Breathtaking Beauty [Laura and Jody]
Janet Boschker of Northlight Photography • Todd Murphy of Todd Murphy Events
Laura Leftwich & Jody Roberts were married on October 7, 2017 at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.
Occupations She’s a product owner for an online education company in Mountain View, Calif. and is in graduate school; he’s a product manager at an ad tech company in Palo Alto, Calif. AGES She’s 27; he’s 26. Hometowns They’re both from Charlotte. Where they live now Sunnyvale, Calif.
How they met In chemistry class in 10th grade. Highschool Sweethearts Jody sat in front of Laura in their 10th-grade chemistry class. Slowly, they became closer friends, initially hanging out mostly in group settings. Their first date Casual and inadvertent, they went to a movie that was meant to be a group event but everyone else cancelled. A few weeks later, they went to prom together and have been together ever since. They also endured semi-long distance for four years as Jody went to UNC Charlotte and Laura went to UNC Chapel Hill.
Location, Location, Location “Planning our wedding from across the country was a challenge,” says Laura. “I wanted a modern wedding in black and white, somewhere in a setting where most of the decor was in the beauty of the venue, not in things I added. We only toured one venue, and knew that the Bechtler would be a great location. When you’re planning from so far away, it’s nice to know that the venue will be beautiful and interesting for your guests regardless of what you do.”
Shake Your Groove Thang “The best part of the wedding was the dance floor,” says Laura. “Everyone was moving and grooving, even my 93-year-old grandpa!”
Honeymoon They’re planning to go on a big trip to celebrate the wedding after Laura’s graduate school graduation later this year. Favorite date night Keeping it simple: ordering pizza from the couch and watching something together on Netflix.
Advice for brides “Don’t worry about all the little things that might go wrong,” says Laura. “It’s a fun day and sweating the small stuff can take away from that. Don’t let it.” Advice for grooms “Decide on the things that you think will matter the most and do your best to be sure and enjoy them,” says Jody. “The whole day will definitely be a whirlwind.”
Mellow Mushroom Uptown Charlotte
This story was originally published June 8, 2018 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Breathtaking Beauty [Laura and Jody]."