Lauren and Sam had a special blend of coffee made for their party favor, Cooke’s Blend.
Lauren spent hours making her bouquet out of felt and broaches from her grandma’s jewelry boxes and antique stores. And made custom flags. And her alter. And her headpiece. And her ring bearer pillow. And banners. And garlands. Isn’t she talented??
Breakfast for dinner! It was the first time I had ever had chicken and waffles, delicious!
And this was the face they gave me when I said look here and smile. I would expect no different from them. :)
Lori (Lauren) got tired of her garter getting in the way of her sweet dance moves, so I kind of jokingly said she should just throw it herself. And she did! So, with no announcement, no Sam around, she just gathered some boys and tossed it herself. So when it came to bouquet toss time, Sam took the honor of that.
Cutest bouquet catch ever.
Ever since the wedding, Ryan has been giving me a hard time because even though I was maid of honor, I didn’t give a toast. I hate talking in front of people. It makes me all weepy, and I never say anything right. So, because I couldn’t do it before, here it is now:
A Toast for Lori & Sam
Over the past 7 years I have not only been lucky enough to have gained a loving husband, but I also gained a friend who I can count on to always have an exciting answer to my phone calls, and robotic noises during awkward silences. I think that sometimes I forget how young Lauren was when I first met her. A sophomore, maybe junior, in High School. I think I forget because it was always so easy for me to be friends with her. Even at that young age she danced to the beat of her own drum. And always put 100% effort into what she was passionate about, even down to bleaching her hair blonde for the roll of Audrey in little shop of horrors.
When Lauren moved to Austin 2 years ago, as tough as it was to get in the car and head back up I35 to OKC, I knew that good things would come of this. Because it was scary for her, and I truly believe that with great risk comes great reward. And I am so pleased to be able to look at the love that these two share, and let it reinforce that belief.
A lot of times I think that as we grow older all of those little quirky things that we did when we were young tend to just fizzle out and turn into fond memories of the way we used to be crazy and fun. But with Lori, I’ve seen those traits turn into a mature version of what they were before. I’ve seen her off-beat antics turn into a creative and skilled person that invites people to live in her light hearted world. And I’ve seen her dedication take her to bigger and better jobs and opportunites. And I think that Austin did that to her.
But the trait that I’ve seen grow the most in her is the ability to love people well. The ability to look past any differences, and care for the heart of a person. And I think that Sam did that to her. Because when you have someone who pours so much love into you, there is no way that it doesn’t overflow onto all of those around you. So thank you Sam for loving her well, and loving us well in return.
