Samra & Chris
Wedding Party
Merrill Magruder
Matron of Honor
When Samra pledged Phi Mu in 2010, Merrill was the chapter adviser and quickly became the big sister that Samra never had. Through many a chat at Luckyday and the Phi Mu house, Samra discovered her dreams of pursuing a career in higher education and becoming someone else's Merrill. Because of Merrill, Samra has learned the value of a pickle martini, a thick coat of mascara, and how to write a conference proposal, but more importantly, Merrill has been there for every heartbreak, triumph, and moments in between. Merrill & her husband Josh have blessed Samra with the most adorable only-child niece, Bobbie Day. Samra can always depend on Merrill for sisterly advice and a perfectly-timed margarita, and she’s thrilled to have Merrill standing by her side as Matron of Honor on her wedding day.
Emilie Bramlett
Bridesmaid
Emilie and Samra became friends while working Sunday nights in the FBC Oxford nursery. What started as a work friendship quickly evolved into a Ann Perkins/Leslie Knope-level bond. Their favorite things to do together include eating Oby's and Pick Thai, watching Nailed It! with one too many glasses of wine, sending each other screenshots from Twitter and Tumblr, silently judging people, deciding what kinds of cookies to bake, people watching, and maintaining a 1400+ day snapstreak. Emilie has an amazing dog named Edie that Samra threatens to dog-nap on a weekly basis.
Whitney Knight-Rorie
Bridesmaid
Samra and Whitney met in 2008 through Mississippi HOBY. After meeting at HOBY, Samra and Whitney would run into each other at quiz bowl tournaments and exchange pleasantries (aka Samra would talk-yell "HI! I KNOW YOU FROM HOBY." and promptly scare Whitney away), but it wasn't until they joined the Mississippi HOBY staff that they became close. Over the last 10+ years, Samra and Whitney have shared a love for HOBY, 2 am group texts, Disney & zoo adventures, Harry Potter debates, and books written in 3rd person. Samra can always depend on Whitney for sage advice, rum drinks, & perfectly-timed Disney GIFs. When Whitney isn't teaching elementary school students or crushing it at Rec Room trivia, you can probably find her hanging out with her awesome husband Tim or reading a YA novel.
Ambika Srivastava
Bridesmaid
Ambika and Samra became close friends while attending Meridian High. In typical Samra fashion, Samra skipped into the MHS cafeteria and told (not asked) Ambika that she had to join the MHS Academic Team. Ambika later wrote about this moment in her college admissions essay, referring to Samra as "Loud Girl." Throughout high school, Samra and Ambika could be found dancing to Taylor Swift in the MHS parking lot, eating at El Norte, trying on outfits at Dillards, and being MHS Academic Team Combat Wombats. Although college, graduate programs, and jobs have taken them far apart geographically, Samra and Ambika still remain close. Ambika recently accepted a position as a dentist in Alaska and is, as she always promised Samra, "continuing the enlightenment."
Claire Colquitt Smith
Bridesmaid
Claire and Samra became friends back in 2011, when Claire pledged Phi Mu. On Phi Mu's pref night, the girl who was supposed to pref Claire ripped her dress and asked Samra to "make sure that Claire went Phi Mu." That ripped dress was fate, and Claire and Samra quickly became close friends, with Claire eventually becoming Samra's little sister in Phi Mu. Samra was honored to stand by Claire's side when Claire married her high school sweetheart Shawn in 2015 and is thrilled to have Claire by her side for her own big day! Claire is a full-time mom and a full-time counseling student, and her husband Shawn is in his residency for medical school. Their daughter Jacqueline is always the life of the party.
Courtney Taylor
Bridesmaid
Samra & Courtney's friendship began in 2010 in Martin Hall. Samra had an annoying cricket ringtone that could be heard across Martin & spent too much time studying; despite this, Courtney befriended Samra & got her to loosen up. She's also the one who figured out Samra had celiac disease & taught her how to cook gluten-free. Throughout college, Samra & Courtney could be found studying French at Irie Bar, getting Coke Icees at Kroger, & having Disney-wine marathons. These days, their friendship requires a lot more FaceTime calls & flights to see each other, & Samra is thrilled to have Courtney fly out to stand beside her on her big day. When Courtney isn't killing it in her law job in Washington, DC, you can probably find her on a flight. She plans to hit all 7 continents before she's 30.
Alexa Covington
Honorary Bridesmaid
Alexa and Samra's friendship began in 1997 on Apache Ridge Road. Their childhood days were spent having sleepovers, watching Passport to Paris & Little Women one too many times, sending AIM messages that made no sense (ask them about the "thing going there & all"), and having fist fights over whose turn it was to drive the Barbie Jeep. Although far apart geographically these days, this friendship always feels like time never stopped. Alexa is one of the strongest, kindest people that Samra knows. She always sees the good in every person and every situation. Alexa is battling breast cancer, having just completed a double mastectomy and four rounds of chemo. Samra is thrilled to have Alexa by her side as the stand-in bride for the rehearsal and as an honorary bridesmaid for the big day.
Bobbie Day Magruder
Flower Girl
Bobbie Day is Samra's best friend under five years old. Samra, known as Aunt RaRa to Bobbie, is the daughter of Samra's matron of honor Merrill. When Samra called Bobbie to tell her that she was getting married, Bobbie exclaimed, "RaRa is getting married! I'm so excited that I could just die!" Samra and Bobbie share a love for Disney movies, Barbies, cheese popcorn, and the color pink. Although Samra now lives a few hundred miles away from Bobbie, they catch up via FaceTime at least once a week. Getting to see Bobbie (and her mama) is one of Samra's favorite parts about coming to Oxford. Samra is thrilled to have Bobbie as one of her flower girls and is hoping that Bobbie will sing some of her famous Moana karaoke at the wedding reception.
Wren McKay
Flower Girl
Wren is Chris's niece and soon-to-be Samra's! Wren is super creative and loves to paint, draw, and watch baking shows. She can also tell you anything that you ever wanted to know about sharks and mermaids. It's really fun to watch Wren and her uncle Chris discuss shells, fossils, and shark teeth together! Wren always makes sure that everyone is having fun and is sure to be the life of the party at our reception. We can't wait to share this day with Wren and are thrilled she said yes to being one of our flower girls!
Merritt McKay
Ring Bearer
Merritt is Chris's nephew. Merritt loves Paw Patrol, trucks, Legos, dinosaur toys (just like his uncle Chris), and his golden doodle Fern. We can always depend on Merritt for a sweet hug and a smile, and we are so glad that he's our ring bearer!
Cameron VanIderstine
Best Man
Chris and Cameron met in Latin class in high school nearly 15 years ago, later attended UNC together, and have been inseparable ever since. When asked what their initial bonding moment was, the two can never quite agree on it (much debate will ensue), but there can be no doubt it was something incredibly nerdy. Closer than brothers, the two love talking (debating/yelling about) everything from comic books, movies, professional wrestling, politics, to everyday life. This is a rare case of two people who pretty much know everything there is to know about one another (Oh the potential blackmail material). Cameron has been an important source of advice and stress relief throughout Chris’s time in graduate school. There really was only one choice for Chris’s best man.
Garett Brown
Groomsman
Chris met Garett in 2016 when Garett began his PhD at Georgia. The two share a love of Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings, and video games. More importantly, as members of the same PhD program, the two have had to overcome some of the same stresses and obstacles the last few years. Garett has been a welcome sounding board for Chris and the various problems that manifest when pursuing a doctorate. When asked to be a groomsmen, Garett immediately agreed, despite him trying to graduate with his own degree around the same time as the wedding.
Jason Rights
Groomsman
Chris and Jason have known each other since freshman year at East Forsyth High School. They later also attended UNC together, rooming together during senior year and for a year or so after graduation. The two share a love of video games, especially Super Smash Bros. and Legend of Zelda. Jason is well known for his plethora of puns that leave Chris often rolling his eyes as much as laughing. A fellow PhD pursuant, Jason has been an important source of commiseration and laughter for years.
Jacob Roeland
Groomsman
An especially close friend of the bride, Jacob met Chris for the first time during a trip to Universal Orlando. They immediately bonded over a shared enthusiasm for theme parks, Harry Potter, and making smart comments about Samra wanting to take yet another photo. Jacob also attended Chris’s bachelor party festivities at Carowinds where the two enjoyed some of the best roller coasters on the planet. Chris looks forward to further getting to know Jacob in the future, perhaps even outside the confines of an amusement park.
Rick Watt
Groomsman
Chris and Rick met by lucky chance in Chris’s sophomore year of college at UNC when they drew each other as random roommates. They went on to remain roommates until Chris graduated and have remained close friends ever since. They share a love of history, books, and movies especially Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. In fact, in recent years, even when separated by multiple states, the two have gone out of their way to see each new Star Wars movie together immediately upon release.
Travis Woolen
Groomsman
Chris and Travis have known each other since freshman year of high school at East Forsyth. They spent many a weekend playing Medal of Honor together, using a complicated apparatus to prevent screen watching. Despite attending different colleges, the two have remained good friends ever since. The two have often shared memorable (sometimes spotty memory) drinking escapades, including an infamous week spent in Myrtle Beach that may have broken both of their alcohol tolerances for life. Whether alcohol is involved or not, Travis has proven to be a true friend for life.