Ashley and Lori first met when Ashley moved to San Benito, TX in the second grade. They became very close very fast and that Christmas Lori went over to Ashley's house to give her a present, which was a best friend panda bear necklace that paired together. Lori and Ashley have been best friends since and just like their necklace that connects, Lori cannot visualize her wedding day without that piece of her there. Ashley lives in San Antonio, TX, where she does a phenomenal job in inground pool sales at Aquamarine Pools.

Alyssa and Lori have known each other since they were babies. They graduated from potty-training together as well as the same Elementary, Middle school, High school and College together. Growing up, they lived in the same neighborhood one block away so everyday after school and on the weekends they would walk to each others house, meet halfway and then decide which house to go back to. It was usually Alyssa's house since she had the really cool attic bedroom where they hung out all day. One of their favorite things to do was "Disney Day" where they had Disney movie marathons all day. They also went to the same church together right across the street from Lori's house. When Lori moved out of the neighborhood in 8th Grade, it was really sad for them but they always remained close and still are sisters at heart to this day. Alyssa is a Kindergarten teacher at IDEA Owassa in Edinburg, Tx.

Ashley and Lori have known each other since 8th grade when Ashley moved from the rivalry middle school, BC to Lori's campus, Miller Jordan. They shared one class which was Social Studies but it was more like a hang out. Don't ask us what the Bill of Rights are. It was in college at UTPA in Edinburg, TX, when Ashley had a few classes in the valley when they became a lot closer before she left to Texas State in San Marcos. They always made time to visit whether Lori made a few trips to San Marcos or Ashley came back home for a few days and they partied at her sisters ranch. Since then, they have always remained best friends no matter the distance. Lori loves to visit Ashley in Houston and travel with her when they get a chance to out of her crazy schedule. Ashley currently lives in Houston, TX, where she just had a grand opening of her own day care center, Elite Tots Learning Academy and Lori could not be prouder. Lori is so grateful and so happy to share this day with Ashley and her family.

Vanessa and Lori first met in 4th grade when Vanessa moved from El Paso, TX to San Benito, TX. Lori became Vanessa's very first friend in her new town. Lori was and has always been so grateful for the heart of gold that Vanessa has. Both are so close at heart and have always remained in each others lives. Lori is so happy to share this special moment in her life with someone who has always made her feel so special. Her prayers mean the world! Vanessa is a Speech Language Pathologist specializing in treating patients with speech, cognitive and swallow deficits. Vanessa and Lori's uncle Raymundo (bebe) are the biggest Dallas Cowboy's fans she knows so Lori is excited for them to meet. Let the games begin!

Crystal is Lori's sister in law. Lori loves that Crystal is a part of her family and gave her two beautiful nephews that she adores. When Crystal is not at home with the family, she is working full time as a Nurse. She is very caring and nurturing towards everyone she meets. One of her favorite hobbies is baking and Lori loves to try whatever she can when she makes any dessert.

Mia is Matt's daughter and first met Lori summer 2023 during our schools summer work outs. Mia is going into her sophomore year in high school in Arizona. She loves cheer, dance and pretty much all sports. Mia is a sweetheart who is very thoughtful and Lori thinks Mia is beyond beautiful inside and out.

Jeff is Matt's younger brother. Matt used to pick on and mess with him growing up as kids, but now Jeff is a world champion powerlifter, so now Matt has made sure he is his best friend. Jeff currently lives in San Antonio and is the IT director at Our Lady Of The Lake, a college in central San Antonio. Matt was Jeff's best man at his wedding and is excited to have Jeff be his!

Blake is Matt's oldest son and currently lives and works in Mesa, Arizona. Blake loves to snowboard like Matt and they have gone many times together to Snowbowl in Flagstaff, AZ and Sunrise Ski Resort in Eastern Arizona. Blake plans to go to college to be a Physical Therapist. Blake has always been his siblings favorite, because of his kindness and patience.

Koy is Matt's second oldest son. Koy just graduated from Valley Vista high school, in Surprise, AZ. Koy is currently working in Castle Rock, Colorado, training to be in construction management. Koy loves to workout in the gym and snowboard with Matt and Blake. Koy plans on getting his certifications in the upcoming year and start living and working in Texas.

Jake and Matt first met when they were 5 years old in their hometown Eagar, AZ, and have been best friends since. Jake's family owned the Dairy Queen in Eagar and Jake and Matt took advantage of that. They enjoyed many chicken strip baskets and blizzards over the years. Jake and his father brought Matt to Westwind Prep Academy, in Phoenix, AZ, where they coached football and track together. Jake was a head football coach and athletic director in the El Paso, TX area for a number of years. Jake currently lives in Rowlett, TX selling video score boards for VCRNOW.

Jonathan is Lori's younger brother and also one of Lori's very best friends. They are total opposites but Lori loves his company and can't wait till the next time they get to visit each other. They also share the same birthday, but five years apart and they get asked a lot if they are twins. They used to mess with people they just met and just say they were twins. Jonathan was the very first person to see Lori's engagement ring in person. Matt says through Jonathan's expression he could tell he loved it and it reassured Matt that he did a good job since Jonathan is such a fashion enthusiast. Matt felt very happy to get his approval on both him and the ring. Lol! Jonathan currently lives in Manhattan, NY, working as a Global Solutions Partner at Meta, formerly known as Facebook. He travels the world!

Julian is Matt's former athlete he trained in high school. They have stayed in touch while Julian is now running track at the collegiate level and still trains with Matt. Julian is a hard worker and plans on making it to the conference championships this year as a sophomore.

Brennan and Derek are Lori's nephews. Brennan is 10, Derek is 7. Lori loves and adores her beautiful, sweet boys and can't wait to watch them be a part of her special day. Brennan and Derek both love to learn different sports and play video games. They are currently learning boxing and playing soccer. They attend school at Treasure Hills Elementary in Harlingen, TX. This is the very first wedding they'll attend and they are excited to carry their aunt and future uncle rings' down the aisle.

Ava is 3 years old. She is the daughter of Ashley Bueno and Cruz Torres. She is the sweetest girl. She is very smart, beautiful and will be the perfect flower girl for Lori and Matt. She is currently being trained at home with mom and dad and we know she will do a beautiful job.

Hoopz is Lori's 13 year old cocker spaniel. When Lori was first starting her coaching career in 2011, she coached a girls basketball summer league in Harlingen, TX. The night of May 10, 2011, in the middle of a practice, Hoopz just walked into the gym through an open door. The girls got distracted with him however Lori refocused their attention to practice. After practice, a parent held Lori for almost an hour. Hoopz had followed Lori and fell asleep at her feet. As she was finally leaving, Hoopz sat up and looked up at Lori with sad puppy eyes and Lori couldn't help but feel sad for him. He was very dirty at the time, his hair was matted and he had an eye injury. Lori called her mom to tell her about this dog. Since Lori was back at her parents house, her mom said "hell no you're not bringing another effin dog home!" (for those of you who know my mom, you know exactly how she really said it.) Lori already had four other dogs at the house. Only a couple minutes later, her Mom called back and said "Where are you?!" Lori said she was still there because she felt bad. It was late at night, the area was not great and Lori was by herself so her Mom said "Just get the effin dog and get out of there now!" Lori put the dog in her car and on the way told him "I'm not bathing you, you're sleeping in the kennel outside and you're going to the shelter tomorrow!" So naturally, the first thing Lori did was bathe him and he slept with her that night. She completely fell in love with him. The rest of the week her mom kept asking if she had put up flyers. Lori lied and said she put some up at multiple vet offices in the area but no calls yet. Lori felt she needed to protect him from where he came from. So he got his name Hoopz since he went to "hoop it up" in basketball practice. 13 years later, he's still the sweetest boy since the day they met. In 2022, after Lori lost her 15 year old Labrador, Haley, he helped her pull through. He is the most special boy in her life other than Matt.