Alyse & Boyce
Wedding Party
Elizabeth
Maid of Honor
Elizabeth and I went to college together in Pittsburgh but our first interaction was in the kitchen of a Panera. A mutual friend snuck up behind her and delivered a towel whip that cracked like a thunderbolt off of Mjöllnir. With nothing more than comfort to offer, I extended a frozen pack of tortellini in place of an ice pack. We both laughed hysterically and have been best friends ever since.
Abagayll
Bridesmaid
Apparently its frowned upon to pick favorite family members, but if someone were to hold me at gun point and demand that I pick, it would probably be this sassy brat. Abagayll was the sibling I would trip over the most as a child. She always wanted to know what I was doing, who I was talking to, what I wanted to be when I moved out (never when I grew up, that's an important distinction). She was always there and as a child, it was mildly annoying sometimes, but when I did finally move out, I realized that I missed it a lot. I still miss those days, when my worst days were the days when my little sister pestered me too much, and the best days were when we fell asleep in the grass, under the sunset we had just finished painting in watercolor.
Emma Cubarney
Bridesmaid
I met Emma when she was 17. She was Boyce's little sister, and I have watched her grow from a carefree teenager to a responsible, intelligent and ambitious young woman. Emma can take anyone back to being young and fearless. One of my favorite memories with her took place during our summer vacation on Bald Head Island, North Carolina in 2020. Boyce, Emma and her boyfriend Dom and I were on our way home from a night ride along the marshes. It was raining so hard that puddles 6 inches deep were forming on the roads of the islands, and the tiny golf carts that came with the beach house rentals would send up great white and blue showers of ice cold water to drench its passengers. We must have hit every puddle on the west side of the island that night, laughing all the while.
Victoria Pretnik
Bridesmaid
Victoria and I met through her boyfriend, Matthew Schwarz, and are sisters in every way except biological. We have an uncanny physical resemblance that results in mischievous tricks and pranks on coworkers and friends. Her own mother has mistaken a photo of myself as Victoria. She is unlike any person I have met, with a huge heart and an unlimited love and kindness for everyone and everything she encounters. She is unencumbered by the normal stresses of everyday life, with a boisterous personality that announces itself in loud and exciting ways. When Victoria Pretnik walks into a room, everyone knows, but no one is mad.
Matthew Schwarz
Best Man
Asking someone to describe the relationship with your best friend within 800 characters after 5 years of friendship is very hard. Matthew and I are on a very similar wave length, allowing our friendship to develop into more of a brotherhood. We explored our first years of college together, pledged into the same fraternity, nursed each others heart breaks, and leaned on each other during family quarrels. We've gotten into and out of trouble together, pushed each other toward goals and achievements, provided advice and taken it; we've fought as brothers, forgiven as brothers, grown as brothers. I would not be the person I am were it not for the friendship Matt and I have built.
Jesse Jerrald
Groomsman
Jesse was my roommate in college for three years. He likes Family Guy, fast cars, milk, saturated fats, and surround sound at 2am. Whenever I describe Jesse Jerrald to people who don't know him, the first sentence I use is, "Have you ever been in an argument with Cathy Bates?" Jesse can host, attend, babysit and clean up his own party in record timing, he could give you the specs on the top ten supercars of the world from memory, he can kill 30+ Jager bombs in one night, he will argue with you until he is blue in the face, but if you needed him, he would drive, fly, or find a way to get to you no matter the cost. And he would complain the entire way home.
Steven Weaver
Groomsman
Steve Weaver and I were freshman roommates. It was like something out of a movie; two guys, studying the same major, pledging two separate fraternities, just trying not to die. We leaned on each-other in our studies, started a non-profit project together, and bounced business ideas off of each-other often. He's always on the move nowadays, but always returns to Pittsburgh to make sure I'm still breathing.
Sheldon Jones
Groomsman
Sheldon Jones' legal name is Andrew Jones, but in high school he inherited the name Sheldon due to his spectacular personality, and the fact that that nickname has lasted to his late twenties should speak volumes. Sheldon is a Slippery Rock Alumni with a degree in writing that was living in Grove City, off-campus, for the entirety of my time at the college. He was an escape from the life on-campus while I was a student, and then opened his home to us when Alyse and I were looking to move out of Butler. During that time, we grew close to Sheldon. Sheldon is anything but a home-body with a taste for adventure and knowledge that can hard to keep up with. He is creative, strong willed, funny and direct. Someday, he will be a famous author, and I cannot wait to read what he writes.