Colleen Erin Maeve O’Connor and Will Rand Sampson United in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony

A holiday wedding, on December 10th, 2022, in Fort Collins, Co., united Colleen Erin Maeve O’Connor and Will Rand Sampson in Holy Matrimony. The ceremony took place in St. Joseph Catholic Church with Reverend Simon Kalonga officiating.
Colleen is the daughter of Karen Ann O’Connor of Denver, Co and the granddaughter of Lynn Gooch and the late Coach William “Bill” Gooch, Jr. of Abbeville, La.
Will is the son of Dave and Tracey Sampson of Fort Collins, Co.
With her talent as a designer and seamstress, Colleen, over a period of several months, was able to design and construct her own wedding dress, veil, train and reception dress. It was sewn primarily on her 1930 Singer Featherweight, a family heirloom machine. The gown was initially inspired by the French Chemise a la Reine creation. Designed and modernized with flounce sleeves and a reduced neckline ruffle, the dress featured silk chiffon layered with silk charmeuse, lined with bamberg rayon and a lettuce hem. The veil and train consisted of additional applique and four yards of tulle. She carried a bouquet of silk flowers and a handkerchief carried by her great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother during their wedding ceremonies.
The bride was attended by bridesmaids Hayley Sampson (groom’s sister) of Los Angeles, Ca, Allyson Meredith-Hollier of San Francisco, Ca, Brooke Watkins of Lafayette, La, and Frances Wertimer of Baltimore, Md. Each bridesmaid chose their own dress for the ceremony. The flower girls, cousins of the groom, were Lea Norwood and Adirah Lee-Stiles.
Groomsmen were Mickey Luberda of St. Louis, Mo, Taylor Ray of Ft. Collins, Co, Chris Leja of Boston, Ma, and Matt Scroggins of New Orleans, La.
Scripture readings were offered by Mickey Luberda, Hayley Sampson, Dave Sampson, and Bill Gooch. The organist was Mary Lou Lybarger and the soloist was Rachel Kujawa.
The reception was held at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins. For the wedding party and invited guests, a welcome dinner on December 8th, and a farewell brunch on December 11th, was hosted by Dave and Tracey Sampson at their home.
Colleen is a 2012 graduate of Lafayette High School and attended the Univ. of Louisiana-Lafayette majoring in English. She is currently employed as manager of Pedigo Electric Bikes and runs her own growing business as a fashion designer and custom seamstress. Will is a graduate of Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins and a 2013 graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans, La. Currently he is employed by May Trucking Co. The couple enjoyed a week long honeymoon in Puerto Rico and will reside in Fort Collins, Co.