Oklahoma Couple on Road Trip Picked St. Charles for Wedding

At the , the staff is accustomed to helping people with memorable requests, but in May of last year, the agency wound up taking on a job that went beyond that heightened standard.

“It’s not unusual for us to do things that are out of the ordinary, but in my recollection, this is the first time we’ve arranged a wedding–especially in a day,” Carol Felzien, director of communications, said.

But that is precisely what they did. The story started about 8:30 a.m. May 7, 2010 with William Francais and Robin Bruehl, a young couple from Chickasha, a small town south of Oklahoma City. The pair was on something of an unorthodox mission, a 10-day road trip to try and find the perfect place to get married.

Sure enough, on the banks of the Missouri, they found it.

“We really liked the atmosphere of the town,” said Robin, 23. “Everyone was really friendly. It was probably the friendliest place we’d been to that point.”

“We were looking for a town that had history but was still alive,” William, 29, said.

The couple had decided over dinner the previous night that St. Charles was that town. Unfortunately, a local holiday had closed down the court, which left the pair with no one to marry them. They shared their troubles with the tourism office, and the staff swung into action.

“There were a lot of hands on deck for this,” Felzien said. “There were a number of people who rallied together on behalf of William and Robin. It was definitely a group effort.”

That effort went well beyond simply rounding up municipal judge Dan Barklage to conduct the ceremony. The office also set the bride and groom up at the Kisterg Gazebo on Main Street for the ceremony. Witnesses were located, and a small wedding party was assembled in the form of JoAnn Mueller and her husband Clancy. JoAnn, a volunteer with the Convention and Visitors Bureau, readied a bouquet for the newlyweds from her own garden.

“They were amazing, doling out advice and just being really friendly,” William said about the Muellers, who have been married for more than half a century. “She was just telling us what it was like to be married the first couple of years.”

William said he will always remember the event and the kindness that made it possible.

“We thought we were just going to have a courthouse wedding, but we wound up having a storybook wedding,” he said.

Meanwhile, Karen Godfrey, special events coordinator, put together a special gift basket for the couple featuring a bottle of wine and various St. Charles-themed items.

“All of us in the office got together and came up with the idea to do it,” she said. “We just pulled together a few items that we had.”

It seemed appropriate given the couple’s clear feelings about the city.

“It’s really kind of neat that they fell in love with St. Charles so much that they wanted it to be part of their lives,” she said.

Now it will be a part of their lives again. The Francais are returning to St. Charles for their first anniversary. After arriving in town Friday, they’ll be treated to dinner at the courtesy of a gift certificate provided by the establishment. It’s their second time back. They originally returned for the opening of last year’s Christmas Traditions.

Felzien said the couple has maintained a real connection to the city.

“They are big fans on Facebook, always posting things about how much they love St. Charles,” she said.

William said it was always a part of the plan to find a place he and his wife would enjoy spending their anniversary. That was what inspired the initial road trip search.

“When we set out, almost every one of our friends and family said we were nuts,” he said. “We weren’t going to rush it. If we saw the place, then that's where we would get married.”

Robin also loved the road trip idea. Even back home, travel and exploration have always been a part of their life together.

“That was really the start of our relationship,” she said. “We’d just take dirt roads and just travel it out.”

But this time, when they plan their trip to St. Charles, they have a firm destination in mind.

“I really am looking forward to coming back,” she said. “We’ve made some really good friends.”