Ties Run Deep for Darien Teacher & Photographer

STAMFORD, Conn. -- Wendy Wade has always been someone Stamford resident Lauren Mailhot could trust and count on. So when Mailhot and her fiancé set a wedding date, she turned to her friend to capture the day forever.

“I really could not imagine anyone but Wendy taking my pictures,” Mailhot said as she prepared for her big day.

“I knew that we would photograph Lauren's wedding someday,” Wade said of herself and her partner, Traci Shane. “Now [that] that day is here, I just don't know how I can keep myself from crying when I see her in her dress for the first time or walking down the aisle with her father.”

The two met about 14 years ago when Mailhot was a freshman at Stamford High School and she was in Wade’s drawing and painting class. Later she joined the cheerleading squad, which Wade coached.

Over the next four years, during which Mailhot continued with cheerleading--she was the captain her senior year,  their relationship blossomed. She also took the yearbook course Wade taught and raised thousands of dollars as the advertising editor.

“I just couldn't get rid of her,” Wade says jokingly.

The two remained close after Mailhot graduated in 2002. Mailhot assisted Wade with the cheerleading squad and substituted for Wade during her pregnancy. She also followed in her friend and mentor’s footsteps and became a teacher—currently for fifth grade at Royle Elementary School—and is head cheerleading coach at Darien High School.

In addition to her roles at Stamford High School, Wade is a co-owner of Shades Shutters Photography in Milford.

Mailhot will marry Bruce Moore Jr. on Saturday, June 25, at St. Mary’s Church in Stamford. The lifelong Stamford residents will remain in their hometown after their marriage.

Are you getting married soon? Share your happiness with your friends and neighbors by sending pictures and information to reporter Anthony Buzzeo tbuzzeo@TheDailyStamford.com. 

 

 

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