St Gerard Majella Parish

Wedding Day

Wedding

Beyond Broadway

Reception

Our Wedding

Conrad and Jessica met on the highly esteemed dating app, Tinder. For those of you who don't know what Tinder is, it's a rather shallow dating app that allows you to swipe right or left (essentially saying yes or no) to a person based on their appearance. Jessica saw Conrad on it, looked through his pictures and swiped right. He did the same. Now that both of them had swiped right, they were able to start messaging each other. Conrad started the conversation by saying "Hey Jessica, how's it going?" It was one of the most normal pick-up lines Jessica had gotten since being on the site, so she decided to pursue the conversation. They ended up messaging each other all day and at the end of the day, exchanged phone numbers. Conrad was in Florida for work training the first week they met, so they had their first date the following Saturday afternoon at Boogaloo in Maplewood. After that, things just fell into place. Now here they are, counting down the days until their wedding!

We swiped right!

One unsuspecting night in May, Conrad asked Jessica to go get dinner and go on a brewery tour because in her 26 years of living in St. Louis, she had never been on a tour of Anheuser Busch. I know, it should be a crime. Anyway, she agreed and the two had a very nice meal along with a few choice beverages at the Beirgarten before they were scheduled for a tour. During dinner, Conrad kept asking if Jessica wanted to go to Ted Drewes afterward to get some ice cream. She kept insisting there was no way she would be hungry after eating and drinking, but that she would go with him. She thought it was a little odd since usually she is the one who makes them go get ice cream, but she brushed it off. They finished up dinner and started walking to the brewery meeting place, only to find out it was pouring down rain outside. The tour was canceled, but that didn't stop Conrad from planning his special surprise. He had Jessica sit down on a bench and told her he had a surprise for her – he handed her an envelope and in it was a print-out of their first conversation. Jessica read through it and cried, completely unaware of what was about to happen to next. They walked out to the car, but before getting in, Conrad came over to the passenger side door and got down on one knee. It was just the two of the them, exactly how they wanted it to be. After she said yes, they drove to Ted Drewes where both families were waiting to help them celebrate. It was a truly perfect day!

The Proposal

Our Story

Ceremony

The ceremony will be held at St. Gerard Majella Parish in Kirkwood, Missouri. The address is 1971 Dougherty Ferry Rd, St. Louis, MO 63122.The ceremony will start at 2:00 pm. The wedding party will take pictures after the ceremony, so guests will have free time between the ceremony and cocktail hour. Please view the "Things to Do" section for fun things to do around the area.

The reception will be at Beyond Broadway in Soulard. The address is 112 Sidney St, St. Louis, MO 63104. There will be a cocktail hour from 5:00-6:00 pm, and dinner will start at 6:30 pm. After dinner and short formalities, we expect to see everyone out of the dance floor! There is plenty of parking available and you will be able to leave your car overnight if needed.

Details

I've known Carly for over 20 years, which pretty much makes her family at this point. For anyone who knows us, I'm sure you would agree: we are sisters. We fight like sisters, laugh like sisters, argue like sisters and love each other like sisters. She is one-of-a-kind and I couldn't imagine my life without her. So happy to have her standing next to me on my wedding day!

Carly Bahn

Gus is my younger brother by two years. We've grown up together and saw our relationship blossom when I went to college and he was wrapping up high school. Whenever Gus would visit me at Missouri State, a few of the older members of the fraternity nicknamed him "Pledge," a term of endearment, of course. We both enjoyed Gus' trips to Springfield. When he started at Mizzou, it was equally satisfying for me to make the drive north to Columbia to spend time with Gus and the boys of KA. Gus is an exemplary brother, I couldn't ask for more. If you'd like to hear a good story, ask him about the time when Craig, Brent and Gus's friend, Charlie Hart were all staying in my parents' basement.

Gus Kempa

Brent and I met at Missouri State in Kappa Sigma. After college, Brent moved to St. Louis and spent a few months living in the basement of my parents' house, which is when he really got to know Dave and Mary. Matter of fact, Brent and I have lived together in six different places since we met. Brent calls Chicago home now but makes frequent trips to St. Louis to keep in touch with his best friends despite our rivalries in sports. There aren't many things I do without Brent, so it is an honor to have him standing at the altar with me. If you'd like to hear a good story, ask Brent about the Cardinals/Royals wager we made in the summer of 2014.

Brent Cavanaugh

Deborah is one of the sweetest, most caring people I have ever met. We didn't become close until college, but she has become one of my very best friends and even put up living with me for three years. Even though we don't see each other on a daily basis anymore and she has since moved to Kansas City, I always look forward to our phone calls and visits. There is a never a dull moment when Deb is around and I love her dearly!

Deborah Wilson

Craig hails from a bustling little town hidden away in the Ozark Mountains on Table Rock Lake, Kimberling City. Craig made the superb choice of joining Kappa Sigma shortly after I did. Our bond grew like kudzu after a Thursday night at Tropical Liqueurs when we realized that we had quite a bit in common. Even though we occasionally butted heads in the fraternity as Craig was a 'gamer' and I was not, we overcame our differences. Craig and his wife, Katie eventually moved to St. Louis, and I consider Craig one of my best friends. If you'd like to hear a good story, be sure to ask Craig about Halloween in Springfield circa 2011.

Craig Welko

Erin is a fantastic friend who I've known since we were 5 years old. She's one of those people you just enjoy being around. She's always smiling and bringing happiness to those around her. I've always looked up to Erin, so it's no surprise that she would be standing beside me on the most important day of my life. And what's even better is three months later, I get to help her celebrate at her wedding!

Erin Fenton

Christina is a very good friend from college. She has always been supportive of me and my decisions and is my go-to person when I need to vent. She is a great listener and overall wonderful person. And to think, I didn't think she liked me the first time we met :) Thank goodness I got over that because I couldn't imagine doing this without her. 

Christina Shimer

Nate has lived in numerous different places and grew up traveling, but considers St. Louis his home. Like 70% of the groomsmen, Nate was a Kappa Sigma at Missouri State with me. We became close friends when Nate moved back to St. Louis after he graduated and I came home from college for Cardinal games and holidays. Nate and his family have some property along I-44 in Leasburg, MO, which is ideal for float trips. It is here, where the two of us have made lasting memories. After a short stay in St. Louis after college, Nate moved to Boston for a bit and currently resides in Washington DC with his wife Kelly, daughter Avery and son Gavin. If you'd like to hear a good story, ask Nate about giving Sam Woodard a haircut one evening at the fraternity house.

Nate O'Fallon

Mike and I have shared a lot together: DeSmet High School, Missouri State, Kappa Sigma and even now, we live a quick 15 min walk from each other. Our relationship really hit its stride after college, as Mike would frequently come over to the Land O Lake house (which housed numerous members of the wedding party) to enjoy his evenings and weekends. We have worked together swimmingly in planning numerous extremely successful bachelor parties for a few fraternity members. Mike married his wife, Bethany in 2012 and they have both been outstanding friends to me ever since. If you'd like to hear a good story, ask Mike about traveling to the Kentucky Derby for his bachelor party.

Mike Laskowitz

Amy is a high school friend, turned college friend, turned best friend. She is the one who never lets a week go by without checking in on me and seeing how my week is going. She listens to me vent (especially when wedding planning makes me crazy) and calms me down, letting me know I'm not being a Bridezilla. Not yet, atleast :) She is a true friend and I know we will be in each others' lives forever.

Amy Babitz

Joe also went to DeSmet High School, Missouri State and was a member of Kappa Sigma with me. While we were just acquaintances throughout college, our friendship has deepened since we both live in St. Louis, share sporting interests and occasionally enjoy lifting together. Joe is pretty much up for anything -- making sure that a fun time is had by all. Joe recently married his wife, Chelsea in October of 2015. If you'd like to hear a good story, ask Joe about a concert featuring a Journey cover band at Innsbrook, MO.

Joe Riney

Christina was my first new friend when I transferred to Mizzou. She was friendly and personable, which was something I desperately needed my first semester there. In fact, she is one of the main reasons I loved Mizzou so much. In addition to being a good friend, she's also a good time. We can spend hours reliving stories from college or just sitting on the couch watching Law and Order: SVU. Regardless of what we're doing, she is always so much fun to be around!

Christina Leaderbrand

I have gotten to know Alex rather well over the past two years. Our mutual adoration of sports, craft beer and poking fun at Jessica have been key elements in strengthening our bond. Whither it is trips to Chicago, or when Alex comes home to St. Louis, I always look forward to spending time with him. Alex has been an integral part in making me feel so accepted by the entire Glenn crew. I look forward to spending more time and sharing stories with Alex as we become family.

Alex Glenn

Dani is one of the most hard-working and determined people I know. She lives in New York and kicks butt at everything she does. Even though she lives a million miles away, she never fails to send me a text, birthday card, Christmas card or Facetime. She is extremely thoughtful and I am so thankful that she is taking time of her crazy, busy schedule to come celebrate with us in September!

Dani Wexelman

Mark. I'm not entirely sure why you are reading this, because EVERYONE knows Mark Baldridge. Just to re-familiarize you…Mark joined Kappa Sigma about a year after me. He frequently could be found playing Tiger Woods golf in my room, even when I wasn't around. We have been marvelous friends since the fall of 2004 and continue to this day. A favorite past time of mine and the other groomsmen is to place friendly wagers on how long Mark's annual fraternity speech is going to go. A word of advice, if you ever seen Mark grab the mic, take the over. If you'd like to hear a good story, ask Mark about our run-in with a hotel security guard in Jupiter, FL.

Mark Baldridge

Scott was one of the first, if not the first, Kappa Sigma that I met. He was vice president at the time and gave me a stunning tour of the derelict fraternity house. Throughout the next two years, Scott taught me everything I needed to know about how to survive in college. Scott and his wife, Samantha were recently married in November of 2014 and reside in St. Louis. Jessica and I enjoy visiting many of the plentiful craft breweries in the area with Scott and Samantha. If you'd like to hear a good story, ask Scott about how the term 'fitted blanket' was coined.

Scott Park

Wedding Party

Photos

Registry

Q + A

Below is a link to reserve your hotel rooms at the discounted rate. There will also be a shuttle service available to take guests to the reception and back to the hotel afterwards.<blockquote><a href="https://gc.synxis.com/rez.aspx?Hotel=63407&amp;Chain=17225&amp;arrive=9/16/2016&amp;depart=9/18/2016&amp;adult=1&amp;child=0&amp;group=GLI16A" target="_blank">https://gc.synxis.com/rez.aspx?Hotel=63407&amp;Chain=17225&amp;arrive=9/16/2016&amp;depart=9/18/2016&amp;adult=1&amp;child=0&amp;group=GLI16A</a></blockquote>

St. Louis City Center Hotel

Travel

Take a tour or sit outside in the beirgarten in between the ceremony and reception.

Jessica and Conrad

Jessica and Conrad

Registry