Stephanie & James: A Modern Wedding in St. Louis, MO

Monica and Chandler from Friends have nothing on Stephanie and James, who kept things as platonic as possible for more than two years before giving in to the fact that they were perfect for each other. They originally met at the University of Missouri, where they were both business majors. Even in a lecture hall of 300 people, Stephanie and James caught each other's eye! But it wasn't until a party at a mutual friend's house that they actually spoke. The Bride Stephanie Maniaci, 26, marketing supervisor The Groom James Michaels, 27, finance The Date March 1 They started studying for tests together and hanging out, and then on a spring break trip to Panama, they had their first kiss. The start of a romance? Not quite! They quickly brushed it off as an oops! moment. Their friends were on them to start dating, but Stephanie and James were afraid of ruining their friendship. Finally, the switch flipped when James picked up Stephanie for his cousin's wedding (they were used to going places together so she had thought nothing of it) and she saw he had flowers for her. It was officially a date! We knew each other inside and out, says Stephanie. The couple wanted their wedding to have a modern, urban feel, so they used bright greens, oranges and pinks against a black base color.