Sometimes rejection is fate’s way of correcting our path. In 2011, Clayton High School alumnus Christopher Pennell unsuccessfully asked a girl out at a birthday party. That girl was not Julie Miller, the Lafayette, La., woman he will be marrying this April; but it was her friend, and the rejection led to Pennell and Miller becoming acquainted.
Their romance blossomed in New York City. He lived in Brooklyn, she in Manhattan. “We met at the end of my fourth year of medical school,” Pennell says. Two years later, he was ready to propose.
The couple sometimes attends balls put on by the hospital where Pennell is a physician—the perfect ruse. “I told her there was a gala for the hospital, so that she would wear a fancy dress and get all done up,” Pennell says. “I eventually told her there wasn’t really a ball, but that I wanted her to get dressed up because it was a special day, and I proposed.” Afterward, the couple celebrated at the famous Gramercy Tavern (owned by St. Louisan Danny Meyer), where they spent their first anniversary.
In the spring, Pennell and Miller will tie the knot in a elegant ceremony and reception at New York’s 3 West Club, a historic building in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, right across the street from Rockefeller Center. “With its old ballroom and crystal chandeliers, it has a very old New York feel, which is what we wanted for the wedding,” Pennell says.
The reception will be elegant, featuring classic details including a champagne-and-white color palette, but the most important thing is what comes after—a life together. During their first year of marriage, Pennell and Miller will live in Oxford, England, where Pennell will study evidence-based
surgery. “I’m looking forward to having my best friend along for the experience,” he says. “We’ll be traveling, and Julie is planning to do some freelance writing and wants to write a book.”
The couple currently lives in New York City, where Pennell is a resident surgeon at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, and Miller is a senior digital editor at Alloy Entertainment.
[resources]
Ceremony location | 3 West Club, New York City
Reception location | 3 West Club, New York City
Caterer | 3 West Club, New York City
Honeymoon | Kiawah Island, South Carolina
Photographer | Andrea Fischman
[wedding party]
Maid of Honor | Jill Dressel
Bridesmaids | Laura Gilbert, Jordan Harris
Best Man | Gautam Verma
Groomsmen | Shalin Patel, Justin Barclay
Ushers | Ryan Pennell, Andy Gard
Ring bearer | Owen Dressel
Bride’s parents | Sandy Boot, Los Angeles; Richard Miller, Lafayette, La.
Groom’s parents | Dr. Richard & Christine Pennell, Clayton
Photo by Andrea Fischman
Pictured: Christopher Pennell and Julie Miller