate, but Cassandra said yes!    Little did Cassandra know that when he said the fourth was with his family, it would be with a LOT of his family, and two of his closest friends. Nothing like jumping into the deep end right away! Luckily she passed the test… she then returned the favor a few weeks later by introducing Austin to her parents and friends while helping her move to a new apartment! After that though, things settled into a normal relationship with normal dates!   Two years later, after the approval of our family and both of our dogs, Austin proposed. He surprised her as much as he could. Austin was sneaky, and while celebrating our anniversary at dinner, he tasked his parents with setting the stage. When we got home, Austin took Cassandra to the backyard where there were pictures of us strung between tiki torches. He got down on one knee and asked the question. And she said YES!    We are so excited for the next chapter in our journey and are so grateful and blessed to have you all celebrating with us! Get ready to cheers to the new Mr. and Mrs. Podrebarac!!!!

Our Story

Photos

Cassandra and Lauren met working at KU Med. Lauren started as preceptor, mentor, then co-worker. Six years later, Lauren is friend, sister, even “mom” at times! Almost all ideas are filtered through Lauren first, and even Austin will ask “what did Lauren have to say?” 

Lauren Fox

Cassandra and JoLynn also met working at KU Med, but Austin actually knew her first! JoLynn gets the credit for setting Austin and Cassandra up (though she swears that wasn’t her intention!) after she introduced us at a Chiefs tailgate!

JoLynn King

Danielle is the oldest sister in the Effken trio. Keep an eye out - she has been known to break into some pushups at weddings!!! 

Danielle Burbach

Erica is the middle Effken in the sister trio! Cassandra was the most nervous for Austin to meet Erica. She can be the most intimidating of the sisters when meeting a future brother in law - but she approved!

Erica McClure

The other half of the Podrebarac sibling duo! Sara Jean is so excited that Austin and Cassandra found each other. Per Austin, she is invested in making sure this wedding happens so Austin doesn’t become her responsibility in the future as she already has four boys to take care of! 

Sara Jean Bauer

Austin met Dan in middle school playing on the same baseball team. They both attempted to play catcher (Austin will swear he was the better catcher but ended up holding down the outfield). They have maintained their friendship through high school, college and through adulthood. Austin was the best man in Dan’s wedding and is so excited for Dan to return the favor!

Dan Krumme

Austin and Justin met in Ms. Neil’s first grade class and have stayed friends ever since. Both of their middle names are Michael, so naturally they had to be best friends! Their shared love of KU basketball and the lake life are a few of the cornerstones of their friendship! 

Justin Daniels

Austin and Justin met working at Home Depot. When Justin was looking for recommendations on someone cool enough to drink “pops” with (Justin only being 18 at the time), Austin’s name was top of the list! They bonded over many days at the lake and later became roommates in Lawrence for a few years! Their friendship survived living together, and the two have been part of the Chiefs tailgate gang and Arrowhead seat ‘neighbors’ for the past twelve years!

Justin Ives

Austin and Danny met when the Jones’ moved to Lake Quivira the summer of their 6th grade year. They became friends through all the lake activities, like skipping swim team practice together. They were both on the same Shawnee Mission Northwest golf team together. Although both appear calm and well behaved, Cassandra is never surprised when she hears a crazy story from Austin’s past and finds out Danny was along side!

Danny Jones

Austin and Jarrid met freshman year of high school. They both were also on the golf team together. They spent many days golfing and partying! Jarrid’s bubbly personality compliments Austin’s quiet demeanor. Although Jarrid now lives in Florida, it’s always a fun time when they get to visit each other!

Jarrid Westbrook

Wedding Party

Q + A

Continental breakfast is available. Each room reservation includes two breakfast “tickets” per day. Kids under 12 eat for free *3/3/25 - additional rooms added to block! Please feel free to reach out to me if any issues reserving a room!

Holiday Inn & Suites Overland Park-Conv Ctr

Travel

Near the Hotel

- <a href="https://topgolf.com/us/overland-park/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Top Golf</a>- <a href="https://towncenterplaza.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Town Center Plaza</a> - dine and shop- <a href="https://www.iflyworld.com/kansas-city/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ifly Indoor Skydiving</a>- <a href="https://chickennpickle.com/location/overland-park/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chicken N Pickle</a>

Near the Church

- <a href="https://www.jocogov.org/contact-us/all-locations/shawnee-mission-park" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shawnee Mission Park</a>- <a href="https://www.frictionbeer.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Friction Beer Co</a>.- <a href="https://districtks.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">District Pour House</a>- <a href="https://www.wildchildkc.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wild Child Libations</a>

Near the Reception

- <a href="https://www.opkansas.org/recreation-fun/farmers-market/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Overland Park Farmers Market</a>- <a href="https://www.stranghall.com/stranghall" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Strang Hall</a> - food court style dining and drinks- <a href="https://www.tikitaco.com/location/downtown-op" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tiki Taco</a>- <a href="https://vintage78winebar.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vintage '78 Wine Bar</a>- <a href="https://parisicoffee.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Parisi Coffee</a>- <a href="https://www.brewlabkc.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Brew Lab</a>- <a href="https://www.maloneyssportsbar.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mahoney's Sports Bar and Grill</a>

Around KC

- <a href="https://legendsshopping.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Legends Outlets</a>- <a href="https://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Power and Light</a>- <a href="https://www.crowncenter.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Crown Center</a>- <a href="https://countryclubplaza.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Plaza</a>- <a href="https://unionstation.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Union Station</a>- <a href="www.hollywoodcasinokansas.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hollywood Casino</a>- <a href="https://www.chiefs.com/stadium/tours" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Arrowhead</a> (Stadium Tour)- <a href="https://www.mlb.com/royals/ballpark/tours" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kauffman Stadium </a>(Royals Tour. Games are away that weekend)- <a href="https://www.boulevard.com/visit-us/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Boulevard Brewing Co.</a>- <a href="https://nelson-atkins.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nelson Atkins Art Museum</a>- <a href="https://www.ikea.com/us/en/stores/merriam/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ikea</a> BBQ:Austin’s pick: <a href="https://www.joeskc.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joe’s KC</a> (Oklahoma Joe's)Cassandra’s pick: <a href="https://www.blindboxbbq.com/shawnee-menus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Blind Box BBQ </a>Bonus pick: <a href="https://q39kc.com/locations/overland-park-bbq/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Q39</a>

Cassandra & Austin

Cassandra & Austin

Photos