Alyssa and Marcus met in 2014 on Instagram in St. Louis, and almost immediately started spending a lot of time together. "We moved in together the year after while Alyssa finished school, and in 2016 we started a multidisciplinary design studio together called Visitor Assembly. We have been working and living together since, and love that we get to collaborate on a holistic level. We’re both passion advocates for the city of St. Louis, and feel really honored to have made lifelong friendships and connections together in our city. We share so many interests— music, books, interior design, all forms of visual art, coffee, food, traveling, and our dog James. Our lives have been completely entwined for such a long time that marriage felt very natural for us — it felt like a celebration of what we have built together."
This first time the couple met, they took photos at a park and have been exploring parks together since. "When the pandemic hit, we wanted to choose an outdoor location that was ethereal, but easy for our small group of guests to get to. Klondike Park is one of our favorite local parks, located just outside of St. Louis. It’s a dramatic setting— the white sand, unique flora, and bluffs overlooking the Missouri river made our day feel cinematic and sentimental."
Marcus and Alyssa both love independent fashion, and chose their clothing and accessories from thoughtful brands that put a lot of time and attention into the details of their pieces. "Ultimately, we wanted our outfits to reflect our personalities, stand out from traditional wedding wear, and still feel elegant and timeless. Alyssa’s Kamperett dress and Faris Jewellery earrings were made to order, as were the Mondo Mondo wedding rings, which made those pieces feel especially personal."
The couple wanted to have a very intimate ceremony on their anniversary (they got married on their 6th anniversary!) "Good food, florals, and photography were all focal points, and we were lucky to have our best friends share their talents with us. Our dear friend Sarah Stracke of Locust Floral did our florals, our collaborator and confidant Courtney Lee Photography photographed the whole day on film, our talented friend Gibbs of Their Thirsty made an incredible custom cocktail for us, and our favorite restaurant in town Louie made the food. It was such a collaborative, curated experience that reflected our taste, as well as our friendships."
Alyssa spends a lot of time curating music, so it was really special for her to make a playlist for dinner and drinks after the wedding. "We also had lots of candles, organic table settings, and a general ambiance that felt true us as a couple. Beyond that, we designed our wedding website, invitations, table settings and name cards, which was a fun way to bring our creative work into our wedding day. Our original plan was to have a small ceremony out of state, and to then have a larger, more informal reception back in St. Louis separately."
Having a small ceremony was obviously very Covid-friendly however, it was also the perfect choice for Alyssa and Marcus regardless of the pandemic. "We got to focus on each other the whole day, and our timeline was incredibly flexible since we weren’t planning around a large group. Our ceremony was outdoors and we had a very small guest list of 22, so we actually got to experience our day and spend quality time with our loved ones. We really couldn’t recommend small ceremonies enough, but especially during the pandemic. No one got sick, and we will still have a party in the future to celebrate our marriage with extended family and friends once Covid passes."
Ceremony location : Klondike Park | Photographer : Courtney Lee Photography @courtneyleephoto Entertainment : Playlist by the bride | Flora : Locust Floral @locust.floral | Catering + Beverages : Louie Restaurant @louiedemun | Cake : Made by bride and friends | Stationery : Made by bride Custom cocktails : Gibbs of “Their Thirsty” @what_gibbs | Bride's Dress : Kamperett @kamperett | Groom's Suit : Engineered Garments @engineered_garments_official | Rings : Mondo Mondo @mondomondo | Bride's Boots : Everlane @everlane | Groom Boots : 1017 ALYX 9SM @alyxstudio | Bride’s Earrings and Ear Cuffs : Faris Jewellery @farisjewelry
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