Real Brazos Valley Brides

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Meredith Stancik &

Shane McAuliffe
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February 28, 2009

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Shane McAuliffe and Meredith Stancik met in Abilene while she was
working as the weekend reporter at KRBC TV. “I had been there a month,
when I was told I would be moved to weekdays. They had hired Shane to
fill the weekend position,” Meredith said. They met on his first day of work,
August 24, 2004 (the day of their engagement-- three years later). His
desk was right across from hers, so they faced each other every day. Shane
recalls, “It didn’t take but 5 minutes for me to strike up a conversation.
She told me about being from La Grange and I immediately told her how
much I loved the Bon Ton Bakery, (which is now Weikel’s Bakery) in La
Grange.” They quickly became friends, but neither one knew how far their
friendship would take them.

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“After being friends for a few months, Meredith and I were settled in at
our station and started to realize how much fun we had together,” said
McAuliffe. However, Shane didn’t think she was interested in him at first,
so she felt she needed to make the first move. “It was not very traditional-
-but well worth it. I invited him over for New Years Eve dinner. I had
ordered Chinese food and put my own homemade fortune into his fortune
cookie,” said Stancik. Inside the cookie, the fortune read, “A kiss awaits
you at midnight.” He saw it...and they kissed at midnight. “Since the first
second of 2005 we’ve been together,” he said.

!"################Brazos Valley Bride - *+,,-./!'"&01223 Brazos

BrazosValley
ValleyBride
BrideMagazine
Magazine-- Spring 2006
www.BrazosValleyBride.com
2005
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“There’s nothing more stressful than picking out the
perfect engagement ring,” Shane said. “I never thought
I would spend hours in a jewelry store. After six
hours, I had narrowed it down to two diamonds, and
then remembered my what my fortune read after my
dinner the night before: ‘Pick the one on the right.’
Shane chose a beautiful radiant-cut diamond with a
white gold band, and then began planning the day he’d
propose to Meredith.
www.BrazosValleyBride.com
Brazos 2005
Valley Bride Magazine - Spring 2006
Shane proposed on August 24, 2007, three years from
the first day they met. Meredith planned on meeting 04("05%&'6!"0&"+7809:0;/$$0
him at her parent’s house in La Grange for dinner that
night. Shane’s family was going to be there as well, but
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she didn’t think anything of it. “Family is very important @"&"7/'(0+!70A(+!"0(+B"0
to Meredith and I, so I knew they would have to be
involved,” said McAuliffe. C""!0'%="'("&0"B"&0$/!D"0
“When I arrived, Shane met me at my car. He walked
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with me inside to tell everyone hello, and then asked F"#0G"+&H$0;/$$>
me to go to the backyard with him.” continued on page 38
Brazos Valley Bride - *+,,-./!'"&01223################!$
 continued from page 37
Shane told her we wanted her to see a bench her
mother had bought. He commented that he liked it
and that we should get one like it some day. “When
we got to the bench, he asked me to sit down. At
this point, I knew something was up,” said Stancik.
That’s when Shane got down on one knee. “I
was shaking at this point. He asked me to look
up, and our entire family was there to witness
our incredible moment. Shane then asked me to
marry him, and of course I said ‘yes!’” The bench
that Shane proposed on was his first engagement
gift to her. He bought the bench earlier and had
a plaque engraved with the words: On this bench
Shane asked for Meredith’s hand in Marriage. “It
was an amazing night, and we’ll cherish the bench
forever,” she said.
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The couple started planning their wedding
immediately. Shane and Meredith knew they
wanted to get married in February 2009 in San
Antonio. “We both wanted a destination wedding,”
explained Meredith. “Shane is from Houston and
I’m from La Grange, and we have family scattered
across the U.S., so we thought this would be an
opportunity for them to see a beloved part of
Texas.” They fell in love with the San Fernando
Cathedral in downtown San Antonio, and chose
their wedding date, February 28, 2009, based on
the church’s availability.
For the reception site, they selected the Southwest
School of Art and Craft. “It’s right on the river,
and has two tranquil courtyards that sit outside
an old chapel which serves as the reception hall,”
Meredith described.
Planning a wedding is a huge endeavor, so
Meredith’s mother was enlisted to help the couple.
She immediately stepped into the role as wedding
planner. “She’s an amazing event planner, so I knew
she would throw an amazing party,” she added.
Meredith’s selected colors for the wedding were
pink, pewter, and white.
Shane knew to let Meredith plan the bulk of their
wedding as the way she wanted, but had a suggestion
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of his own in mind. “My only request was to add a
little Irish flair to celebrate my heritage.”
Shane and Meredith even decided to shape-up
for their wedding by using a personal trainer.
Many KBTX viewers will remember the segment
Shaping Up With Shane. The segment showed
Shane learning fitness and nutrition tips while
tracking daily workouts with Trevor Carney
of Innovative Fitness. Meredith said, “we just
wanted to feel our best on our wedding day. Plus,
I really loved my wedding dress and wanted it
to fit perfectly. I didn’t want to look back at our
wedding pictures and wish I would have hit the
gym a little harder.”
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Finding the dress was one of the most cherished
memories for Meredith. Her parents both went
dress shopping with her, and it was just as she had
dreamed it would be. They found her dream gown
at The Bridal Salon of San Antonio. “It’s a Kenneth
Pool gown that was designed by Austin Scarlett of
Project Runway. It is a strapless gown with a drop
waist, and it is adorned with beautiful crystals.”
Her wedding gown was her ‘something new.’
She bought antique earrings and wore a pinkie
ring that had belonged to her great, great,
great grandmother, as her “something old.”
Two broaches, one borrowed from each of her
grandmothers, adorned her bouquet. Those were
“something borrowed.” To fulfill tradition, she
wore one of her maternal grandmother’s blue
broaches under her dress as “something blue.”
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The bride and groom both wanted a traditional
ceremony surrounded by family and friends. So
much so, they ended up with a very large wedding
party. Meredith had eight bridesmaids, three
honorary bridesmaids, two junior bridesmaids,
and three flower girls. Shane had six groomsmen,
three ushers, and four of the couple’s little cousins
served as greeters. Meredith said, “We knew we
would only do this once, so we wanted everyone to
have a part.” The fact that so many were involved
made the day even more special to them.
continued on page 58
Brazos
BrazosValley
ValleyBride
BrideMagazine
Magazine-- Spring 2006
www.BrazosValleyBride.com
2005
continued from page 38
Walking down the aisle is a pivotal, impactful
moment for every bride, and Meredith felt the
same. “Words can’t express how I felt walking
down the aisle into that beautiful church. Seeing
Shane for the first time made the entire wedding
become real.”
“I’ll never forget her entrance, because as she came
into the church a big column blocked her from
my view until she was almost all the way down
the aisle.” The couple gathered together at the
altar and wear near tears when Meredith’s father
lightened the moment by making them laugh. By
doing so, he was able to set the mood for the rest
of the ceremony. “I don’t think we stopped smiling
the entire time,” she said.
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The newlyweds took a trolley with their family
to the reception site. Then they broke away from
the crowd to take some photos with wedding
photographer, David Sixt. “It was nice being able
to sneak away for a bit just to reflect on becoming
husband and wife,” said Meredith.
When they arrived, they had their own little
parade--followed by a mariachi band. Guests
enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and signature cocktails-
-pink margaritas served in pink sugar-rimmed
glasses. The caterer, Page Barteau, prepared pasta
dishes and prime rib for the guests. Round tables
were covered in chocolate brown, pin-tucked
tablecloths and displayed arrangements of white
hydrangeas and roses in mercury glass vases.
Meredith and Shane’s wedding cake was a three-
tiered, white champagne cake with raspberry
filling. It was decorated with pewter scrolls
and topped with a jeweled crown. Instead of a
traditional groom’s cake, Shane chose chocolate
and vanilla cupcakes, each topped with a green
fondant shamrock, for an Irish flair. Also featured
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was an elaborate candy buffet designed by
Meredith’s mother. “I am a sugar-a-holic, so this
was like having my very own candy shop. We had
an assortment of 20 different candies, all in pink,
white and silver,” said Meredith.
Shane and Meredith love to dance, so they danced
every song that night. Their first dance was to
“At Last” by Etta James. Meredith and her father
danced to “In The Garden” (which he used to sing
to her as a child) and Steven Curtis Chapman’s
“Cinderella.” Shane and his mother danced to
“Mama’s Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be
Cowboys,” by Ed and Patsy Bruce. The live band,
Groove City, had guests on the dance floor all
night long. “I don’t think my feet have ever hurt so
badly, but I wanted to soak up every minute of that
day,” Meredith recalled.
“It was an amazing night that happened in a flash,
but I remember every part. My Irish touches all
came through, from the Irish flag behind the bar to
my clover cupcakes. We even played a little Irish
music,” remembers Shane.
As the happy couple left the reception to start their
new life together as man and wife, guests threw rose
petals at them as they boarded their waiting trolley.
Recalling the day Meredith said, “I’ll never forget
when one of our flower girls looked up at me and
said ‘you did it!’ I did do it...I married the most
wonderful, kind, Christian man in the entire world.
I’m a lucky girl---and he’s a lucky guy,” she said.
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After honeymooning in the Dominican Republic,
Shane and Meredith are happy to call Bryan-
College Station their home. They love working
together for KBTX and feel blessed to be a part of
such a caring community. They have received many
wedding wishes from Brazos Valley residents and
can’t say “thank you” enough.
www.BrazosValleyBride.com