THE SANDLEWOOD TEAM
Lauren & Shawn Sparks
SANDLEWOOD MANOR OWNERS
Lauren and Shawn Sparks founded Sandlewood Manor in 2016 with a shared vision for a ministry based wedding venue. Shawn and Lauren’s individual success in marketing and business management makes them a powerful team. Their hardworking personalities, strong passion for marriage, and a desire to help others have merged to create one of Houston’s premier wedding venues.
Tina & Darryl Kennedy
SANDLEWOOD MANOR VENUE OWNERS
Darryl and Tina Kennedy have had the opportunity to share in the vision of Sandlewood Manor, that was given to Lauren and Shawn Sparks years ago, by playing a strongly supportive role in the venue. After 35 years of marriage, Darryl and Tina have learned that sharing life together is a beautiful gift from God. “Learning to weather the difficulties of life together and having a partner to share in the joys is one of life’s greatest adventures and well worth the learning curve.” We feel blessed to have a small part in encouraging and supporting marriages in Houston through Sandlewood Manor’s Love for a Lifetime program. As co-owners and coworkers here at Sandlewood Manor, it is our desire to see excellence in every area of this business and we pray that God will use this magnificent property for his glory.”
Laura Coward
SANDLEWOOD MANOR VENUE CONCIERGE
Laura, a Certified Wedding & Event Planner (CWEP), wants all clients to know every event important to you is important to her and Sandlewood Manor, which is what makes this venue stand out above the rest. In 2007, Laura moved to America from the United Kingdom and Texas has stolen her heart. She then went on to graduate Cum Laude from Auburn University in three and a half years with an Interdisciplinary Degree and minors in Business, Leadership and Psychology. In her time at Auburn she was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority and also an active member in the IHSA Equestrian Team. When back home she spent most of her college breaks working events at The Woodlands Country Club and loved her time spent there. Her passion in life is to make others happy, especially when it comes to their events. This is where her organizational skills, along with her attention to detail, come in very handy.
Kayli Montgomery
SANDLEWOOD MANOR VENUE CONCIERGE
Kayli was born in Midland, Texas and moved to Houston in 2009. She married her high school sweetheart Cody Montgomery in 2017, they have 2 active German shepherds and enjoy biking, hiking and spending time with friends and family outdoors. Kayli has 4 years experience in Wedding and Events. She started with planning and coordination while working in the restaurant industry, where she grew to the corporate level planning events for national accounts. Kayli is extremely detail-oriented and has a strong passion for weddings. She became a Certified Wedding Planner through the American Association of Certified Wedding Planners and is delighted to be a part of the Sandlewood Team.
Tina Kennedy
SANDLEWOOD MANOR CERTIFIED NUTRITIONIST
Tina Kennedy earned her BS in Health Science at L.S.U. and her certification in Nutritional Counseling (CNC) through The Trinity School of Natural Health. She is also certified as a First Line Therapist in Lifestyle Medicine through Metagenics. Tina is passionate about helping others to make choices that will enhance health and help prevent disease. As a nutritionist and holistic health educator, she uses diet and lifestyle therapies to support the body's natural miraculous ability to restore and heal itself when given the proper environment. Recognizing that every person's body is different, Tine enjoys meeting with clients one on one to create personalized diet and lifestyle programs suited to individual needs. Tina has many years of experience working specifically in high risk obesity and metabolic disease and is confident in her ability to assist others to succeed in reaching their weight management and fitness goals.
Leah Claxton
SANDLEWOOD MANOR BALLROOM DIRECTOR