Jennifer + Brian

I am so honored to finally share this wedding with everyone. Meet Jennifer & Brian. These two mean so much to me, but specifically, Jennifer (I’ll get to how awesome Brian is in a minute, just hold your horses while I go on and brag about my friend Jen first). Do you ever have that rare friend that comes in to your life and you just know that no matter how far away you are from one another, “we’ll be friends forever & pick up right where we left off” type of friend? That is Jennifer. The type of friend you don’t have to hold back with or feel judged by? That is Jennifer.

We have been friends since college & we’ve been there for each other through a lot of life’s chapters. School. Breakups. Confusion. Real Life stuff y’all. She’s a confidant - the type of friend you can count on to vent to without fear of being judged & you just know she is actually listening. I love that about her.

Not only that, but she also gives advice after listening to whatever it is you’re dealing with, especially during emotionally and relational hard times that life often seemed to present in our early 20’s. I love that about her.

She’s fun - the type of friend that will blare the music with you while driving and scream the lyrics with the windows down because you are over ‘talking about it’. I love that about her.

She’s a planner & a ‘momma bear’ - the type of friend that will do a headcount of all the girls in our group before we leave any place we are at to make sure no one is left out. I love that about her.

She’s courageous - the type of woman who is willing to take risks for the sake of doing something she is passionate about even without knowing all the answers for ‘how’ it will work out. I love that about her.

She’s a truth teller - the friend who sees a situation for what it is and isn’t afraid to tell you the truth even if it hurts. I love that about her.

Jennifer and I have so many amazing memories together, one that included a shot of moonshine & me almost accidentally cut our toes off swinging an axe on the beach. It took a few seconds to be funny, but that is just one story we share together out of many… The point is, she is the type of friend who will cry with you, laugh with you, have a drink with you, dance with you & be real with you all in the same weekend. I love that about her. She’s the type of friend that restores your soul instead of depleting your energy after spending time together. I love that about her. Truth is, one of my life’s greatest blessings is finding a true friend in Jennifer.

When she told me she had met this guy named Brian, of course I was hesitant as only a good friend would naturally be. After all, I thought, he better be one hell of a guy to be worthy of dating my friend Jennifer. As time went on, I could tell by how she would describe Brian that she was smitten because her voice would go up an octave & her face would light up every time she talked about him. After hearing so much about this guy, I knew it was time to meet him.

My husband and I remember meeting Brian & having our skepticism slowly turn in to entertainment. He knew so much about different world cultures, which we are also very interested in. He told us about his travels and shared with us that his family was actually from Chile. He was so proud to share a favorite Chilean dish of his with the crowd called ‘Pastel de Choclo’ & even introduced us to the national drink of Chile - a Pisco Sour (which was delicious!) He was the life of the party & seemed to have such an infectious enthusiasm for life - just like Jennifer. I remember looking over at Jennifer throughout the night & seeing her staring at Brian with adoring eyes. I thought to myself “she looks so happy; this might be her forever man; I sure hope he knows what he has.” Sure enough, he did know what he had and as their love grew, so did the memories they created together.

Jennifer & Brian were traveling to North Carolina for the holidays in 2017 & they went to see the Biltmore, which was the luxurious family home of George and Edith Vanderbilt more than a century ago. It was on a cold New Year’s Eve night inside of the gorgeous Biltmore gardens in front of the lit up trees that he asked Jennifer to become his wife. She said yes & he had surprised her with friends & family who had traveled there to ring in the New Year in celebration that night!

When I found out about the proposal, I was overcome with joy for the two because I knew that they would make such a great pair for the long haul & I knew that my friend had found her forever match! I was thrilled when she asked me to be their photographer & also a bridesmaid! Yes, you read that right - I was in the wedding as a bridesmaid & I was also the photographer for their big day! Special thanks to my wonderful husband for capturing the bridal party photos with me in the group. As we planned their Engagement session, Brian brought up his love of botanical gardens & the San Antonio Botanical Gardens immediately came to mind. We photographed their Engagement session at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens & The Pearl in San Antonio. I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude being able to capture such an chapter of Jennifer’s life marrying the man of her dreams.

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On their wedding day, I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Growing up, my dad was a pilot and an Instructor pilot in the United States Air Force.

Growing up with a dad in the military, we moved around a bit in my younger years from Mississippi (Columbus AFB) to California (Travis AFB) to Texas (Randolph AFB). My dad had flown a number of airplanes including the C5, T37, T38, T6 & T1. My dad, Lt.Col Steve Lyon was an instructor pilot for the T6 for many many years while we lived in San Antonio growing up and get this - Brian & a few of his friends are T6 pilots!

That is why this wedding was nostalgic for me - and not only that, but get this! The entire Bridal Party went back to the exact same squadron my dad spent several years instructing pilots in, which is also happened to be one of the squadrons they land at constantly. It was surreal.

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Also, we all took a 5 minute pit stop in the squadron’s break room, which I had been visiting since I was in middle school. I saw my dad’s name badge on the wall & I immediately thought of all the times my mom took us up to visit him & bring him lunch during his work day. I didn’t think I would ever see that place again, but it really sort of a small reminder of how we are all connected in some way.

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As we arrived to the Southwest School of Art, where the reception was held, every table was already set, every candle was lit & every centerpiece was perfectly situated. The night was ready to celebrate Jennifer & Brian & the scene was utterly stunning.

The night was definitely one to remember with hilarious speeches from both the best man and the matron of honor. Brian cut their wedding cake with the traditional sword, which everyone was entertained by. Shout out to Caroline Taylor for baking their gorgeous wedding cake!

I would be lying if I said I kept it together for the three ‘First dances’. I was so happy for my friend getting married and seeing the joy on her face as they danced across the dance floor so effortlessly. I could tell her dad Steve had a hard time keeping the tears back as well as he danced with his little girl who had grown up to be a woman. I could see the joy in his eyes as he knew he was giving her away to Brian. I loved the way Brian danced with his mother also - just a joy about them that truly showed their special bond. For a few minutes, all eyes were on the dance floor and time stood still.

The O’Connor family brought a hilarious tradition to the big day - it is a tradition where they re-gift this *gorgeous* painting each time someone in the family gets married. Throughout the years, each new couple is asked to give the painting a name and to write it on the back of the canvas along with their names & the year they were married. As Brian’s brother introduced this tradition in front of the guests, laughter began to overtake the crowd and the painting was happily accepted. This was a highlight of the reception.

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Here is Zach & I with Jennifer & Brian.^ & Laurie tearing up the dance floor ^

Everyone celebrated the newlyweds and danced for hours! The dance floor was packed! They ended their night in true fairy tale fashion as they were whisked away by horse & carriage.

Truth is, I have been putting off writing this post because I knew it was going to be emotional for me to write. I knew it would take me several days & several hours of putting my thoughts together to truly do this wedding justice and express how I really feel. I am beyond excited that Jennifer has found her forever man & I feel reassured that she chose such a good man to do life with. I am so glad I could share my side of the story with the world. I’ve learned while writing this post and while we are advised to stay inside during this Coronavirus situation, I have come to realize that this is life’s way of telling me to take extra time to do the things that matter. I am so glad I could share this special wedding with y’all, cheers to Jennifer & Brian.

Jennifer & Brian,

Thank you for being you. Thank you for being such great friends and for trusting us to photograph the big day. It truly was an honor to be both a bridesmaid & your wedding photographer. Zach & I look forward to many more years of creating memories together - no matter how many states away the military takes y’all! When marriage gets hard, I hope you can look back on this day. I hope you look back on this day & remember the love you have for one another and all the reasons you made this commitment come flooding back to you. May you have a lifetime full of adventure & you both stay interested in all of what life has to offer…together as you walk hand in hand during this next chapter of your lives. I wish you both the very best wherever that may take you. Just know you’ll always have a friend in Zach & whenever you’re back in Texas - let’s plan a lake weekend! We love you both.

Sincerely & with gratitude,

Lyndsay & Zach