Knightly News

Like all Episcopal students, McCraney Brown ’13 and Nicklaus (Nick) Russell ’12 attended services in the Lewis Memorial Chapel of the Good Shepherd every week. Similar to their classmates, the two were also active members of the student body. McCraney was a part of the cheerleading squad and tennis team, and Nick was a member of the baseball and football teams. However, unlike most students the two developed a relationship that would one day see them return to the Chapel as bride and groom.

McCraney remembers Nick from Middle School. A year younger than him, she jokingly says she knew him, but he didn’t know her at the time. By McCraney’s ninth grade year that changed, and the two talked at a friend’s crawfish boil. McCraney’s junior year provided them the opportunity to become friends as they had several elective classes together. That friendship blossomed, and the two had a first date that McCraney remembers well. She says she had just finished participating in a '70’s theme dance recital before the big outing. She was dressed in a blue leotard and bright blue eyeshadow. With no time to change, she met Nick for their first date at a local sushi restaurant.

Through the excitement of college life with tailgating at the Grove and late night study sessions, McCraney and Nick remained together. They continued dating when they returned to Baton Rouge, and McCraney enrolled in nursing school. In April 2019, the two planned a trip to New Orleans to celebrate Nick’s 25th birthday - at least that’s what McCraney thought was happening. Nick surprised her with a proposal, and the two began planning a wedding.
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McCraney had long envisioned getting married at First United Methodist Church, but church renovations made that impossible. Her mom suggested the Episcopal Chapel, and initially McCraney was unconvinced. None of her friends had gotten married at the Chapel, and she just wasn’t sure it was the right location. After a quick visit to the venue, she changed her mind. Once friends discovered the wedding location, everyone was excited to return to campus for the special day. On December 28, 2019, McCraney and Nick, surrounded by many of their Episcopal classmates, got married in the Chapel, the location of weekly services, college announcements, Lessons and Carols and the baccalaureate ceremony that marked the end of their high school days. For McCraney, marking the beginning of their marriage in the Chapel was perfect. “It was a place that meant something to both of us,” she says. As her grandfather would later say in a toast, the occasion occurred eight years and two months after the two first began dating on that same campus.

McCraney and Nick’s first year of marriage was unconventional. She finished nursing school in May, with a pandemic impacting the Baton Rouge area. After only a few months of marriage, the two were confined to their apartment. McCraney says they walked the LSU lakes, did puzzles and Nick tested out new recipes. “It was kind of nice to have just us time,” she says. “A lot of people don’t have that special time.” There were other unusual events during that first year of marriage. Nick had his appendix removed, providing McCraney the opportunity to test her nursing skills, and the couple had a bout with COVID-19.
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Marrying your high school sweetheart is not a common love story, but it’s a story that fits McCraney and Nick. “I think it’s just fun,” says McCraney. “We were friends first.” She appreciates the fact that the two have shared so many life experiences and will continue going through the phases of life together. 

The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge 2024-2025 application is now available! ​For more information on the application process, to schedule a tour, or learn more about the private school, contact us at [email protected] or 225-755-2685.