It was already a night to remember when the Cardinals won the World Series in 2011, but when Bailey Nihiser bumped into high school acquaintance Logan Meltabarger at Patty O’s downtown, a more personal history was put in motion. “We both had attended Marquette High School and were in the same social group, but never really connected outside of that,” Bailey says.
This time, something clicked. It didn’t take long for these lovebirds to know their relationship was headed to the altar, and in October 2013, Logan proposed. “We were on the fast track from the beginning and had an immediate connection,” Bailey says. “When I met Logan’s little girl, Elle, who is 5, that was when it solidified, when she became a part of my life.”
Logan assembled a crowd of loved ones for the proposal on the rooftop of Washington Avenue’s Jive and Wail, where the couple had their first date. When Bailey got there, a red carpet leading to Logan was waiting. “He proposed with poster boards, like in the movie Love Actually,” Bailey recalls. The couple’s song, Steve Moakler’s “Thing About Us,” was playing, but not electronically. Logan had spent six months tracking down the singer to invite him to perform a private concert at the engagement.
The couple will exchange vows in an intimate outdoor ceremony in Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Ill., close to where Logan’s parents live in Naperville. “I’m ready to see all the planning come together, and I’m really looking forward to making our family one piece,” Bailey says. She will wear a wedding gown with elements similar to those in Elle’s flower girl dress, and all the flowers will be white. “We’re having peonies, garden roses and hydrangeas—big, fluffy romantic flowers,” Bailey says.
The couple lives in O’Fallon, Mo. Bailey is a human resources generalist for Wainwright Industries and Logan is a process and automation engineer for Express Scripts.
[resources]
Ceremony Location | Cantigny Park’s East Lawn
Reception Location | Cantigny Park’s Red Oak Room
Dress | Maggie Sottero
Caterer | Cantigny Park
Baker | Cocoa Bean of Geneva, Ill.
Honeymoon | Montego Bay, Jamaica
Photographer | Photography by N.Cole
Florist | Elizabeth Wray Design of Geneva, Ill.
[wedding party]
Maid of Honor | Callie Nihiser
Bridesmaids | Ashley Morawitz, Brittany Pohrer, Emily Jordan, Michaela Lynch
Best Man | Andrew Meier
Groomsmen | Rick Skalski, Matt Warrick, Garrett Sneed, Mike Schmitt
Bride’s Parents | Rick & Pam Nihiser of Ellisville
Groom’s Parents | Dave & Mardeanna Sproat of Naperville, Ill.; Hal & Tammie Meltabarger of Bolivar, Mo.
Flower Girl | Elle Meltabarger
By Stephanie Zeilenga
Photo by Andrea Fischman
Pictured: Logan Meltabarger and Bailey Nihiser