MARK & LUIS

ENTOURAGE

Life-long Friendship and Family Values

We'd like to introduce you to the wonderful people who stood by our sides at the wedding, as well as our amazing and supportive families. All of these people mean so much to both of us and have been in our lives for so long that they have plenty of stories to share! They were thrilled to come together for our special day and celebrate.

First up, we have a wonderful gallery of photos of our Entourage from the wedding day, taken by our photographer, Lisa Jane Brown. Tap on the thumbnails to see the images in full resolution. Further down the page, you can hear answers to some fun questions we asked our wedding party prior to the event about us and our relationship. Some of them even recorded videos to tell a few stories — we hope you find their anecdotes as entertaining as we do! At the bottom of this page, you can read about our families. We were honoured to have them in attendance and feel so lucky to be supported and loved by them unconditionally.

Who Stood Next to Mark

Karen Feld is Mark's sister, so she's known Mark for all of her life. As with all siblings, she has countless stories to tell and memories to share. She lives in Orlando, and in 2013, Mark had the honour of standing next to her in her wedding. Karen recorded a video answering a few questions that we put together asking about her brother and his husband, and needless to say some of her humourous memories as well as emotional reflections shine through:

Tonda Corrente has known Mark for over 25 years, half of which seems like it was spent in nightclubs and on the dance floor. She answered the same questions about her best friend and adds many personal funny anecdotes which brings plenty of colour to her and Mark's past! Tonda lives in Orlando as well and runs a very successful cheese shop, so if you have questions about cheese or wine she definitely is your girl. Here's what she had to say about Mark:

Who Stood Next to Luis

Like Mark and Tonda, Rebecca Bogue and Luis have also been friends for over 25 years. They've shared thousands of experiences, traveled the world, and even lived together right up until when Luis and Mark started sharing a flat. Just like Luis, Rebecca is an artist and very creative; she lives in London where she teaches dance and yoga. Rebecca was traveling abroad over the holidays, but managed to find time to respond to our questions below. Here's what she had to say about Luis:

Tell us about one of your favorite memories of your friendship with Luis.

"Ah, so many. This memory is no doubt influenced by my current stay in Massachusetts. Which incidentally, Luis always struggled to pronounce, in the sweetest way. Usually a variation on Massasooshits or Massatwoshits. So yes — us coming to work, live, and travel in the USA in the summer of 1996. One of my faves in that it contained so much in the way of a formative experience for us both. At the time, he had never been so far away for so long. I felt very privileged that he was up for the adventure."

What is one of Luis’ funny traits, quirks, or characteristics?

"Again, so many. Once upon a time, he was quite fond of putting his lips around the top of a pint glass! A slightly terrifying and very funny feat."

If you were to describe Luis in 3 words, which 3 would you choose?

"Trustworthy, fun and all-round extraordinary."

What advice do you give the groom, now that he’s getting married to Mark?

"Well, the usual motto is 'When in doubt – happy wife, happy life'. Worth bearing in mind of course and nothing you haven't figured out already dear Mark. But with our dear fella, just remember that work is integral to your man's identity. So when his work cup is overflowing, he's usually happy as Larry. So if and when you need him for anything, just say what, when, and where. The flip side of the coin is being fun and friends. The boy loves a bit of a raucous get-together with mates, but increasing demand for the talented man perhaps means he's not getting quite as many of those as he might like? Make sure one of those is in the diary at frequent intervals!"

What are you most looking forward to about the wedding?

"Looking forward to witnessing and celebrating one of my bezzy mates wed his chosen fella for life in the company of good, fun, loving folk in a special London space." 

Paul Clarke, another one of Luis' best friends, lives in London as well and has known Luis for over ten years now. Like Mark, he works in the training field and has a passion for teaching. Paul wrote responses to our questions — which evolved into a story, which was then revised, and then revised again. After he emailed us a few versions, he decided to just tell the story to you all through a video message as well. We think it illuminates his personality perfectly:

Thanks so much for taking some time to read about our best ladies and man. Our Entourage loved meeting everyone at the wedding!

A Family Affair

We both value family greatly and are very lucky to have close relationships with our parents, siblings, their partners and their children. We believe these values have given us a strong foundation in understanding the importance and dedication of pursuing a healthy, fulfilling partnership. Below is a brief summary about our families and the importance they have in our lives.

A Summary of the Snyders, by Mark

My family lives in Orlando, Florida — the land of Walt Disney World, nearby beaches, and plenty of year-round sunshine. My parents, John and Linda, have been together for almost 50 years and have strong ties to their extended families who are mainly based around the southeastern United States. John likes to travel and is passionate about technology and great food. Despite his sometimes serious demeanor, he can be quite the comedian. Linda is a native Floridian and enjoys watching her television murder mysteries. She's very social and loves to dance, so there really isn't a question where I get my moves from as well as my passion for music!

I have one gorgeous sister, Karen, who has a wonderful husband named Jeff. They've been married since 2013 and they have one child together, our super-cute and energetic nephew, Asher. Karen is a pharmaceutical rep and Jeff is a doctor, and they enjoy hosting lively social gatherings at their delightful home. Karen loves wine, shopping, and of course the latest fashion. Like Linda, she is a socialite and very gregarious. Jeff is a big sports fan, especially when it comes to golf and American football. Three-year-old Asher keeps both Jeff and Karen on their toes...he loves nacho chips, dinosaurs, and of course his loving uncles! We're thrilled that Asher was our handsome ring-bearer at the wedding!

My family have some long-running traditions that some of you may have been lucky enough to partake in. First is our famous "Steak and Caesar" Saturday dinners, where John grills up his perfectly-cooked steaks and makes his addictive and fresh Caesar salad. Given that we're from the south, you can also be sure that grits and eggs are a breakfast staple. For years, we've also made an annual trek down to our family's lake house in Lake Placid, Florida, where many lifelong memories (and tequila shots!) have been made. And all of the Snyders love music and dancing, it's literally part of who we are. You certainly see me on the dance floor with my sister, often in synchronised motion. And just like his mom, Asher was dancing right behind me at the wedding too!

The Snyders had been to London before, but they met Luis' amazing family for the first time during our wedding week. So you can imagine how exciting and fun it was when the families finally got a chance to meet!

The Summary of the Carvalhos, by Luis

Most of you know me as Luis — this is in fact my first name which I share with my father, Horacio Luis. For this reason my family members call me by my second name, Filipe or Philip, so don’t be surprised or baffled. My mother, Hazel Linda, aptly chose my name for its Portuguese/English compatibility. If you ask her she will tell you a funny story about that.

My Portuguese grandparents called my father Horacio, which Hazel disliked, so in turn she calls him Luis. My Aunt Sue calls him Louie... so you can see where I am going with this! It's perhaps a good indicator of how things in the Carvalho family can often be confusing yet amusing.

Horacio, as many of you may know, loves his work, travel, archeology, work, reading, oh and did I mention work?! Hazel in turn loves reading, sudoku, crosswords and is technology shy. I have two lovely brothers, Jaime/James and Marco/Mark. I sometimes find myself asking my mum, "Which Mark? Mark Marco? Or Mark Mark?!" I begin to sympathise with those who have already experienced this. Both of my brothers work with my father. Jaime is a 3D animation fan and Marco is fanatical about football (soccer to our American friends!) — but be careful if you bring it up, he won’t stop talking!

Jaime and Marco are married to the two most wonderful ladies ever. Jaime's wife, Nicola, works in fashion and is incredibly passionate and driven about industry ethics and sustainability. Marco's wife, Martina, is the kindest and most thoughtful soul you will ever meet. Marco and Martina have a gorgeous daughter, Amelia — and she was our darling flower girl. 

All of my immediate family are based in London, so we are fortunate enough to see them fairly regularly. They too were thrilled to finally meet the Snyders and enjoyed seeing everyone at the wedding!