Graham Memorial Chapel (Washington University)

Wedding Day

Wedding

Clayton Plaza Hotel

Reception

Our Wedding

It was a beautiful evening in April 2010.&nbsp;Kristin McHargue&nbsp;and Joe Korte,&nbsp;sophomores at Mizzou, had yet to meet. As fate would have it,&nbsp;however,&nbsp;they&nbsp;were both looking forward to going to the same&nbsp;party that night.&nbsp;Little did&nbsp;Kristin and Joe&nbsp;realize&nbsp;that they&nbsp;would meet their soulmate at that very party. Who could have predicted&nbsp;that sparks would fly? &nbsp;Who would have guessed that a house party,&nbsp;this party, would lead to a marriage?

The party theme was "Party in the USA", per Miley Cyrus.&nbsp; The house was decorated in American flags and&nbsp;patriotic streamers.&nbsp;&nbsp;Everybody was looking their best--wearing&nbsp;head-to-toe&nbsp;red, white, and blue.&nbsp;In true Kristin fashion, she was wearing a custom made red, white, and blue toga that her mom had sewn for her. Nobody quite knows why a toga was her outfit of choice, but let's just say&nbsp;she definitely pulled it off.&nbsp;







Kristin and Joe were both enjoying themselves at the party: laughing with friends and meeting new people. Probably (definitely)&nbsp;dancing and singing along with the music&nbsp;really badly.&nbsp;







Somehow, someway, as Miley Cyrus and Bruce Springsteen played songs of our nation&nbsp;in the background,&nbsp;they crossed paths. Maybe they were waiting in line for the bathroom and made awkward small talk. Maybe they were both refreshing their drinks at the same time and their hands brushed. However it happened,&nbsp;Joe just&nbsp;couldn't take his eyes off of the beautiful girl in the toga. Not only were there stars on Kristin's toga, there were stars in Joe's eyes.&nbsp;







The sparks quickly turned into full-blown fireworks, and the rest is history.

How We Met

It was another beautiful day in April. Late morning on&nbsp;April 28th, to be exact. The sun was out and the birds were chirping.&nbsp;&nbsp;Not too hot, not too cold, all they needed was a light jacket.&nbsp;

Joe and Kristin both had a long week at work, so Joe suggested that&nbsp;they have a relaxing Saturday morning at a couple of their favorite places.&nbsp;&nbsp;The couple started the morning off by enjoying a delicious brunch at Rooster.&nbsp;

After brunch, Joe suggested that they go to the Botanical Gardens.&nbsp;Since it was such a perfect day, why not spend some time outside?&nbsp; They&nbsp;leisurely&nbsp;strolled&nbsp;through the gardens and eventually ended up in the Japanese Garden. Joe told Kristin he had quarters in his pocket so they could go feed the Koi fish. Little did Kristin know, the quarters were actually a GORGEOUS ring. 

As they were "walking towards the Koi pond", Kristin's sister Erin, was (not-so-discreetly) hiding in some shrubbery across from a beautiful cherry blossom tree. The cherry blossom tree would be the perfect backdrop&nbsp;for Joe to&nbsp;get down on one knee, and Erin was ready to capture the moment.&nbsp;

When Joe and Kristin reached the decided upon&nbsp;cherry blossom tree, Joe got down on one knee, pulled out the ring, and asked, "Kristin, will you marry me?" Kristin, not realizing Joe had stopped walking, was a few steps ahead. When she heard Joe ask the magical&nbsp;question she'd been waiting to hear, she turned around and,&nbsp;of course, she said "Yes!"

They never did get to feed the Koi fish, but this was much better.&nbsp;Maybe next time, Koi fish.

The Proposal

Our Story

Details

Photos

Nick Korte

Jenni is Kristin's older sister. The two sisters were often mistaken for twins growing up and were subjected to wearing&nbsp;way too many matching outfits...which is probably why people thought they were twins. As adults, they have similar taste in clothes (nobody wonders why)&nbsp;but no longer wear identical outfits.&nbsp;Jenni is happily married to one of the groomsmen, Pete Mahoney.&nbsp;

Jenni Mahoney

John Vander Pluym

Erin is Kristin's younger sister. Once she came along, she&nbsp;too&nbsp;had to partake in the matching outfits. Erin was the best (only) student in class when Kristin played&nbsp; "teacher" growing up. Now, Erin and Kristin are both teachers. At district events,&nbsp;Erin frequently gets asked&nbsp;the question,&nbsp; "Are you Kristin's sister?" but often&nbsp;wonders why people don't ask Kristin,&nbsp; "Are you Erin's sister?" &nbsp;

Erin McHargue

Patrick is Kristin's older brother and is happily married to one of the bridesmaids, Lindsay.

Patrick McHargue

Lindsay is Kristin's sister-in-law. She's happily married &nbsp;to Kristin's older brother, Patrick. Lindsay is the "go-to" sister for advice regarding&nbsp; all things&nbsp;hair, makeup, and beauty.&nbsp; Lindsay is also the lead female vocalist for the amazing&nbsp;cover&nbsp;band Griffin and the Gargoyles. The Gargoyles will be playing at the reception. If you're lucky, Lindsay might hop&nbsp;up on stage and&nbsp;belt a few tunes! She can sing anything from Aretha Franklin to Nicki Manaj.&nbsp;

Lindsay McHargue

Kelli is Kristin's cousin. Kelli and Kristin are the same age and spent a lot of time together growing up. For Secret Santa at Christmas time, Kristin and Kelli would somehow pick each other's names almost every single year, though the girls&nbsp;claim&nbsp;they never rigged it.&nbsp;The conniving cousins both&nbsp;went to St.&nbsp;Joe, Mizzou, and were members of&nbsp;Chi Omega.

Kelli Unland

Not only is&nbsp;Will Kristin's younger brother, he is Joe's fraternity brother.

Will McHargue

Kristin and Sarah met in high school at St. Joe. They weren't friends right away, though--they didn't like each other at first.&nbsp;On a spring break trip freshman year to Fort Lauderdale, the two realized how awesome the other one was and&nbsp;became best friends.

Sarah Esslinger

Pete is Joe's brother-in-law and is happily married&nbsp;to the Matron of Honor,&nbsp;&nbsp;Jenni Mahoney.

Pete Mahoney

Kristin and Kelsey met through a mutual friend in 7th grade&nbsp;at a mixer. They&nbsp;quickly became friends and&nbsp;hung out all through 7th and 8th grade. Then Kristin and Kelsey both went to St. Joe for high school, where they became even better friends.

Kelsey Hays

John Geisler

Mark Goldkuhl

Kristin and Mandy met through&nbsp;mutual friends in high school, even though&nbsp;Kristin went to St. Joe and Mandy went to Cor Jesu.&nbsp;&nbsp;Then Kristin and Mandy&nbsp;both went to Mizzou. They both became members of&nbsp;Chi Omega&nbsp;together and were roommates later on in college.&nbsp;

Mandy Mueller

Kristin and Makie met when they both became members of Chi Omega at Mizzou.&nbsp; They lived together in Chi O,&nbsp; in the self-proclaimed&nbsp; "skinny room". Makie has known Joe since he and Kristin first&nbsp;met and has watched their relationship grow from the very beginning.

Makie Knight

Scott Sonderman

Chris Faron

Kristin and Emily have taught at the same elementary school for 5 years. They have also taught on the same grade level team&nbsp;for 3 years. Their favorite extracurricular activities include Happy Hour on Fridays and playing Human Hungry Hippo at school assemblies.

Emily Gillett

Carolyn is a darling 8-year-old that&nbsp;Kristin has been babysitting since&nbsp;she&nbsp;was one&nbsp;and a half.&nbsp;

Carolyn

Pat Griggs

Kate is the cutest 7-year-old around! She's Carolyn's little sister and Kristin has been babysitting for Kate since she was born.&nbsp;

Kate

Kevin Connors

Billy is Carolyn's and Kate's handsome&nbsp;5-year-old brother. He has known Kristin for his entire life.

Billy

Wedding Party

Q + A

Registry

If you are choosing to stay at the Clayton Plaza Hotel, you can book your room&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.cpclayton.com/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.cpclayton.com&source=gmail&ust=1536030345694000&usg=AFQjCNHdY9Ijb7Na6JO6X6746FI9qBa0GA">www.cpclayton.com</a>&nbsp; (use code:&nbsp;MCQ)&nbsp;or by clicking the link below.&nbsp;You may also&nbsp;call (314)&nbsp;726-5400 to make reservations.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Please book your room by 12/7/18&nbsp;&nbsp;in order to be included in the block of rooms that have been reserved.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<a title="reservations" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://reservations.travelclick.com/97426?groupID=2372278" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://reservations.travelclick.com/97426?groupID%3D2372278&source=gmail&ust=1536030345694000&usg=AFQjCNF1uzEbdVT82Z63y7qZ0gyGOk4ssw">McHargue-Korte Wedding Block</a>

The Clayton Plaza Hotel

Travel

It wouldn't be the holidays without the brewery lights!&nbsp;Bring your friends and family to see the lights. Meet the Clydesdales, make some s’mores, and more importantly, make some memories.

Anheuser-Busch Brewery Lights

Steinberg Skating Rink is the largest outdoor ice skating rink in the Midwest, offering public skating all day, everyday&mdash;including all holidays. We are always open no matter what the temperature is.&nbsp;Snowflake Cafe offers appetizers, sandwiches, snacks, burgers, soda, hot chocolate, beer and wine and is open during hours of operation. Steinberg Skating Rink offers a great atmosphere for a wonderful skating experience!Open through December 30th.

Steinberg Skating Rink

The St. Louis Zoo celebrates the holiday season with St. Louis Zoo Wild Lights. The annual Christmas light display is a fun way for families to enjoy the beauty and spirit of the season. During Wild Lights, the Zoo is decorated with hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights to create a winter wonderland. Popular exhibits like the Hoessle Herpetarium and the Insectarium are also open.

When you visit Wild Lights, be sure to save some time to see more than just the lights. There are kid-friendly activities like puppet shows, crafts and storytelling by the fire. The Lakeside Cafe is open during Wild Lights serving hot chocolate, snacks and light meals.

Saint Louis Zoo

Visitors will have the opportunity to stroll through the Garden at night surrounded by a spectacle of unique light installations. Hundreds of thousands of lights will adorn some of the Garden’s most iconic locations including the Climatron, Kaeser Memorial Maze, the Central Axis and Tower Grove House. Walkways will be transformed into an explosion of visual magic, while more traditional displays will delight crowds of all ages.

Garden Glow at Missouri Botanical Gardens

Enjoy a film at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.slsc.org/omnimax/">OMNIMAX® Theater,</a>&nbsp;gaze under the stars at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.slsc.org/james-s-mcdonnell-planetarium/">James S. McDonnell Planetarium</a>&nbsp;and dig deeper with over 700 interactive exhibits. General Admission is always free.

They have a wide variety of free attractions and several ticketed venues for you to explore&nbsp;when you visit

St. Louis Science Center

Things to Do

Getting to the Church

Graham Memorial Chapel is located at:

6475 Forsyth Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63105

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/6475+Forsyth+Blvd,+St.+Louis,+MO+63105/@38.6474795,-90.3126293,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x87d8cab226aa0e27:0xf53d7593d3ffcc6d!8m2!3d38.6474795!4d-90.3104406?hl=en" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;for a map.From Lambert St. Louis airport

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Take I-70 east toward St. Louis.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Merge onto I-170 south via exit 238B, Clayton.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Merge onto Forest Park Parkway via exit 1E.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn right onto Big Bend Blvd.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn left onto Forsyth Blvd

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn left onto Wallace Dr.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn right

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Destination will be on the left

 

Heading west on US40/I-64 

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Exit at Clayton/Skinker (34B).

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn right onto Skinker Blvd.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn left onto Forsyth Blvd. after approximately 1 mile.

 

Heading east on I-44 

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Exit at Jamison and turn left.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn left on Arsenal St. and proceed over the bridge.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn right on McCausland Ave.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; McCausland Ave. becomes Skinker Blvd.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn left on Forsyth Blvd. after approximately 1 mile.

 

Heading north on I-55

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Take I-55 to I-270 west or north. Take I-44 east exit.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Exit at Jamison Ave. and turn left.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn left on Arsenal St. and proceed over the bridge.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn right on McCausland Ave. McCausland Ave. becomes Skinker Blvd.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn left on Forsyth Blvd. after approximately 1 mile.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn left onto Wallace Dr.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn right

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Destination will be on the left

 



Heading south on I-70/I-55 

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Merge onto I-70 via the left-hand ramp toward St. Louis.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Merge onto I-170 south via exit 238B, Clayton.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Merge onto Forest Park Parkway via exit 1E.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn right onto Big Bend Blvd.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn left onto Forsyth Blvd.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn left onto Wallace Dr.

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn right

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Destination will be on the left

 

From Clayton Plaza Hotel

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Head east on Carondelet Ave toward S Hanley Rd

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn left onto S Hanley Rd

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn right onto Forsyth Blvd

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn left onto Wallace Dr 

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Turn right

 

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Destination will be on the left

Kristin & Joe

Kristin & Joe

Photos