Amanda & Tom
Wedding Party
Courtney Portik
Matron of Honor
When Courtney and Amanda first met in first grade...things didn't go so well. However, by the end of elementary school they had figured things out and they've been each other's ride-or-die ever since! Amanda is still not over the fact that they did not win the Best Best Friends superlative for Hampton High School's class of 2006.
Tim Bambara
Best Man, Brother of the Groom
Tom's first and oldest friend, entirely by proximity. Tim Bambara is Tom's older brother by 3.5 years. He was very much Wayne to Tom's Kevin Arnold growing up, but now they are the best of friends. Tim's interests include theatre, Star Wars, Legos, and the Philadelphia Eagles. Go Birds.
Bethany Cloonan
Bridesmaid
Beth and Amanda met as members of the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity at Westminster College, and a friendship that began over spring break trips and all-hours gab sessions in Beth's dorm room in Ferg only grew through the years, and Amanda is now proud to be godmother to Beth's beautiful daughter Lenore!
Phillip Tamburello
Groomsman
Phillip is Tom's best friend. They met in 1994, when Tom had a play date with Phillip's neighbor, and the two engaged in a backyard soccer match. They later reconvened in 11th grade English class (shout out to Mrs. Lorber) where Tom would entertain Phillip with endless impressions. It's been on ever since. Phillip's interests include motorcycles, screen printing, neighborhood coffeeshops, losing his wallet at the AMC River East that one time, and typography.
Erin Yazgan
Bridesmaid
Erin and Amanda met at the hallowed halls of the University of Chicago, where Amanda knew from day one that they would be friends after she asked a fellow classmate a banal question, said classmate gave a very intense answer, and Erin and Amanda shared a glance of mutual mystification. They’ve been tearing it up on the dance floor for more than 10 years strong!
Kyle Estep
Groomsman
Kyle and Tom met at the Boy's State of Virginia in 2002. If you're a member, they'd like to shake your hand. They saw each other on a quarterly basis from then through the end of college. Kyle made multiple appearances on the Phil and Tom Show throughout seasons 25 and 26, as he attended the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He frequently supported Tom's talk show, Tonight it's Live, even guest co-hosting an episode. Kyle's interests include being really smart, golf, barbecue, and the Washington Football Team.
Lisa Witmer
Bridesmaid
The roommate page on Craigslist brought Lisa into Amanda's life and with it nights spent laughing at BYOB improv shows and dancing at soul music parties on the weekends and falling asleep on their living room couches to Dexter on weekdays. Throughout all their misadventures from lakeside concerts in Gresham, Wisconsin to swimming in fluorescent Jamaican waters, Amanda loves her "Aunt Liiisaaaaa!"
Nate Loehrke
Groomsman
Nate, a Junior at the time, took a wily Freshman Tom under his wing in the fall of 2003. Nate, an Art Major, and Tom, a Theatre Major, were the perfect filmmaking team for a school without a Film Major. Their collaborations would lead Nate to push Tom into plenty of uncomfortable (often death defying) situations, all for the sake of the film. They've remained close for almost 20 years, with Nate and his lovely wife Kimberly casting Tom in one of his favorite roles to date: "Uncle 2Tales." Nate's interests include basketball, beef stroganoff, comic books, Pontiac Aztecs, and playing the banjo,
Deb Blumenthal
Bridesmaid
Debbycakes has been Amanda's Delicate Flower for over 10 years now, and despite all the shows seen, all the places traveled, and all the hours of trash television consumed, Amanda's greatest achievement in their friendship is never having had to stab Deb with her EpiPen after serving her homemade food!
Gustav Lindquist
Groomsman
Prior to a Freshman orientation event, NCAA gymnast Gustav Lindquist and his teammates got out of their seats and started doing backflips. As they dazzled the crowd with their skills, Tom (finding this display intolerable) went up and did a terrible cartwheel to "show up those Flip-D***s." This failed miserably, but the two eventually became good friends in film production class the next year. Gustav and Tom's friendship deepened in adulthood, specifically when Tom moved to Los Angeles. They frequently collaborated on each other's artistic projects, with Gustav writing for Tonight it's Live, as well as running all video production for the show. His interests include optimism, linguistics, animation, meditation, and always agreeing with Ted's opinion in our group texts.
Allison Thawley
Bridesmaid
Allison and Amanda also met at U Chicago and quickly realized that they were each other's Stomach Twin, sharing the same taste in baked goods, cocktails, and most menu items, but through their friendship they've also been able to support each other at important moments through their shared life experiences.
Ted Evans
Groomsman
Ted and Tom met at a Second City Improv for Actor's class in winter 2008 and they've been running bits nonstop for 14 years. Ted encouraged Tom's move from Chicago to Los Angeles in 2013, and was Tom's anchor throughout his tenure in Hollywood. Ted cast Tom in many successful BigHead videos, and was instrumental in securing the LA run of Tonight it's Live at the West Side Comedy Theatre, which he also helped to write/produce. Ted was Tom's partner on the game show Celebrity Name Game, and if he had been able to get Designing Women's Jean Smart to guess "Emma Watson," Tom would have had enough money to stay in Los Angeles and never would have met Amanda. Ted's interest include impressions, auditions at the Sony lot, movie reviews, cats, and losing $20,000 on national television.
Mandy Vlcek
Bridesmaid
Mandy and Amanda met as members of the DePaul Community Chorus where they quickly realized that they were each other's kindred spirits in music and, frankly, snark. They've enjoyed being judgy choir snobs together ever since!
Chris DeRose
Groomsman
Chris and Tom met in the Second City Music Improv conservatory in the summer of 2009. They've been thick as thieves ever since. Chris is one of the most well-known figures to the people in Tom's life, mostly due to his efforts at the Roast of Tom Bambara and his frequent appearances on Tonight it's Live (his William Shakespeare sketch is the stuff legends are made of). Chris is a hell of a raconteur, and is basically a Forrest Gump of the 21st century. His interests include history, his dog Bandit, E.L. Fudge cookies, the Hallmark Channel, and working out.
Paul Hauser
Groomsman
Tom met Paul at an open mic in Wrigleyville in 2012. Paul had some heat on him due to his appearance on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", and after becoming fast friends with Tom, he lent that juice to Tonight it's Live as the show's first "celebrity" guest. Offstage, Tom and Paul shared a deep bond, offering both encouragement and shoulders to cry on during personal wins and losses. When Tom moved to LA, Paul lit a passionate fire under him to get TIL remounted in Los Angeles, and served as a writer/performer/producer, and ultimately, as the show's final guest. At a low point for Tom in 2018, it was Paul who provided the words of wisdom that served as a guiding light which led him to Amanda. #Juggalos4Life Paul's interests include beer-cheese soup, SNL, karate, and pro wrestling.