Laura Mangum and Matthew Russell rode the bus together to East Chapel Hill High in the ninth and 10th grades but didn’t start dating until their junior year. As it has so many times before, an innocent high school love blossomed into a 10-year relationship and, now, a marriage.
Laura and Matthew maintained a long-distance relationship after high school as Matthew attended Mars Hill College, where he played baseball, and Laura attended Appalachian State University.
In January 2009, Matthew surprised Laura with a romantic proposal during a skiing and hiking trip to Banner Elk. It was too foggy to go outdoors, so the two stayed inside and were sipping wine by the fireplace in their cabin when Matthew popped the question.
Their ceremony was held in the pergola at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens with a reception following at Tosca Ristorante Italiano in downtown Durham.
Laura is the daughter of Katherine Porter of Chapel Hill and Mike and Lora Mangum of Greenville. Matthew is the son of Dale and Denise Russell of Seven Lakes.
Nine members of the bridal party were from Chapel Hill, and all attended East Chapel Hill High: Marilyn Clark, Anna Kurtz, Ellie Rosen, Torrance Jones, Justin Fyle, Jonathan Reda, Jonathan Cantrell, Steven Twamley and Mike Sadler.
The couple reside in Chapel Hill. Laura attends pharmacy school at UNC, and Matthew is a physical education teacher at Culbreth Middle School and baseball coach at East Chapel Hill High. CHM
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