Cocktail attire! Since our wedding ceremony is a full Nuptial Mass, we request that all guests dress modestly and appropriately for a traditional church ceremony. Formal attire is certainly not necessary, but we do ask that guests honor the reverence of our ceremony by dressing modestly.
There will be some light appetizers served during cocktail hour, which begins at 6:00. We'll begin introductions by 6:45, and dinner should be around 7:00. It will include a full buffet with lots of yummy options! Both Elijah (basically a carnivore) and Paige (a vegetarian) approve of the spread, so that's a good sign, right? There will be salad, veggies, pasta, potatoes and two meat options to enjoy.
Immaculate Conception Dardenne (known as ICD) has been a growing parish for the last several decades. They built the "big church" to accommodate the growing population of parishioners, but the old chapel is still in use as well. The chapel, which sits right on the corner of Highway N and Hanley Road, is a beautiful, old-style Catholic Church. When Paige and Elijah first set their date, they planned for the ceremony to be in the chapel. However, their memories of Mass together have all been made in the big church, where Paige sang in the choir every Sunday evening. The day of their engagement (also Palm Sunday!), both Paige and Elijah felt the Lord's strong presence as they processed forward to receive the Eucharist together. Keeping this memory in mind, they switched up their ceremony plans in late July and the wedding will now be in the new, big church! This allows for a more spacious means of seating for guests, and also means there is space to gather/catch up in the large vestibule before quietly heading into the church for the Mass.
ICD Catholic Church is Paige's parish church, and it's located in Dardenne Prairie. This small suburb is near the O'Fallon area--a bigger suburb in St. Charles County. O'Fallon is a great town with lots of restaurants, bars, shops and parks to enjoy between the ceremony and reception. The reception venue, Bear Creek Golf Club, is located in Wentzville, which is about 15 minutes NW of the church. Wentzville is a rapidly growing area right off Highway 70 with a great selection of restaurants and shops as well. The venue is located just a few minutes away from the main shopping area, so you definitely have time to check it out before cocktail hour begins!