Alexandra Hammack says her March wedding to John Skae was all about reliving family memories and creating lively new ones. The pair met while both were in the MBA program at Washington University. “We became friends first,” Alexandra says. “It was about a year before we started dating, and he proposed after just six months.” She chose Central Presbyterian Church and the downtown Missouri Athletic Club because her parents had their wedding and reception there 30 years earlier. “We looked at other places, but nothing else felt as special,” Alexandra says. “I really wanted the sentimental value to be there.”
The menu included St. Louis favorites like toasted ravioli, and the couple ordered Imo’s pizza for guests who stayed until the end. “We even served homemade ice cream with the wedding cake,” she says. “My dad always makes it for family events, so we wanted that tradition as part of our big day, too.”
Her 98-year-old grandmother was unable to attend, so the bride and groom donned their finery again two days later and surprised her with a ‘re-creation’ of their big day. “It would have been my grandfather’s 100th birthday,” Alexandra says. “We had champagne, cake and a little reception at Surrey Place, my grandmother’s retirement home. She was completely surprised. It’s one of my favorite memories of that whole week.”
The morning of the wedding, a light March snow was falling. “They say rain on your wedding day is a good omen,” she notes. “So I figured snow would be really good luck!” And it was. “Everything was so much fun, and the music and food were fantastic. I would do it again every weekend if I could!”
The bride attended Whitfield School and Southern Methodist University, and the groom is a graduate of Ladue Horton Watkins High School and Mizzou. She works for the St. Louis office of Square, and he is in commercial banking at Parkside Financial.
resources
ceremony | Central Presbyterian Church
reception | Missouri Athletic Club (Downtown)
gown | Monique Lhuillier
cake | The Cakery
florist | Bloomin’ Buckets
music | Fabulous Motown Revue
honeymoon | Bora Bora
wedding party
maid of honor | Lindsay Randazzo
bridesmaids | Morgana Mauney, Amanda Rast, Danielle Hammack, Heather Korman, Lindsay Skae
best man | Kyle Hutcheson
groomsmen | John Risvold, Max Bellman, Grant Hammack, Curran Hammack, Kyle Briscoe
bride’s parents | Michael & Mimi Hammack of St. Louis
groom’s parents | John Skae and Maryann Manion, both of St. Louis
wedding date | March 11, 2017
Photos: Kate Hayes of L Photographie