Whatever the event, whatever the size, our catering pros are ready to make your special day unforgettable. Our southern-inspired, chef-driven smokehouse barbecue at Char Bar Smoked Meats & Amusements and our award-winning, competition-style ‘cue at Meat Mitch Barbecue is the perfect cuisine for any occasion — engagement dinners, bridal parties, showers, wedding receptions... you name it. Let us focus on serving your guests. You can focus on ‘happily ever after’.
4 TOP WEDDING TRENDS 2025
6 REAL WEDDING: LILY STARR + DEAN SHATZER
10 REAL WEDDING: LAUREN WAMBOLD + LOGAN PIETROSKI
While the holidays are traditionally a time of engagements, the urry of them this year left some of us a bit breathless. It’s clear that the wedding season is just around the corner. Is there a wedding in your future?
We know that planning a wedding can be overwhelming, with countless decisions to make after saying “yes.”
We’re here to help.
Want to know what’s trending in weddings, from creative wedding attire to venues? Contributing writer Judith Fertig did the research and pulled together the top wedding trends lighting up the aisles in 2025, with insights from local and national experts. We hope to o er a balance of both whimsical inspiration and practical tips.
To keep you motivated, nothing is more inspiring than seeing what other couples have planned. You’ll nd two stunning, real Kansas City weddings with plenty of exciting ideas and a complete list of who did what and where with each of them.
We hope the photos, ideas, and local businesses featured within these pages will inspire you to create the perfect wedding experience.
Cheers to friends, family and gorgeous nuptials!
e Editors
DESIGN By Appointment 913 469 0888 4809 W 117th Street Leawood, KS www nataliem com
You’ve just said “yes.” Now it’s time to plan.
We’ve scoured Vogue, Hitched, Martha Stewart, and other wedding influencers for the Big Day’s Big Picture. How do these trends play out in Kansas City?
Brides in major metros might opt for a “wearable art” gown or indulge in Halloween cosplay. Bridesmaids may wear different dress styles, but in a selected palette. The same in KC. “Brides don’t feel constrained by tradition,” says Lisa Carson of Natalie M. Studio. “They may want a color, such as blue or black. Or they may want a shorter dress or even pants.” Carson
advises to wear whatever makes you feel beautiful and brings you joy.
“The groom should be the best-dressed guy in the room,” adds Chad Denham, owner of the fine menswear store Newton James. “It’s his day as well. And the groom’s tuxedo or suit should be complementary to the bride and bridesmaids’ dresses. Fit is key.”
Trend forecasters show bridesmaids carrying bouquets in handbags or holding minimalist parasols; fall tables strewn with fresh figs, artichokes, and pomegranates; a meadow of baby’s breath surrounding the wedding cake. Anything you envision, Kansas City florists can proba-
at The Hilton President
View more photos at inkansascity.com/ style-shopping/ weddings
The pandemic added a new twist to the “meet cute” story. Lily Starr and Dean Shatzer connected on Hinge, a dating site, but could only Facetime every night until they finally got together in person three months later. After a romantic proposal Thanksgiving weekend, the couple planned an October 2024 wedding. But then came a fire at Mission Hills Country Club, where they hoped to have their ceremony and reception; the Israeli war complicated the wedding
dress arrival from Tel Aviv. Lily, a supply chain specialist, and Dean, a financial investment professional, worked through every detail together.
A “Monet Waterlilies Wonderland” theme, with watery and silvery surfaces paired with Impressionistic greens and blues, shimmered throughout the ceremony and reception. An Argentinian dinner, complete with long-skewered meats and fish, was as delicious as it was entertaining.
But what made their day especially happy? “Everyone we loved the most together in one room,” says Lily.
Ceremony & Reception
Mission Hills Country Club
Flowers
Trapp and Company
Music
Park University International
Center for Music String Quartet
Lost Wax
Wedding Dress
Galia Lahav
Bridesmaids’ Dresses
Bella Bridesmaids
Groom/Groomsmen Suits
Therese Wickey/Corinth Tailor & Tuxedo Rental
Hair
Dalton Morris
Makeup
Keely Fink
Catering
Mission Hills Country Club
Cake
Blue Thistle Cakery
Wedding Planner
Holly Davidson with Simple Elegance
WAMBOLD + LOGAN PIETROSKI
After Lauren Wambold and Logan Pietroski met at a bar on the KU campus, “We ended up being anti-social together,” Lauren says with a laugh. By December of 2022, the pair got engaged during a family beach trip to Coronado Island in California. For their November 2024 nuptials, sentimental Lauren envisioned an intimate wedding at the south Overland Park home she grew up in, followed by a “big party” reception elsewhere. With a theme of fall colors and romance, there were flowers every-
Real Weddings
View more photos at inkansascity.com/ style-shopping/ weddings
where. “Our wedding planner, Holly Davidson of Simple Elegance, was amazing,” says Lauren. The morning of the wedding, Lauren’s parents gifted her with a necklace made with a special family diamond. “I was so touched when Logan teared up as I walked down the aisle,” she says, “and he had written the most special vows.”
Great food and drink—and plenty of dancing—fueled the reception, which went on into the night. Now copywriter Lauren and business development logistics manager Logan are continuing their love story with a honeymoon to Santorini in Greece.
Ceremony
Parents’ Home
Reception
The Guild Flowers
Branches & Twigs
Music
DJ Alex Reed
Wedding Dress
Anne Barge from
Mimi’s Couture Bridal
Bridesmaids’ Dresses
Jenny Yoo
Groom/Groomsmen Suits
The Black Tux
Hair & Makeup
Brigid Shinn, Bronzed & Blushed
Catering
Olive Events
Cake
Nancy Stark, Chef Shop Stark
Wedding Planner
Holly Davidson, Simple Elegance
bly achieve. The florists at The Little Flower Shop, Trapp and Company, and Studio Dan Meiners, among many, bring their considerable expertise to your celebration.
The destination wedding now moves closer to home but with that “somewhere else” vibe. Happily, the Kansas City area has many options. Powell Gardens is available for weddings 365 days a year, says the team of Emma Robertson, Destiny Valluzzi, and Kristen Blodgett. Their “thorncrown” chapel is one of only 13 in the country. The gardens provide a scenic background for wedding photos and strolling guests.
Unity Village in Lee’s Summit, with its serene chapel, “Offers the perfect blend of elegance and natural beauty with versatile indoor and outdoor venues, on-site lodging, and free parking surrounded by picturesque fountains and gardens,” says Unity’s Sandy Eastwood.
At the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, the new LongHouse Visitor Center showcases 21,000 square feet of event space, “a perfect blend of natural elements and indoor comfort for a picturesque and unforgettable wedding day,” says Desiree Pickert, the marketing specialist.
The new chapel in Shawnee Town 1929 Museum, with antique stained glass windows, is a lovely place for a wedding ceremony, says Tonya Lecuru of the City of Shawnee. “The museum itself is a jewel, but the chapel expands our offerings for a truly unique celebration,” she says.
If you’ve ever been to a Farm Table Dinner at Green Dirt in Weston, you know it’s a wonderful setting amidst rolling pastures of grazing sheep. Imagine being married in such a picturesque setting, a perfect blend of rustic charm and modern elegance. The new Green Dirt on Oak in down-
town Kansas City can also host smaller weddings indoors.
And for those who prefer a more urban vibe, “Make your wedding day part of Kansas City history. Come celebrate with us at the iconic Hilton President Kansas City,” says Danica Tolen of the Hilton President KC.
As for food and drink, buffet style is on the wane everywhere. “The trend since the pandemic is more plated food,” says Brian Ingalls of Brancato’s Catering. “People still like special stations for more multi-faceted cuisine and more personalization in bar set-up.” Adds Andrea Burkhart, “I see a lot of extending services, such as the cocktail hour or after-hours food trucks, ice cream trucks, or a tater-tot bar.”
The wedding cake never goes out of style. Now the trend is to enhance it with colorful macaron towers and individual desserts of varying flavors, hues, and textures, arranged at different heights. Happily, these dessert vignettes are a specialty of Kate Smith Soirée.
The last trend is keeping the wedding as relaxed as possible. Spa days beforehand, an intimate wedding ceremony at home before the larger reception elsewhere, ditching traditions such as the “first look” if the bride and groom don’t want them. It’s all about making things meaningful yet no-fuss. Whether for fun or mobility, golf cart rentals are becoming more popular for weddings, says Bob Peel, owner of Outlaw Golf Carts. “Moving people around on golf carts is less expensive than a bus,” he says. “Anyone with a driver’s license can drive them.”
From “Marry me” to “I do,” Kansas City is a great place to celebrate.
STUNNING VENUES. EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE.
BRING YOUR INDOOR OR OUTDOOR WEDDING VISIONS TO LIFE.
UNITY VILLAGE OFFERS A SEAMLESS AND MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE IN A SETTING THAT BLENDS ELEGANCE WITH NATURAL BEAUTY.
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