Brigid Kroener & Charles Seay IV
Mary Brigid Kroener and Charles Frank Seay IV exchanged wedding vows on the Vintners Glen at Meadowood Napa Valley on April 23. Repercussions from the Icelandic volcano eruption forced them to cancel their original plans at Palazzo Pfanner in Lucca, Italy. The California wedding ceremony was followed by a reception of dining and a first dance, which lasted long into the night, with immediate family and other guests gathered around the outdoor fireplace. The groom’s uncle and aunt from San Antonio put in a surprise appearance, arriving just moments before the actual ceremony, thanks to the miraculous efforts of Jim Gray and Judy Martinez of Jim’s Travel Link, who changed everyone’s itinerary, from Lucca, Italy, to Napa Valley, Calif., and rescheduled an entire wedding party and reception within 24 hours.
Another travel connection was arranged in virtual reality. The matron of honor and her husband were stranded in London, unable to join the celebration in real time. So they took part in the magnificence of the day via the internet. Also on screen was a laughing Lillie Roland, virtual flower girl, who ran across a grassy lawn in Hyde Park in pixels, as though she was there in person at Napa Valley for the wedding. Instead of the traditional rice, the guests threw handfuls of Cheerios in her honor. Puccini’s La Bohême, originally chosen for the wedding in Italy, played for the California guests, reminding everyone of when the couple first met on a double date to the opera.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Brent William Kroener of Dallas. She is the granddaughter of Florence Bergbauer of Dallas and the late Albert Charles Bergbauer of Evansville, Ind., and the late Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wallace Kroener Sr. of Evansville, Ind.
The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Frank Seay III of Dallas. He is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Robert McClellan Stewart of Philadelphia and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Frank Seay Jr. of Dallas.
The bride chose a strapless, A-line gown designed in satin and silk by Enzoani. Her gown featured a sweetheart neckline with ruched bodice. After the couple’s first dance, to a favorite Gershwin tune, “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” the bride exchanged her satin-edged veil for a pin of feathers and flowers.
The bride was given in marriage by her father. Attending virtually as matron of honor was Kathleen Kroener Roland, sister of the bride. Bridesmaids included Meaghan Micheel Kroener, sister of the bride, and Christine Caldwell Seay, sister of the groom. The bridesmaids wore floor- length brown taffeta gowns from the Vineyard Collection of Priscilla of Boston. Serving the groom as best man was Michael James Seay, brother of the groom. Lillian Anne Roland, niece of the bride, was the virtual flower girl in a white organza dress with a mocha sash.
The bride is a graduate of Ursuline Academy and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio art/sculpture from the University of Notre Dame. She is a 2011 MBA candidate at the University of Texas at Austin. The bride is a 2009 graduate of Leadership Arts Institute and was a founder of LAAA and the Patricia A. Porter Fellowship in Arts Management. She is employed as the marketing and special projects manager at the Nasher Sculpture Center.
The groom is a graduate of Jesuit College Preparatory School. He received his Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of North Texas and is employed by Baylor Hospital Systems.
Following the Napa Valley wedding trip, and with postponed plans for a Paris and London honeymoon, the newlyweds will make their home in Dallas.
