Kristin Sanders Beahm and John Wesley (Jay) Steen, married on March 8, 2008. Both attended the University of Virginia but that’s not where they fell in love. In fact, they didn’t have their first meeting until just before Kristin’s last year at UVA when she was hired as an intern at Greenhill & Co., a boutique investment banking firm in New York City where Jay was working as an analyst. The two hit it off and continued their relationship long distance while Kristin finished her degree, until she moved back to New York to be with Jay.
Last summer, on a vacation to Turks and Caicos, Jay asked Kristin to be his wife over a bottle of champagne at sunset. The ring was an oval cut diamond flanked by two pear-shaped diamonds set in platinum. She instantly said “yes!”
When it came time to plan her dream wedding, Kristin said there was “never a question” in her mind that she wanted to have the wedding in New Orleans, where she grew up. She decided on the New Orleans Country Club for the ceremony and reception for its beauty and ambiance. Jay’s father, a federal judge, performed a joint ceremony with Reverend Michael Kuhn from Trinity Episcopal Church, where Kristin attended grade school.
The bride wore an ivory A-line strapless lace gown by Monique Lhuillier with a fitted bodice and carried a bouquet of cream, white and ivory roses created by Meade Wenzel. Her “Something Blue” was a set of Tiffany aquamarine drop earrings that were a gift from the groom for their first Christmas. He gave them to her at Ralph’s on the Park where the rehearsal dinner was held the evening before the wedding.
The bridesmaids carried similar “shades of white” bouquets and wore champagne-colored knee-length satin gowns by Badgley Mischka. The groom and groomsmen wore white ties and tails tuxedos from Perlis.
Following the traditional ceremon, in the Gold Room, guests filled the Country Club decorated in white, cream, ivory and gold floral tones. “She did an amazing job,” Kristin said of Meade Wenzel’s designs. Photographer Trisha Hardin was on hand to capture it all.
Guests feasted on a menu of beef tenderloin, sesame-crusted Ahi tuna, Beijing duck crêpes, as well as New Orleans-inspired dishes such as andouille sausage pasta with Creole mustard sauce, miniature crab cakes and boiled shrimp and crabmeat served in ice scluptures. The guests indulged in a room full of decadent chocolate desserts created by Zoë’s Bakery. Zoë’s also created the six-tiered almond amaretto wedding cake, with a cascade of fondant icing down the side and lace detailing on each layer, mirroring the lace on the bride’s gown. The three-tiered groom’s cake was a rich chocolate creation also by Zoe’s Bakery.
Guests enjoyed the cool Motown, jazz and dance music by Deacon John, who almost didn’t make it to the wedding. (He was stuck in Atlanta all day after several canceled flights due to bad weather but made it to the reception just minutes before he was scheduled to play.) The bride and groom danced their first dance to “A Kiss to Build a Dream On.”
Looking back on her wedding day, the bride says, “I wouldn’t change a thing. It was
everything I wanted it to be. [Jay and I] knew we’d have a good time and we wanted that for all of our guests as well.” The mother of the bride, Margo Phelps, says her daughter just wanted everyone to say, “Oh wow.” “It was her dream come true wedding,” Phelps says.
The couple honeymooned in Argentina for two weeks, traveling all around the country. They currently reside in New York City where Kristin is an associate at the private equity firm CCMP Capital and Jay is an associate in the restructuring group at Perella Weinberg Partners.
The couple with Kristin’s parents, Margo and Esmond Phelps
The groom, Jay, with his parents Ebbie and Wesley Steen
The Wedding party: Standing: Stephen Beahm, Kevin Hammond, Patrick Beahm, Glenny Beahm, Bill Kimbrough, Jay, Kristin, Jason DeGeorge, Katie Smallpage, Scott Greeder, Eleanor Williams, Neil Smith, Katherine Beahm and David Beahm; Seated and Kneeling: Ben Snell-Callanen, Jeffrey DeGeorgio, Michael Pope, Kendall Winingder, Liz Hardin, Tara Rotonti, Lee-Wilson Smith, Doug Brandely, Thomas Storch and Mac Caputo
Patrick Beahm, Kristin, David Beahm, and Stephen Beahm
Kristin and Jay
