KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Wedding vows are a solemn oath of commitment — and a KC-area couple took theirs to the next level, committing to each other and to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Alex Vander Veen and Tony Clinesmith tied the knot in April 2023. The two are die-hard Chiefs fans, saying they fell in love at a game when they first started dating. Tony would later propose to Alex at a game in 2021.
So when it came to planning their wedding, Alex knew she couldn’t leave Chiefs Kingdom out of it.
“I knew it'd be fun to sprinkle in the Chiefs because it is so part of our lives. We can't leave it out,” said Vander Veen. “So it started with a couple of small details. His cuff links were the Chiefs' arrowheads, and then the groomsmen wore the socks of their favorite team.”
Her veil had an arrowhead stitched into it. Tony wore a red sports coat with an arrowhead bedazzled on the back; Alex spent many away games watching from home and putting each rhinestone down.
They had Chiefs-themed cookies and took pictures at Arrowhead after the ceremony. The wedding party even entered the reception in Chiefs style to Enter Sandman by Metallica.
The biggest memory, though, was having KC Wolf at their reception.
“That was the coolest thing to have KC Wolf there he is. The biggest hype man. The highlight of our wedding honestly,” said Vander Veen.
The two are season ticket holders, missing four games in the last six years. This will be their first season as one team, a married couple.
“We’ve spent a lot of time at Arrowhead and a lot of really exciting moments together here and created this really great bond around the team that we love together. We’re just excited to do this next chapter of our lives at Arrowhead because it was so much a part of our lives and can't help to think but what does it look like with our future,” said Vander Veen.
The future may hold raising tiny Chiefs fans, but for now, the two will cherish another season tailgating on the same blade of grass.
