Allen - Essner

Molly Margaret Allen and Taylor James Essner were married Sept. 23, 2017, at St. Clement Catholic Church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The Rev. Wayne Watts of Chicago, cousin of the bride, performed the ceremony. Vocalist was Gavin Coyle of Chicago.

The bride is the daughter of Michael P. Allen of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, formerly of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and the late Amy Allen. The groom is the son of James M. and Mary B. Essner of Cape Girardeau.

The maid of honor was Ellen Sellinger of Urbana, Illinois. The matron of honor was Nicole Heafner of St. Louis. Bridesmaids were Rachael Daume of Cape Girardeau, sister of the groom; Emily Stillwell of Elkhart Lake; Meghan Loftus of Glen Ellyn; Susan Krieg of Denver, Colorado; Kinnara Vasamsetti of Jackson, Mississippi; and Julie Miller of San Antonio, Texas.

The flower girls were Sullivan and Sawyer Jett and Riley and Mackenzie Grill. Sullivan and Sawyer are the daughters of Ryan and Shannon Jett of Rome, Georgia, cousins of the groom. Riley and Mackenzie are the daughters of Martin and Kendra Grill of Westchester, Illinois, cousins of the bride.

The ring bearer was Bennett Daume, son of Eric and Rachael Daume of Cape Girardeau, nephew of the groom.

Candlelighters were Lindsay Mason of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Kevin Sofen of Chicago.

The best man was Jack Essner of Cape Girardeau, brother of the groom. Groomsmen were Mark Hagedorn of Muscatine, Iowa; Eric Daume of Cape Girardeau, brother-in-law of the groom; Michael McVey of St. Louis; Adam Cruz of St. Louis; Tanner Hiett of Cape Girardeau; Jacob Fechter of St. Louis; and Daniel Profumo of St. Louis.

Ushers were Timothy Watts of Milwaukee, cousin of the bride; Patrick Donovan of Denver; Alex Liebl of Minneapolis; and Mark Pais of St. Louis.

Greeters were Meghan Murphy of Chicago and Brigitte Sellinger of Longmont, Colorado.

A reception of dinner and dancing was held under The Grand Tent at The Victorian Village in Elkhart Lake.

The groom's parents hosted the rehearsal dinner on Sept. 22 at Siebkens Resort in Elkhart Lake.

Molly is a 2009 graduate of Benet Academy in Lisle, Illinois. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science in 2013 and a Doctor of Physical Therapy in 2015 from Saint Louis University. She is a physical therapist at Children's Hospital in St. Louis.

Taylor is a 2010 graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and a Bachelor of Science degree in philosophy in 2014 from Saint Louis University. He received his Juris Doctorate in 2017 from Saint Louis University School of Law. He is an attorney at Lewis Rice LLC in St. Louis.

After a wedding trip to Santorini, Greece, the couple lives in Kirkwood, Missouri.