Our vision was founded on four words: intentional, unhurried, glorifying, and joyful. Everything we envisioned for our wedding revolved around these key factors.
This beautiful wedding was captured by two photographers: Digital photos are by Lo & Co, @loandcomedia and film photos are by Madison Shewmaker, @madison.shewmaker
It was important for us to remember each part of our wedding, so we crafted a day where we felt peace, not anxiety. This included things like vendors, getting ready, cocktail hour, first dances, and photography. Since Hunter and I’s faith is paramount for us, we wanted a ceremony that glorified God more than us! Lastly, we wanted our guests to join in the joyfulness of our wedding day and therefore wanted an atmosphere that encouraged celebration! Overall the mood was infectious, it truly was a carefree colourful spring wedding!
Here are the digital photos taken by Lo & Co
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
Nicole – Hi there! I’m Nicole, aka the bride!! My boots are currently in Norman, Oklahoma, finishing up my last year in college, but my roots are in Fort Worth, Texas. I’m studying public relations and digital marketing, and in my free time, I run my own social media and frequently post on my YouTube channel. My passion for people affects everything part my life, and I have a deep love for the outdoors, photography, creativity, health, and my faith. My faith allows me to love others well without expecting something in return. Spending time outside teaches me to find beauty in the mundane. Being creative on social media inspires me to stand out and find a different perspective. Photography reminds me to appreciate and pay attention to small details. All these small pieces make me, well, me!
Hunter – I was born and raised in a small East Texas town called Lindale, and I just graduated from The University of Oklahoma this past December. I now work full-time as an insurance agent for United Healthcare. I am very passionate about my faith, health, being active, and serving others! My faith is what truly drives and directs all the other passions I have, and it’s the main thing that brought Nicole and me together over 4 years ago! I’ve also deeply enjoyed taking care of my body by working out, running, and eating healthy. I love being outdoors and being active in that way because I just feel peace from being outdoors. Lastly, serving others is one of the main ways I outwardly express my faith since I am deeply loved by my creator.
See the wedding film for Lauren + Hunter:
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
Hunter and I met in the summer of 2019 at a camp in Van, TX. We were working as lifeguards for the summer, and Hunter instantly caught feelings but was a bit too nervous to share them. Hunter’s first impression was how outgoing I was, which played into his nerves to ask me out. Initially, I didn’t think much about Hunter and even told my mom that “none of the boys at camp caught my interest.” Funny enough, I actually asked him on our first date, on which we took a long walk talking about all the different aspects of our life. About a month later, after kindly asking my parents for permission, Hunter asked me to be his girlfriend. Another month passed, and Hunter was off to basic training for the Marines for three months. We did three months of ONLY LETTER WRITING, and we both know that if we could make it through that, we could make it through anything. Letter after letter, we both fell more in love with one another and knew this was the person we wanted to marry.
When did you first realize that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
Nicole – When I envisioned my lifelong partner, I always imagined that he would be extremely similar to me. When I met Hunter, he was almost the complete opposite, but it was then I realized that was everything I truly needed. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with H unter after experiencing how selfless he is. He serves me wholeheartedly and never does it for retribution. From the beginning of our friendship to dating, engagement, and now marriage, he has loved me with gentle patience. I was never the girl who sat in history class dreaming up a wedding and husband, so I never expected to meet my lifelong companion so early on. However, after pursuing me so well, I knew that Hunter was someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, and was overjoyed at the thought of tackling adulthood together.
Hunter – I knew from the moment I saw Nicole that she was extremely special, and I really wanted to get to know her better! Having only dated for a few weeks before I left for my military training, I knew the next few months would be hard work, but those months of only letter writing brought me closer to Nicole than I could ever imagine letters could do! As I was in training, the Lord was actively putting on my heart just how real the reality was that Nicole could easily be who I spend forever with. Through countless letters of getting to know each other, I began to truly fall in love with Nicole and how we truly brought out the best in one another! Shortly after my 3 -month training, I clearly knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Nicole and there was no looking back!
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Hunter – Since both of us are from Texas, most of our sentimental spots had been in either East Texas or Fort Worth, so proposing in Oklahoma would take some brainstorming! Early on, one of the dates that quickly became one of our favourites was a picnic on top of a parking garage, and that’s where the proposal plan began! I was extremely lucky to have two of Nicole’s good friends help scout out some spots for a possible proposal. After some test photos, I picked a parking garage near Oklahoma City which would be the spot I ask Nicole to marry me in just a few short weeks. Now, the hardest part was keeping all the planning a secret from Nicole which, if you know her you know she isn’t the biggest fan of secret plans. T hose days before I got down on one knee seemed to go so slowly, but the day I had been patiently waiting for was finally here! My excuse to get Nicole to the city was to meet our friends at a parking garage to take some pictures for our friend’s birthday, and up until this point, Nicole was a little suspicious that something was going on. Once we were on top of the parking garage our friends were waiting for us with a little setup, and after reading a letter, I got down on one knee and the rest is history!
Below are the film photos taken by Madison Shewmaker
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
VIDEOGRAPHY AND PHOTOGRAPHY 100% We had the most talented and insane media team, I could truly go on, and on about how blown away we were! As a creative person, I really value the art of capturing a moment in time. I knew these videos and images would last a lifetime, so it was easily worth the splurge! On the media team, I had a wonderful photographer who I knew would take such classic photos that would never go out of style. To capture more raw moments through photos, we also had a film photographer and man, the film images just communicate something you can’t quite explain. As for videography, we did a blend of digital and 16mm, and they will never fail to make me teary-eyed.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
One of the elements that was paramount to our wedding day was the ceremony. We know our officiant well, we even did pre-marital with him and his wife, so we had looked forward to those emotional 30 minutes for so long. When we joyfully had our first kiss as husband and wife, he and I were so ecstatic that we immediately began walking down the aisle cheering, waving our hands, and sharing another kiss towards the end. Little did we realize that we walked out before our officiant announced us as husband and wife. We were both confused when we heard a roar of laughter coming from the chapel, and both pondered what sparked it. After the guests were dismissed, our wedding party came running out after us to tell us that we completely forgot about being pronounced. At that moment, we were both slightly embarrassed, but looking back, we will always joke that we waited three and a half years to get married and that we were just so excited to finally walk down the aisle together.
VENUE Emerson Venue, @emersonvenue / PHOTOGRAPHER Lauren Leigh Whicker, @laurenleighwhicker / FILM PHOTOGRAPHER Madison Shewmaker, @madison.shewmaker / VIDEOGRAPHER Boettcher Films, @boettcherfilms / ENTERTAINMENT Le Force Entertainment, @leforcedj / PLANNER Confetti and Vow, @confettiandvow / FLORA Hannah Willis Creative, @hannahwilliscreative / CATERING Cane Rosso, @canerossotx / BEVERAGES Allure and Alchemy Bar, @allure_and_alchemy / CAKE Sweetie Pie’s Cakes and Bakery, @sweetiepiescakesandbakery / ICE CREAM Melt Ice Creams, @melticecreams / STATIONERY East Rose Studio, @eastrosestudio / REGISTRY Zola, @zola / SUIT Suit Supply, @suitsupply / GROOM’S SECOND OUTFIT King and Tuckfield, @kingandtuckfield / WEDDING DRESS Sareh Nouri, @sarehnouri / BRIDE’S SECOND OUTFIT Aje, @_aje_ / RINGS Brilliant Earth, @brilliantearth / SHOES Loeffler Randall, @loefflerrandall; Tecovas, @tecovas / ACCESSORIES Mejuri, @mejuri / HAIR & MAKEUP Etoilly Artistry, @etoillyartistry
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