We last wrote about Lauren and Brendan in October. You can read the entire interview here. In August of 2007, Brendan was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma brain tumor. The tumor was wrapped around the part of his brain that allowed him to hear; Brendan was quickly scheduled for brain surgery one month later. Thankfully, Brendan hasn’t experienced any health relapse, but every two years, he and Lauren travel to NYU to get a MRI scan of his brain and wait two hours for the test results to tell them whether or not the tumor as returned. This past summer Lauren was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease known as IGA Nephrology, which has left Lauren’s kidneys scarred and functioning at about 30%. She remembers being on steroids for a couple of months and the intense toll it took on her body, “I gained weight, had acne, but everyday Brendan said he couldn’t see it . . . I was gorgeous and that this was only temporary.” Lauren and Brendan lived through another scare last year when doctors told Lauren the medicine she would need to take would also make having children extremely challenging. Luckily, after an exhaustive search for the best medical team to counsel her and her disease, Lauren was able to go on medicine that didn’t carry a pregnancy risk, and had the added bonus that it wasn’t chemotherapeutic so she wouldn’t lose her hair before her wedding. In lieu of wedding favors, Lauren and Brendan are donating money to a national kidney research program and brain tumor research program.
We couldn’t wait to hear about their big day. So, here it is, as told to Baltimore Bride by the newly married, Mr. and Mrs. Flanagan:
From Lauren:
All photos by Annabelle Dando Photography.
We had had a long engagement, about a year and some change! We thought a long engagement would help us by giving us more time to plan our wedding. We both have full time jobs and daily responsibilities. We also wanted to be married in the fall!
Little did we know that a “year and some change” engagement would work to our advantage and not so much work to our advantage! When you plan a decent size wedding people have decent sized ideas! “Uncle Bob” (twice removed cousin on the bride’s side) even had ideas!
You spend all this time worrying, fretting over every single last detail that you almost forget to live in the moment and excitement of it all. Literally, you worry about such miniscule things, like “will the people at table seven care if they have to see the backside of a frame holding the table number?” Who cares about the table numbers? It is true!
On October 18, 2014 everything was perfect. Exactly as we had planned it right down to the table numbers. We had one another and that was all that mattered. We were saying yes to the rest of our lives as an unbreakable unit of two. We were officially becoming a “WE.”
For me, the bride, the morning started with all of my bridesmaids and junior bridesmaids meeting me at my parent’s house and getting ready for the big day. Our hair was styled beautifully at Eclipse Hair Salon in Ellicott City. I choose Eclipse for this special day because since I was in high school I had always gotten my hair styled by Brandi Reed. I couldn’t imagine anyone better suited for the job. Brandi had a great make-up artist come in and make us all look pretty. Heather Lins of Sweet Minerals, who owns her own company, did an incredible job with her team!
The rest of the morning flew by and before I knew it, my mother, aunt, and sister were helping me into my wedding dress. Despite my dress being lace, it was very heavy and surprisingly hot! When I initially tried the dress on I was uncertain. I did not have that “ah-hah!” moment that the brides on “Say Yes to the Dress” have. I had to sleep on it, and after one night I knew it was it. If I do say so myself, my dress was gorgeous!
As with all my vendors I went to a place I knew, Gamberdella Salon for Brides. When I graduated high school from the Institute of Notre Dame, I wore a white gown from Gamberdella. My aunt, to whom I am very close, went to the same shop to purchase her wedding dress with my mother and late grandmother. I knew that is the three most important women in my life trusted Mary Gamerdella I would too.
Before I knew it we were on the shuttle to the chapel and I had the most beautiful bouquet of flowers I had ever seen in my lap. The gorgeous arrangement of roses came from Jackie Jones owner of The Corner Florist in Baltimore. Of course Jackie does amazing work, but the reason I chose her was because I felt safe with her decisions. I knew she would not lead us astray and deliver exactly what we asked for on the day of. Corner Florist is a small family owned shop and Jackie’s mannerisms reminded me a lot of my grandmother.
All of my vendors were Baltimore based because I will always be a Baltimore gal! The last thing I remember before walking down the aisle was shaking, and holding my father’s hand as we walked into the chapel. It was the last walk I would take with my father as a single young woman. And then all I could see was tunnel vision, my future husband.
From Brendan:
I woke up that morning knowing the day had come when I would be officially happy forever! That morning I knew I had to get some energy/nervousness out so I went for a run around Baltimore. It was the same day as the Baltimore marathon (which I had run 3 times before), so I just felt like I was everyone else running. After that I walked over to The QG (Quintessential Gentlemen), to get a shave with my father and brother. It was an unbelievably enjoyable time to spend with my brother and father.
After getting the best shave of my life, I went back to the room to get ready with all the groomsmen. This was an amazing time to spend time with my guys who have all been through this before, they gave me some great advice and some laughs!
On the shuttle ride I knew this was it, I was going to see my wife, the dress, the flowers and everything else in place. Let me tell you, it was perfect; I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I will let you know the most magical moment of the whole day had to have been when I saw my wife for the first time. I had to hold myself back so I wouldn’t run down the aisle to get her! My brother even said to me, “breathe, just breathe”. Finally, I got to get close to her and have her hand in marriage and I knew “we are one!”
The reception went off without a hitch, as we knew it would! Kat Philgreen and Sondra Goad handled every last detail perfectly at The Belvedere. We have to be honest when we say we didn’t have to do too much work because the ballroom was grand enough on its own! Our vision had been put into place impeccably.
Our DJ, Chris Temple of C&J Entertainment had everyone up and moving on the dance floor practically the whole night! While our photographer, Annabelle Dando of Annabelle Dando Photography caught every beautiful moment. We decided to go with Chris because of his love for his Baltimore sports teams and also because we had never met anyone with so much energy and passion for their job! Annabelle just so happened to be our neighbor, a friend of the bride’s since she was eleven years old!
We danced the night away accompanied with laughter and tears of joy surrounded by family and friends. We could not have asked for a better couple of hours. We were on cloud nine and our jaws were exhausted from smiling. What more could you ask for?! Other than an escape to the tropical island of St. Lucia the following day!!!!!
Thank you again to our family and friends to without whom none of this would have been possible.
