FSLM Weddings: Carter-Conwill
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LAUREN CARTER and SAM CONWILL
MAY 10th, 2025
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRISTI HOYT PHOTOGRAPHY
THE PROPOSAL
“It was on October 28th, 2023, in Dallas, Texas, at Flippen Park. It was a rainy day, and Sam had been acting a little odd the past few days, so I had a feeling something was up,” Lauren shared. “Sam is a huge Dallas sports fan, and the Texas Rangers were playing in the World Series at the time. I knew when he asked me to go on a ‘date’ during Game 2 of the World Series that he might be proposing . . . and I was right. I wasn’t completely caught off-guard, but the proposal was still so special. Afterwards, he surprised me with an engagement party at his aunt’s house with all of our family and friends.”
THE DETAILS
“[Our first dance song was] ‘Beauty and the Beast,’” Lauren said. “I really struggled to pick a song for our first dance. Sam and I are both Disney lovers. I think this song is a beautiful description of falling in love. Like the lyrics say, ‘Barely even friends, then somebody bends unexpectedly,’ Sam and I were friends for a short while, and then, all of the sudden, he was the one I wanted to spend my life with.”
“The best part of my wedding was having all of my favorite people together in one room,” Lauren said. “Sam and I felt so loved and celebrated, and that is because of the people we had surrounding us.”
“I knew going into my wedding that I wanted to incorporate my 9-year-old daughter into my father-daughter dance,” Lauren said. “Growing up, my dad would always sing ‘PYT’ by Michael Jackson to me, so this seemed like an obvious choice. A week before the wedding, my daughter and I made up a simple dance to ‘PYT’ that my dad would be able to follow. On the big day, my dad and I started by dancing to ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ by Stevie Wonder. To his surprise, I pushed him off the dance floor halfway through, and the song transitioned to ‘PYT.’ I pulled my daughter onto the dance floor, and together, she and I eventually pulled him back out. He was so surprised.”
“When it came time to choose someone to officiate our wedding, I could not think of someone more well spoken than my brother, Will,” Lauren said. “I cried pretty much the entire ceremony. He incorporated countless memories and hopes for the future into our ceremony. My favorite part was how he included the lyrics from a Coldplay song, ‘Til Kingdom Come,’ which I would always play for Will when I’d drive him around. He compared this special song to Sam’s and my relationship. It is something I will cherish forever.”
“One of my maids of honor bought a cutout of Harry Styles, my first love, as a prop for my wedding. He was with us when we got ready, at the reception, and even on the dance floor,” Lauren said. “It was just a silly, meaningful touch that made my day extra special and fun.
“This isn’t new when it comes to wedding ideas, but we had a photo booth with prints,” Lauren said. “This is what we used as our guest book. I really enjoyed looking through all of the photos, both online and in the guest book, after the wedding.”
“Because I love the song ‘September’ by Earth, Wind & Fire, it has been a long-time dream to get married on September 21st,” Lauren sad. “Obviously, that didn’t happen, so at my rehearsal dinner, my mom’s side of the family created a surprise music video to that song and played it for me.”
Signature cocktails: French 75 (bride), whiskey sour (groom), and “The EK” (a Shirley Temple for the kids, named after Lauren’s daughter)
THE VENDORS
Venue: Four Fifteen Estates
Dress: Gracyn Elizabeth Bride
Menswear: Men’s Warehouse
Jeweler: Brilliant Earth
Hair: Delainea Hubbard
Makeup: Kayla Lewis
Florals: The Curated Collective
Caterer: Bi-Yu Catering (formerly Pattacakes Catering)
Bartending: Special Events Bartending
Cake: Maddie Cakes
Rentals: Dot’s Rentals
Decorations: The Curated Collective
Wedding Planner: Kristin Allen, The Curated Collective