I Do! Danielle Lordo & Mike Bond

Danielle Lordo and Mike Bond were friends in high school, but their families had much bigger plans for them. “Mike is best friends with my cousin, and our families were always trying to set the two of us up,” Danielle says. The pair finally went on a first date about three years ago and hit it off.

Their December 2015 engagement was an especially memorable surprise. “Mike said we were going to dinner and a show at the Fox Theatre one evening,” Danielle recalls. “As we were getting ready to leave, he proposed. Then he made me promise not to call anyone because there was another surprise coming!” They enjoyed dinner at 801 Fish in Clayton, then later drove to John D. McGurk’s Irish Pub in Soulard, a favorite haunt when Danielle lived in that area. “When we walked in, our family and friends were waiting by the back bar,” she says. “I was completely surprised!”

The couple chose a traditional ceremony at St. Cecilia Catholic Church, with music by a 10-piece ensemble including harp, violin and trumpet. They wrote each other special love letters before the wedding, and in memory of his mom, Mary, Danielle gave Mike a gold cross and chain with a St. Mary medal. Once the knot was tied, guests headed downtown to celebrate in the Grand Ballroom of the Saint Louis Union Station Hotel. Bridesmaids and flowers were resplendent in shades of lilac and cream, and there was Italian wedding cake as a nod to Danielle’s family heritage. “We sent guests home with Italian cookies and cannoli as well,” she notes.

Danielle’s family owns Lordo’s Diamonds, so the couple incorporated the business into their wedding photo plans. “My family has a tradition where you take pictures at the store after the ceremony,” Danielle says. “The bride and groomsmen stand around a Rolls Royce, and family and friends come by to watch the photo shoot.”

A Jamaica honeymoon capped off the wedding celebration. Danielle, a St. Joseph’s Academy graduate, is pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Mike, a CBC grad, works in logistics at Diversified Ingredients.

Photos | Lisa Meyer