St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church

Wedding Day

Wedding

Abe & Jake's Landing

Reception

Our Wedding

Erin and Matt met at work. At least that's the short story. While on a recruiting trip down at Rolla, Matt was attending the career fair looking for a job after graduation and Erin was a recruiter for the company they both now work at. Erin thought Matt would be a good fit because he could easily chat with her and he stocked beer on the weekends as his college job for extra money. Once Matt came to the office and interviewed with the managers he was offered a job and accepted. Matt graduated in May and began working at EN Engineering. As fate would have it, he was placed in the same group as Erin and they sat next to each other. When Matt started most of the team was out of town for projects, as we often are now, and so Erin actually trained Matt. After a while they began to realize there was a deeper connection. Erin invited Matt to come to a birthday party in Lawrence for a friend of hers and they've been together ever since!

Our Love Story

Everyone knows that Erin is very type-A. She hates surprises, and she had been waiting a while for Matt to propose. Matt had been saving up to buy Erin the ring she picked out and he'd been traveling for work a bit. Once Matt bought the ring, he called Erin's mom and asked for her blessing. Matt couldn't keep the secret much longer, and he wasn't sure Erin's mom would be able to either, so on a Monday night Erin came home from her workout at Orange Theory around 8:30pm. Erin cooked dinner, Matt lit some candles and poured some wine. Erin was surprised that Matt was going to drink wine, because he's more of a whiskey guy, but she thought perhaps he's trying something new. After dinner was over, Erin started to clear the dishes from the table, Matt stopped her and said, wait, I have a question for you, to which Erin responded, "ok, why are you being weird?". At this moment Erin thought, oh shit, he's doing this now, isn't he? Sure enough, Matt professed his love, got down on one knee and asked Erin to spend the rest of her life with him. She immediately said yes!

The Proposal

Our Story

The Ceremony

Location

St. John The Evangelist Catholic Church1234 Kentucky St.Lawrence, KS 66044

Details

The full mass ceremony will begin at 2pm.

Attire

The church is air conditioned, so cocktail or formal attire is requested.

The Reception

Abe and Jake's Website

<a href="http://abejakes.com/gallery/" target="_blank">http://abejakes.com/gallery/</a>

Cocktail hour will begin at 6pm. Beer and Wine are provided along with light appetizers, Dinner will be served family style around 7:30pm

Photo Booth

A photo booth will be set up to the right of the bar area. Please enjoy this! The bride and groom will have a scrapbook made with all the photos!

Abe and Jake's is air conditioned so cocktail or formal attire is requested.

Love

Engagement Photos

Photos

Jon and Matt met through Nate.While they went to opposing high schools, a big STL thing, they didn't let that stop them from hanging out throughout high school.Fast forward to the college years and they were basically inseparable. On the weekends one could always find these two hanging out at their favorite local place, Mattingly's, playing darts and having fun with the locals.

Jon Gintz

Mandi and Erin met in Rolla, MO while attending Missouri S&amp;T.  They became quick friends with many like interest and were also members of an elite women's service organization, Lambda Sigma Pi.  Mandi currently resides in Dallas, TX and Erin and Mandi enjoy getting together when Erin visits her family in Dallas every summer and other times throughout the year.

Mandi Giles

Sarah and Erin met the summer between Freshman and Sophomore year of college.  They became instant friends through their mutual love of pina coladas and dancing!  They have stayed close ever since.  Sarah, unfortunately won't be able to make the big day in person, but thanks to technology she will be face-timed in!

Sarah Pais

Peter and Matt met during high school at CBC.Through their love of computers and video games they became great friends.They built Matt's first computer and, like most guys and cars, gave it a female name Beth.Most weekends found Matt dragging Beth to Peter's house, along with cases of Monster Energy drinks, and spending the entire weekend watching movies, playing games, and being "nerds". This further went on in college as they both went to Rolla.

Peter Bergamini

Caleb and Matt met conveniently through work as they started on the same exact day.Since they were going through the same situation it was only natural to start hanging out.Additionally they both went to Rolla for college, but never actually met there.Caleb is a sports nut and also plays golf when he has spare time, which is what Matt loves to do.Going through a recent marriage himself, Caleb has also been a great resource for Matt to discuss with.

Caleb Smith

Ana and Erin have been best friends since 7th grade.  Ana moved to San Antonio from Michigan and she and her family began attending St. Mark's Catholic Church.  Ana and Erin were in the same religious ed classes every year and also were very active participants in the youth group.  Ana and Erin have remained close and Erin had the honor of being one of Ana's bridesmaids in 2011.

Ana Prater (Aguirre)

Katie and Erin met while attending Missouri S&amp;T in Rolla, MO.  Katie is Erin's big sister in their sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha.  Once Katie chose Erin as her little sister, Erin and Katie were roommates until Katie graduated.  They shared many fabulous memories in Zeta and in their first apartment! Erin had the honor of being one of Katie's bridesmaids when Katie and Dan got married in 2008.

Katie Aiken (Thompson)

Nate and Matt have known each other since grade school at St. Norbert.He is rather laid back and quiet which allowed for something to be in common and hang out. They were in the same Cub Scout pack 615 until reaching Boy Scouts. They both ended up going to Rolla for college.

Nate Grasso

Alex and his wife Megan met Erin and Matt through kickball, one of Lawrence's greatest spring/summer/fall pastimes. The two couples have spent countless hours kicking balls, hanging out in Lawrence and even vacationed in New Orleans in 2014!Matt met Alex through Erin, as she is friends with Alex's wife Megan. They share a passion for electronics and video games.The biggest thing that brought them together is pretty much being the only guys hanging out in a group of crazy girls at most functions.

Alex Hawman

Kelsey and Erin met in Lawrence, KS where Kelsey was a personal trainer at Body Boutique, a local women's gym.  Erin and Kelsey instantly hit it off and have continued to be close friends.  They both play many sports together and against each other.  They love to have doggy play dates as well and Lenny loves playing with Kelsey and Brian's dogs, Dudley and Hank.  Kelsey still gets to torture Erin during group work outs and individual personal training sessions.  Don't let that last statement fool you, Erin requests it!

Kelsey Fortin

Aaron and Erin met in 2007 while they both worked at Frito Lay in Topeka, KS.  After her internship ended Erin returned to school and Aaron moved on to work for Gatorade.  After several years of living in Lawrence, Erin connected with Aaron's wife Ashley through a mutual friend and then Erin and Aaron reconnected.  We now get to watch KU basketball games together, have great debates on the best way to engineer something and discuss our love of fancy cars!Aaron is another friend Matt met through Erin.They share a love of cars and electronics.Being engineers there is always the battle of doing something the best, most efficient, cost effective, or outlandish way possible.

Aaron Weigle

Wedding Party

Registry

Q + A

The Springhill suites in next door to Abe and Jake's Landing and offers free wifi, free breakfast, and free parking. The church and reception venue are about 6 blocks from each other, all in the heart of downtown Lawrence.A block of rooms has been reserved at a reduced rate for Friday July 14th and Saturday July 15th. Call the hotel and tell them you are with the Hayden-Garger Wedding.<a href="http://www.marriott.com/meeting-event-hotels/group-corporate-travel/groupCorp.mi?resLinkData=Hayden/Garger%20Wedding%20%5ELWCKS%60HGWHGWK%60150.00%60USD%60false%604%607/14/17%607/16/17%606/1/17&amp;app=resvlink&amp;stop_mobi=yes" target="_blank"></a>

SpringHill Suites Lawrence

Lawrence is about 45 minutes from the Kansas City Airport (MCI). From MCI, follow the signs towards Topeka and then take I-70 West. There is a $2 toll, they accept cash or credit card and do provide change. Once you're on I-70, take exit 202 into Lawrence. This will take you to the main area of town. From here you can access downtown and other attractions such as KU.

Directions From The Airport

Lawrence does have Uber for any transportation needs. The Church is about 6 blocks from the reception venue if guests would prefer to walk.

Uber 

A block of room has been reserved at a reduced rate at the Towneplace Suites as well. Please call the hotel and tell them you are with the Hayden-Garger Wedding.This hotel is located right between the church and reception venue. It's about 3 blocks from each. It's the newest hotel in Lawrence and offers very spacious rooms, free wifi, free breakfast, and free garage parking.

TownePlace Suites Lawrence Downtown

Travel

This lovely winery is located about 10 minutes outside of Lawrence. They are open on Saturdays for tastings. Tastings are $5 and include 8 wines. This is a favorite summer spot for the bride!

Blue Jacket Crossing Winery

Allen Fieldhouse is the basketball venue for college hoops. The Kansas Jayhawks are one of the most winning programs in the United States and have even won the World University Games in 2015. The Booth Hall of Fame showcases KU athletics throughout the ages. Admission is free and the facility is open from 10am to 5pm.

Allen Fieldhouse

This is a great place to take the kids and let them burn off some energy! They have great rates and plenty of things for kids to do. From a bouncy floor, to a jungle gym, crafts, and even short video recording.

Laugh Out Loud, Inc.

"Because without beer, things don't seem to go as well." The saying is so true! Free State Brewing Company was the first legal brewery to open in Kansas and it opened in 1989! Great local beer and fabulous food! Grab a beer after the ceremony and then enjoy some more during the reception. They offer build your own flights and tasters if you're not sure what you want.

Free State Brewing Company