The Perfect Blend
Traditions from two religions make for a meaningful marriage ceremony.

August 6, 2005
Christy Mehrer and Brett Schoenfeld

Christy and Brett Schoenfeld can thank their four-legged friends—specifically the furry ones—for their introduction. Christy, who had been friends with Brett's sister for eight years, had gone with her to the annual Fur Ball, a charity fundraising event for Wayside Waifs, a nonprofit animal welfare organization in Kansas City. Brett asked his sister for Christy's number after meeting her there.

Both Brett and Christy grew up in the area and returned here after college. Three of Christy's siblings had already pulled off weddings in Kansas City, so she "knew who to call" for help nailing down her wedding vendors. Her flowers came from Sidelines, which had done her sister's wedding. For a photographer, Christy picked Van Deusen Photography, which had done her family's portraits for years. Fittingly, Christy and Brett's wedding was a mile marker for Van Deusen as well—it was the 5,000th wedding it has photographed.

Though Christy insists that the reception at the Kansas City Country Club was "pretty traditional," the ceremony at the Redemptorist Catholic Church at 33rd and Broadway was anything but conventional. Christy, who was raised Catholic, and Brett, who grew up in the Jewish faith, went out on a limb to incorporate both of their religions into the ceremony.

"We had a rabbi and a Catholic priest both present. The main thing was that at the beginning we met with the rabbi and the priest together a lot, which is very unusual," Christy says. The priest and the rabbi were each willing to co-officiate at the other's home base, though in the end the couple chose to get married at Redemptorist.

"A lot of people commented on [the ceremony] because we really put a lot of thought into it, both incorporating what we liked," says Christy. The ceremony included the Jewish tradition of breaking a glass, the Catholic practice of sharing the sign of peace, and a homily from both officiants.

Perhaps the groom's cake in this instance says it all, symbolizing an "interfaith" union of a different sort. The cake was decorated with both a University of Kansas Jayhawk, the mascot of Brett's alma mater, and a University of Missouri Tiger for Christy's father, who played football and baseball at Mizzou.

"The tiger was supposed to be my dad keeping an eye on Brett," jokes Christy. Sounds like Brett should steer any animal conversations at family gatherings away from mythical birds and toward the traditional four-legged variety. After all, they're what brought the happy couple together in the first place.

Photography by Van Deusen Photography and Gallery.