Wedding Day

St. Lawrence Catholic Center

Ceremony

Abe & Jake's Landing

Cocktail Hour

Dinner & Dancing

Our Wedding

We first met in college at the University of Kansas. Over the summer of 2023, our beloved Fr. Dan Morris introduced us at some friends' engagement party. Fr. Dan told us that we both attended Sacred Heart parish in Shawnee and went to rival high schools growing up. At the time, Ciara was enjoying her singlehood and Ben was discerning the priesthood. As the following school semester started, we saw each other here and there at Johnny's Tavern outings, daily Masses and in-between moments at the St. Lawrence Center. Ben was thinking about Ciara, while she began to notice he was around a lot more often... Eventually in October, Ben finally asked Ciara on a date after a 9 p.m. Monday Mass. We've been together since! Only two weeks later, Ben was offered a position at Clemson University to work and pursue his master's degree. We decided he should take the opportunity, but we continued our dating relationship because it felt right. We had a great three months hanging out with friends, watching movies, praying Rosaries, attending KU games, going to St. Louis for the SEEK 24 conference, and experiencing an amazing trip to Rome together with St. Lawrence. On January 19, 2024, Ben left for Clemson, South Carolina and we began our year and 6 months of long distance (488/567 days spent apart!). Long distance was incredibly formative for both of us. We underwent a lot of spiritual, physical, and emotional growth (and sufferings) over that time. Although it was hard and trying, we firmly believe God was forming us for the marriage He has designed for us. It was all for His glory! Ben proposed to Ciara in April 2025, the weekend after Easter. We started our engagement long distance but Ben finally came back home to Kansas in August 2025. We have been intentionally preparing for this day since. Thanks for reading our story, and pray for us as we embark on this new chapter!

Our Story

Photo Timeline of Our Story

Photos

~ The Bride's Party ~

Kieran Sumpter

Bria Sumpter

Emily Stove

Sara Grosser

Kate Blase

Olivia Kaufman

~ The Groom's Party ~

Mac Lambert

Joshua Stove

Hector DeLeon

Jackson Coulter

Reagan Dricken

DJ Muehlberger 

Wedding Party

P S A ! Because of the FIFA World Cup tournaments happening in Kansas City in 2026, there will likely be limited hotel spaces available. We recommend booking as soon as you know you can make our wedding! Airbnb and Vrbo are also suitable options. Here are a few hotels in Lawrence that we would recommend:

Hampton Inn

SpringHill Suites

Eldridge Hotel

Travel

The Baker Wetlands provide a nice, peaceful atmosphere for walking, running or relaxing. The wetlands are near and dear to Ben and I as this was a classic date spot, and is also where we got engaged!

Baker Wetlands

In undergrad, we visited Johnny's North many Friday evenings with a group of close friends. The building is ancient and full of history, all while providing a great sports bar atmosphere. We recommend trying their Bavarian pretzel and the Blue Collar Lager.

Johnny's Tavern (The Original)

We highly recommend visiting Free State for a drink, especially if you are not a Lawrence or Kansas native. It's a classic, with a lot of history and great beer!

Free State Brewing Company

If you've never visited our beloved KU, please check it out! Take a walk down Jayhawk Boulevard to pass by the Chi O fountain, Potter Lake and the campanile on your way down to the Oread Hotel. Since it's the summer, students won't be around to drive you crazy and you'll have free parking!

University of Kansas

The Natural History Museum at KU is an awesome place to spend an afternoon. There are a lot of really cool artifacts and collections there, including fossils. Who doesn't like looking at super old bones?

KU Natural History Museum

Things to Do

Who can I bring with me? For numerous reasons, we have limited RSVPs only to who is listed on your invitation. So, no plus ones or kiddos unless specified. We apologize that the whole world can't party with us, but that's what Heaven is for!

What should I wear? We ask our guests to wear summery cocktail attire for our celebration. We want to be classy and appropriate, yet fun and bright. The middle of summer calls for florals, pastels, soft yellows and long sundresses. Please be modest and mindful!PSA: The wedding party is wearing steel blue and navy

Where/when should I RSVP? RSVPs are now live! Invitations should be arriving soon. We ask invited guests to RSVP no later than May 30, 2026. If you don't, you'll probably regret it.

Where should I stay? Please see the Travel tab for more information.

Will there be food? Drinks? Of course! We will commune over a taco bar dinner and, quite necessarily, we'll have plenty of alcohol. Please contact us ASAP if you need any food accommodations.

When should I arrive? Ceremony: Please be approximately 20 minutes early before the start of Mass to annotate our Bible, and to get a seat and pamphlet. Reception: Cocktail hour starts at 5 P.M. and dinner is at 6 P.M. so if you need a nap, you'll have enough time to snooze before the party starts.

What's a Mass? Do I sit-stand-kneel-repeat? The Holy Mass is the epitome of worship in the Christian faith, and the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony is often celebrated in the Mass setting. Our faith in Christ Jesus is the foundation of all we do, so this is very important to us. We're honored to share our love for God the Father alongside you! For more Catholic Q&amp;A, click <a href="https://www.catholic.com/?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=8691066844&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADAL_bkijJe1neTGsJHu_jep5HoFA&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAl-_JBhBjEiwAn3rN7TDCy7JKA_kQOOkQXtSXSX9c1_EvhKIFc64U4O2KIetuHmdwt4c-gxoCpfgQAvD_BwE" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.

Ciara & Ben

Ciara & Ben

Travel

Hampton Inn

SpringHill Suites

Eldridge Hotel