Jade Robinson and Jim Hladyshewsky
August 30, 2003
St. Louis, Missouri

Photography by Signature Studio

ABOUT THE BRIDE: After growing up in Fort Worth, Texas, Jade's family was relocated to Chicago, Illinois. Jade attended Lincoln-way High School and Robert Morris Business College. Since relocating to the St. Louis area with Jim, she has been doing volunteer work at Catholic Urban Program in East St. Louis, Illinois.

ABOUT THE GROOM: Jim grew up in Southern Illinois. After attending Loyola University Chicago, Jim spent the majority of the next thirteen years in Chicago. He is currently a senior consultant for IBM in St. Louis.

HOW WE MET: We met at Kelsey's bar in Chicago. A mutual friend told Jim that we would make a cute couple. We were both enjoying a lazy Saturday afternoon when Jim introduced himself. A few drinks later, I agreed to go out with him the following weekend.

ENGAGEMENT: Jim proposed in our living room. After a terrible day at work, he picked me up from the train and told me he had a surprise for me. When we got home, he told me to close my eyes. First, as an icebreaker, he gave me a bag of my favorite coffee. Then, he had me close my eyes a second time because he had another surprise. The last thing I expected to see was Jim on one knee with a beautiful engagement ring extended asking me to marry him. A lobster dinner and a night on the town followed.

PLANNING: We decided to have the wedding in St. Louis because we were planning on moving down here in the fall. Because the wedding was four and a half months after the engagement and in a different city, the planning was hectic, but everything came together quickly. Friends of ours, who at one time owned a wedding decoration business, assisted us greatly by providing us with recommendations. Our families also were a tremendous help in keeping us organized.

THE CEREMONY: We had a traditional Catholic mass at Immaculate Conception, an old but beautiful Lithuanian church in East St. Louis.

THE RECEPTION: In keeping with the church theme, the reception was held at Patty Long's 9th Street Abbey in Soulard. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres were served in the outside garden patio to the sounds of a string trio. Dinner followed in the main dining room. Each centerpiece was a unique design of various colorful fall flowers encircled with candles. The cake was a three tier offset square design with handmade sugar flowers that matched the bride's bouquet. It was such a piece of artwork that a guest actually poked his finger into it to see if it was real.

HOW WE PERSONALIZED IT: We wanted our wedding to be elegant, but simple. The main goal was for our guests to have a wonderful time celebrating this special day with us. Given the many compliments we received, we know that everyone had a great time. We created our own wedding programs and had the guests play kazoos when we walked out of the church.

THINGS WE LOVED: We enjoyed everything about our wedding day. Special thanks go to our vendors who ensured everything was perfect.

VENDORS WE USED:
Flowers - Mel Worley Floral Artist
Photography - Signature Studio
Cake - AzucArte
Catering - Patty Long Catering
Reception - 9th Street Abbey

If you have questions or comments for Jade and Jim please e-mail them.