Molly Elizabeth O’Laughlin and Nicolas Thornton Kemper were married on January 19th at The Church of the Transfiguration in New York, New York. They chose the church, also known as The Little Church Around the Corner, because it was where Nicolas’ great-great-grandparents, Julia Stone Wood and Arthur Grissom, were married in 1895. Arthur Grissom would, with George Creel, go on to found The Independent. The bride is the daughter of Jennifer O’Laughlin of New York and the late Dr. Martin O’Laughlin. Molly is the granddaughter of Mary Ann Nickell of Midwest City, Oklahoma, and the late Dr. Maurice Nickell, and the late Genevieve and George O’Laughlin.

Her groom is the son of Nancy Lee and Jonathan Kemper of Kansas City, Missouri. Nicolas is the grandson of the late Bettie and Royce Smith and the late Mildred and James Kemper, Jr. On the evening prior to the ceremony, the Kempers hosted a rehearsal dinner at The Lotos Club. The Reverend John David van Dooren and the Reverend Andrew Fiddler officiated the wedding. Claire O’Laughlin was her sister’s maid of honor, and David Kemper served as his brother’s best man. Charlotte Kemper, Nicolas’ sister, was a bridesmaid, as were Lila Grace Brown, Jennifer Chen, and Veronica Shi. The groom’s cousins, Jean-Charles Foyer, Carter Waite, and Morgan Waite, were groomsmen, along with Henry Foote, Arvind Miriyala, and Chengqi John Wan. Evelyn Jackson and Mildred Jackson, cousins of the groom, were the flower girls. The couple’s parents hosted the wedding reception, which was held at The Central Park Boathouse. Following a honeymoon in Stowe, Vermont, the couple is at home in New York. Molly is a writer and translator, and Nicolas is a façade designer with Laufs Engineering Design in Long Island City, New York. 

It’s official! Molly and Nicolas tied the knot!

The couple enjoyed their first dance.

(Front row) Mildred Jackson and Evelyn Jackson (middle row)  Lila Grace Brown, Jennifer Chen, the happy couple, Claire O’Laughlin, Charlotte Kemper, and Veronica Shi (back row) Morgan Waite, Jean-Charles Foyer, David Kemper, Arvind Miriyala, Chengqi John Wan, Henry Foote, and Carter Waite

Also featured in the July 6, 2019 issue of The Independent
Photo Credit: Forged in the North