STORY Kalli Jo Smith
PHOTOGRAPHY Marissa Cribbs Photography
It was already an exciting night out for Gabe Noll as he sat at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee. He had tagged along with some buddies from Kansas City, where he lives, to spend New Year’s Eve with them and watch the Kansas State Wildcats and Arkansas Razorbacks face off.
Noll and his friends decided to celebrate the New Year at Silky O’Sullivan Bar, an institution on Beale Street, but little did he know that was one of the best decisions he would ever make.
Later that night, Cloe Cobb, who was in her senior year at the University of Arkansas, happened to walk into Silky O’ Sullivan’s Bar as well.
“Did you just see that girl?” Gabe asked his friends. As luck would have it, a few of Gabe’s buddies had gone to high school with the mysterious beauty who had managed to unknowingly capture his interest. Cloe Noll, Gabe’s new wife, says it wasn’t until after the ball dropped that he finally got the courage to spark a conversation with her.
“We danced the night away and the rest is history. Safe to say that was a trip we would never forget,” she said.
That magical night happened in 2015, and after a year and a half of dating, Gabe and Cloe became engaged. They were wed at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Roeland Park, Kansas, on September 15, 2018.
Choosing the Venues
Choosing a wedding venue can be one of the most stressful parts for couples-to-be. However, Gabe and Cloe based their venue on their personal values as well as personal history.
Both being raised Catholic, the couple chose to be married at St. Agnes Catholic Church where they attended Mass together throughout their relationship and engagement.
“It made the ceremony much more special to have it in a place that had been so meaningful to us,” she said.
The second most important part for Gabe and Cloe was choosing where to host the reception. With so many places to choose from in the KC area, the two chose to start forever the same way their relationship began in 2015: on the dance floor.
Basing the reception solely around the dance floor, the Noll’s chose Brass on Baltimore in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, for its large, dark wooden dance floor.
“Gabe and I are both big dancers, and I knew we wanted that to be the focal point of our wedding reception,” Cloe explained.
Leading up to the big day, Cloe and her father took dance lessons. Cloe highly recommended other brides do this as well, and noted this to be a great bonding experience with her dad before she officially became Mrs. Noll.
The Dream Dress
During the hunt for her dream dress, Cloe’s main goal was to find a dress that she could put on 20 years from now and it still be in style. Her three words behind the inspiration for her dress were elegant, timeless, and classic.
While dress shopping, a bridal associate at Altar Bridal in Leawood, Kansas, pulled a dress for Cloe that initially didn’t pique her interest.
“I originally did not like the dress when I saw it on the rack,” she explained.
However, pushing her doubts aside, Cloe tried the dress on and the rest was history.
“The moment I tried it on I knew it was the one,” she said. “I bought my dress exactly one year before my wedding and I never once questioned my decision. I knew it was the dress for me.”
Cloe’s advice for brides currently searching for their forever dress: try on as many dresses as you can, and then try on some more. Despite how a dress may look like on the rack, it may look perfect on you!
Planning the Wedding: The Biggest Stressors & The Best Advice
Like most weddings, this one didn’t go off without a hitch. While most of the planning with vendors went smoothly, Gabe and Cloe said one of most stressful parts about
planning a wedding revolved around the guest list. The venue allowed a maximum of 250 guests, and the soon-to-be Noll’s thought they would have no problem staying below this headcount. However, as the wedding date drew closer, the list quickly began to add up.
Having talked to many brides before her special day, Cloe realized that this was one of the main stressors for other couples as well.
In order to overcome this issue, Gabe and Cloe made the decision to set a simple but critical guideline for choosing their guest list.
“The bride and groom should never have to introduce themselves at their own wedding,” she explained.
With this helpful guideline, Gabe and Cloe were able to keep their guest list under the maximum headcount.
In Loving Memory of Jonah
Right before the couple’s engagement, Gabe lost his nephew Jonah to stage 4 neuroblastoma cancer.
It was important Gabe and Cloe honor Jonah at their wedding, and after much consideration, they decided to make Jonah’s baby brother, Harrison Noll, their honorary ring bearer, in loving memory of his brother.
Jonah’s memory was incorporated into the wedding ceremony program and also the petitions read aloud during the ceremony at St. Agnes Catholic Church.
“We know that Jonah was with us that day in Spirit, and it warms our hearts thinking he was looking down on us,” Cloe said.