There is much to celebrate today but we are all about the Lawrence-Cranor wedding on this Tuesday! DIY through and through and beautiful in every aspect, join us as we celebrate the Arkansas nuptials of Mallory Lawrence and Eli Cranor. We have Part I for you right here (photos courtesy of Melissa McCrotty Photography) with a bit more on these two below. . .
Precious, precious. Now to learn a bit more about these cuties, here's their story:
Mallory’s perspective:
"Well, it might have all started back in 1994 when I had Mrs. Cranor (Eli’s mom) as my kindergarten teacher! She says “I knew then that Mallory was the one for Eli!” Haha, I haven’t quite fallen for this tale, but I do know that God had a plan for Eli and I. Apparently Eli has had a thing for me all the way since junior high, but me, being the oblivious girl I can be sometimes– I never picked up on it. That or I just never believed it. Eli was the quarterback of the football team, he had a serious girlfriend — on and off, and he was older than me. All things that led me to believe I never would have had a chance with him. Throughout junior high and high school, we had small conversations here and there, but nothing ever became of it. Hgh school came and passed, and then off to college Eli went. My senior year of high school and Eli’s freshman year of college, he sent several Facebook messages to me throughout the year. For every two or three he would send, I would respond to one. I’m not exactly sure what my logic in this was, but I know now that God had a bigger plan. That summer he came home, and would call my house phone because I wouldn’t answer my cell phone or Facebook. My mom would force me to talk to him and say, “Mal, you need to give this boy a chance!” I still didn’t listen. Fast forward three more years. Fate would have it that Facebook once again would be our avenue for communication. Eli was playing football in Sweden and posted a picture of his new haircut. Anyone who has kept up with E will know that he had a period of terrible, long hair. He looked like a hippy with a nappy, and I mean nappy– head of hair! Anyway, he cut it all off and posted a picture on Facebook that I “liked”. That quick click of the mouse to “like” his new picture opened up the door for us to talk again. A few months of small talk passed before Eli was preparing to come back to the U.S. He knew he would be flying in to Little Rock, which is where I live now, so he asked me to lunch. Timing didn’t work out exactly for lunch, but the very next week I went home to Russellville and we met up. The next night we had our first date. December 1, 2011 — Eli asked me to be his girlfriend –and the rest, is history!"
Eli’s Perspective:
"I did have a “thing” for Mal since about the 9th grade. The first time I remember noticing her, she was trying to get a basketball out of the ball cage in the gym. She was pretty short then, and there was only one ball left, so it was down deep. She was reaching way down for it when the cage closed over the top of her and she fell in. That was the first time I saw her. The next time I really remember Mal, was when I was playing football and she was pole vaulting in high school. Off-season football and track season always coincided, so I got to watch Mal do her thing while I was doing my football workouts. Needless to say, I was impressed. But it would be a long time before Mal and I would truly meet. I tried a couple of times while we were in college, but Mal wasn’t having any of it. Mrs. Rhonda (Mal’s mom) even tried to put in a good word for me, but to no avail. Then, when I was about as far away from her as I could possibly be (I was in Sweden, she was in Little Rock, 4,834.5 miles apart), she “liked” one of my photos on Facebook. That was all I needed. I sent her a few messages on Facebook, and we set up a date. But my mom got to her before I did. Mal went to see some of her younger cousins at my mom’s school, and mom stopped her and said, “Heard you have a HOT date tonight!” Mal laughed, and that was the first thing we talked about on our date. You can say what you will about true love, and love at first sight, but when I went to pick Mal up for that first date I felt something I’ve never felt before, and I still feel it every time I see her. We are truly blessed."
Check back this afternoon for much more from the Lawrence-Cranor wedding day! We still have so much to share with you all including the absolutely amazing and unique ceremony and the reception well worth celebrating! We promise you won't want to miss a minute of this day's fun feature or any of Melissa McCrotty' Photography's stunning work.
XOXO,
Anne-Claire