Saturday November 5, 2022
St. Louis, MO, USA
903 days 20 hrs 39 mins ago
Story
A fateful 1 second strike of intuition was their sliding door moment to meeting in November of 2020! Michele had accidentally swiped past Andy’s Bumble profile (from the momentum of swiping left), but she felt called to swipe back to Andy’s profile which she had never done. If she had swiped forward one more time Andy’s profile would have permanently disappeared, and they would have never connected digitally long distance from St. Louis to Chattanooga!
Michele was drawn to Andy’s favorite quality in a potential match, “inner spirit”. From there they shared a month enjoying 11 old fashioned phone calls talking for 3-7 hours each! Calls lasted into early morning hours anywhere from 1am to 5am because they were so captivated by one another, including often laughing to tears, and a feeling as if they had always known one another. Both forever hopeless romantics, they agreed not to video call and rather wait to lock eyes for the first time in person.
On Christmas, Michele surprised Andy and bought a plane ticket to Chattanooga for Dec 30th. Andy was excitedly and anxiously waiting at the airport with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers in hand (so nervous he changed his hair style 3 times in the car, and then accidentally left the car door sitting wide open outside the airport when he went in!). In classic Michele fashion, she was the last one to arrive down the flight terminal to Andy, further mounting the excitement of the moment. Connecting at last in person was seamlessly illuminating and such a special step in an everlasting love story they can’t wait to continue writing.
“The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere, they're in each other all along.” -Rumi
Tidbits
What was your most memorable date?
Our first St. Louis date! It started with a trip to the top of the Arch to watch the sunset in complete privacy (it was the first day Arch reopened after Covid so the museum and Arch view top observatory were literally empty), followed by prohibition cocktails and hours of conversation at Union Station Grand Hall (we also had this almost all to ourselves), and an amazing dinner at 801 Fish. Union Station Grand Hall holds a special place in our hearts because of this night and we can't wait to celebrate our wedding reception there with all of you!
Where are you going for your honeymoon?
Australia for New Year's Eve Fireworks over Sydney Harbour, surfing the coastline, snorkeling, sailing, hiking, koala sanctuary, Sydney Opera House, and anywhere the trip leads us!
What's the best meal you have eaten together?
Carna by Dario Cecchini 74 stories high atop the SLS Hotel in Dubai, U.A.E. Completely decadent ambiance, impeccable crab cakes and beef carpaccio, scrumptious whipped potato's and sauteed mushrooms, mouth-watering Australian Wagu steak, with delicious wine and champagne to top it all off.
The most spontaneous thing we’ve done
Andy was set to exhibit his company at GITEX 2021, the worlds largest technology show, in Dubai, UAE. Three weeks before the show, due to Covid conflicts, his team couldn't make the trip and Michele stepped up to help him exhibit to avoid cancelling (which was a big investment and non-refundable).
They booked the flights even though Michele’s passport had expired hoping it would all work out. They were able to schedule an emergency passport appointment at the Atlanta Passport agency THE day the flight departed out of the ATL airport. Two hours before the flight left, Michele walked out with a freshly printed passport and they hurried to the airport!
They just barely made the flight and arrived in Dubai successfully after 22 hours of travel while Andy gave Michele a crash-course on all things iPhone related and in depth detail about his industry. They presented successfully together for 5 days at the show in Dubai and made connections with 100s of international companies! They also explored this incredible city for two weeks- creating memories visiting Andy's work colleagues, local friends, grabbing views from the top of the tallest building in the world the Burj Khalifa (over twice as tall as The Empire State Building), taking in the mesmerizing Dubai fountains (twice as tall as the Vegas Bellagio fountains), and visiting Umm Suqeim beach and the famous Burj Al Arab.
What's the most memorable trip you have taken together?
Malibu, CA in May 2022 when Andy surprised Michele with a sunset proposal on the beach and hired a photographer to secretly capture the real moment :)
We’re on the same page about
What's important to us. And that's spending time with the people we love most. (You all!)
A life goal of ours
To live happily ever after together and raise a family.
We take pride in
Motivating each other to stay healthy in mind, body, and soul.
Schedule
Travel
Getting In
For those guests flying, you will arrive at the St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL). The airport is on the outskirts of the city and about a 20 minute drive/lyft/uber to downtown. *Reminder to everyone catching a flight home Sunday that Sunday Nov 6th at 2 am is the day the clock falls back 1 hour!
Also, we look forward to welcoming all guests making the drive. The drive from Tennessee is a beautiful 6 1/2 hours from Chattanooga and 4 1/2 hours from Nashville through the Blue Grass state. The drive from Pittsburgh is 9 1/2 hours, and Chicago is 4 1/2 hours away.
A highlight of St. Louis in October and November are the incredible fall colors- which are forecasted to peak ON our wedding day of November 5th, 2022 this year!
Fall is arguably the prettiest season in St. Louis. The weather in early November finds itself between 45 for the lows and mid 60s for the highs. The reds, oranges, and yellows draw travelers and photographers in from around the world to enjoy the beauty of the leaves during these few peak weeks. Grab a cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or a pumpkin spiced latte, throw your jacket on, and enjoy a walk in one of the beautiful parks around the city!
St. Louis Union Station Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, Market Street, St. Louis, MO, USA
The reception will be taking place in the Grand Hall of the historic Union Station. We recommend this as a top hotel option because of the convenience of having your room steps away from the reception, and the central location in the heart of downtown to main city attractions. Union Station is also only a 5 minute drive to St. Francis Xavier Church where the ceremony will be held.
We have a limited block of discounted rooms available for $179 a night (before tax/valet) which is 45% off the regular nightly price. To get the discounted rate, call (314) 231-1234 and reference the "Patrick Yost Wedding Reception and Block" by October 5th, 2022. The rate is available Friday November 4th and Saturday November 5th, but they can add more discounted days before and/or after depending on availability.
Live! By Loews Hotel
New hotel with amazing reviews right in the heart of downtown St. Louis. It's located next to "Ballpark Village" with tons of restaurants and bars nearby. Also located less than a mile to Union Station for the reception and only 6 minutes from the church.
Approximately $259/night before tax.
Reviews:
4.5 Google
4.5 TripAdvisor
9/10 Hotels.com
8.9/10 Booking.com
The Westin
As a 3rd option, we also recommend the Westin. It's a 4-star hotel located next to the ball park and the same convenient ~5 minute driving distance to the reception and church. As a fun fact, this is the hotel that visiting MLB teams stay at when in town to play the Cardinals. If the Cardinals make the world series, you may get a chance to meet some players.
Approximately $263 per night before tax.
Reviews:
4.3 Google
4.5 TripAdvisor
8.2/10 Booking.com
Our Favorite Restaurants
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Suggested Stay:
Fri, November 04 - Sun, November 06
St. Louis, MO, USA
Q & A
For all our friends and family who have lots of questions, please check out our Q & A first!
When is the RSVP deadline?
Please RSVP by October 1st, 2022, so we can have an accurate headcount and your entrée selection :)
Can I bring a date?
Please check your invite for your +1!
What will the weather be like?
St. Louis in early November is quintessential fall feels, averaging 45-65 degrees. Please bring some warm layers for the evening.
Where should I park?
We will be renting a parking garage at St. Francis Xavier Church for the ceremony. Laclede Garage: 3602 Laclede Ave. Clearance: 7'6"
The reception will be valet parking vehicles at no cost in front of Union Station (Hotel entrance at 1820 Market street). However, if you choose to leave your car overnight, a $35 fee will apply.
What should I wear?
The wedding and reception are formal attire with Black Tie optional (The wedding party will be in tuxedos and the bridesmaids in floor length gowns).
Is the wedding indoors or outdoors?
Our wedding ceremony and reception are indoors!
Is it okay to take pictures with our phones and cameras during the wedding?
Please refrain from taking photos during the ceremony and make sure your phone is on silent or powered off, but photos at the reception are fine. We will have 2 professional photographers and 2 professional videographers capturing the ceremony and reception.
Registry
Your presence and celebrating with us is enough of a present to us! But for those of you who still wish to give a gift, we've put together a wish-list to help you out.
We've decided to ask for cash funds towards specific experiences listed below including our honeymoon fund and newly wed fund.
Or if there is a specific gift you know we'd love, please feel free to mail it to us!
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