Las Haciendas

Rehearsal Dinner

Wedding Day

Hope Church

Ceremony

Gilruth Center

Reception

Our Wedding

The two lovers-to-be met in 2016 at Hope Church. At the time, Lydia was still in High School and Sean was a working adult. Thus, their story started as a casual friendship. When Sean joined the Praise Team at the church, they would see each other once or twice a week when they were scheduled together. They also both participated in Youth Group and College Group activities around this time. Lydia will freely admit that during these late teenage years she had a small crush on Sean, and they always made each other laugh and had a ton of fun when they were in the same room. Eventually, Lydia went to college at UMHB. During this time, they would only rarely see each other and each of them was living their own life. Every time they did see each other, it was nice getting to catch up and they were always rooting for each other, but Sean didn't keep a steady stream of communication flowing. In his mind, they were both in their own relationships, doing their own things, and this was still a simple friendship, even if both of them kept a crush under the surface. It wasn't until Lydia had graduated college and gotten her first teaching job that they properly "met" again. In November of 2023, the two finally decided to go out and really catch up, see how the last few years had been. Neither of them said "date" out loud, but both of them secretly hoped it was. That night, they got dinner, went to a local park, and just talked for hours! It was a rekindling of a feeling both of them had pushed aside and never fully explored in the first place. Their first "date" ended in a kiss, and a promise that it wouldn't be their last. It didn't take long for the two to begin discussing what this new relationship could lead to. Since Sean was a kid, his dream was to be a father, and now at the age of 28, he felt ready to begin that journey. Lydia, on the other hand, pictured a future where she'd get to experience marriage for a few years with just her husband before adding kids to the equation. This seemed more than acceptable to Sean, who was realizing more and more each day how amazing it was to love and to be loved in a relationship. As weeks turned into months and months hastened toward a year, Sean had made up his mind to propose. He made a plan: he would have her engagement ring shipped to her brother Michael's house ahead of their upcoming Thanksgiving 2024 visit. Sean and Michael talked a lot about good locations, timing, etc. but it was hard for Sean to envision the proposal from so far away. So, he decided to wait until they were in North Carolina to settle on where and how to do propose. Shortly after arriving, Sean spotted a beautiful lake while they were out driving and decided that would be the spot! Sean still had to get the ring from Michael though, so they decided to do a hand-off that night when they arrived and had to be sneaky so Lydia wouldn't catch on or see the exchange, which thankfully she didn't. The two planned a fun lunch date with a walk in the park afterward while Michael and his wife Elizabeth were working. During the first leg of the walk, they crossed a small bridge that Sean thought would be a beautiful spot. Occasionally, whenever he would let go of her hand on the walk, she would turn back to him and prompt him to grab it. So he thought "it'd be cute if I let go of her hand on the bridge and she turned back to see me on one knee!" But in reality, upon releasing her hand, she just continued on her way. It took Sean a second to realize she wasn't turning around and he had already taken a knee, so in a panic he simply said "pssssssst!" to get her attention. She turned around, realized what was happening and quickly hurried back to the kneeling goofball. Of course, after he proposed she gave a joyful "yes" and the rest of their trip was spent celebrating, eating good food, hanging out with family, and playing disc golf! Since then, Sean and Lydia have grown closer day by day. Now that they knew marriage was in the future, they could talk deeply about things that mattered, and realized they agreed way more than not. They share philosophies on raising children, where to live, how to coexist in a space together and more. And it helps that Sean actually enjoys doing dishes! This time of learning each other and growing together will never really end, but it has helped them fall deeply in love and face any trials in their relationship knowing that they're on the same team. Here's to many more years of friendship, partnership, and love!

A Story of Friendship and Love

Our Story

Photos

Sister of the Bride and best right-hand lady!

Alaina

Brother of the Groom and best friend for life!

James

College Roommate and Co-Drum Major for the Cru Spirit Band

Cristina

Brother of the Groom, currently living in Missouri, but still always close to his family

Christian

Gabby

Brother of the Bride and best disc golf partner/mentor to the groom

Michael

Hannah R.

David

Hannah J.

College Friend of Groom - they also play games and eat together frequently

Dayln

Jenn

Long time friend of the Groom, there for most of his highs and lows as an adult

Mikey

Wedding Party

Q + A

Travel

Kemah is a local amusement park with carnival rides and great restaurants with plenty fun to do for the whole family.

Kemah Boardwalk

Pleasure Pier is Kemah's cooler older brother, with even more thrill rides, roller coasters, 4D Theater, and amazing sites of the Gulf. Admission required for rides and to walk on the pier.

Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier

Cute shops and restaurants on the Historic Strand in Galveston. Plenty to do after a day on the seawall.

The Strand

Enjoy many activities right by the wedding venue! Space Center is great for a quick day activity and features the Rocket Park, tours through NASA buildings, and the Space Shuttle.

Space Center Houston

Enjoy bowling, mini golf, laser tag, billiards, karaoke, and more at the classic entertainment center.

Lydia & Sean

Lydia & Sean

Wedding Party