Amy & Tom
Wedding Party
Kelly Ross
Maid of Honor
Kelly is my little sister and the one sure to get the party started (and keep it going) come wedding day! She is super adventurous - traveling to Guatemala for a service project, living in Sacramento (where she worked for the AmeriCorps City Year program), and skydiving, for starters - but she's also incredibly giving and kind, and she's always good for a laugh. She might even be slightly cooler than me, but don't tell her I said that!! She has always been incredibly supportive of me and of my relationship with Tom, and for that, I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather have as my Maid of Honor. I'm so honored to have her stand by my side as we tie the knot in December!
Aaron Frank
Best Man
My younger brother and adventure buddy. We didn’t get along much growing up, but for Aaron's high school graduation present, I took him on a backpacking trip to parts of Tennessee and Kentucky. On our last leg of the journey, we stopped at Red River Gorge, and it was here where his adventure fire was first fanned! Aaron and I have since become incredibly close. We’ve travelled to Michigan, West Virginia, and Colorado for snowboarding and skiing. We've followed our favorite band, the String Cheese Incident, through many states. We’ve backpacked in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Kentucky. I’m very grateful for his love support in this journey that Amy and I are embarking on!
Leeann McKay
Bridesmaid
Leeann is Tom’s younger sister and soon to be, my sister-in-law! Leeann quickly welcomed me into the family and has been encouraging throughout wedding planning. She works as a teacher and lives here in Cincinnati with her husband, two (super cute) boys, Avery and Archer, and a third on the way! We've had fun bonding over various crafty events and girls' nights out. I'm looking forward to having her by my side in December!
Greg Ross
Groomsman
Amy's brother and soon to be, my brother-in-law! Greg, just 20 months younger than Amy, has always been an incredibly kind and supportive brother, so it didn't come as much of a surprise when he quickly extended the same attitude towards me and helped welcome me into the family early on. Greg just got married, also, so it's been fun for all of us - and the rest of the family - to navigate wedding planning together!
Lindsay Johnson
Bridesmaid
Where do I start? My friendship with Lindsay dates back to sometime around 1990 or so, for which we have our moms to thank. From regular play dates as kids, where we partook in plenty of normal activities - like dreaming up our very own "L.A." fashion line at the pool, playing with our dolls (who were named Patty-Sally and Patty-Shelly ... 🤷🏻♀️), and hanging around the electric box in her front yard (lol) - to early morning coffee dates and Texas Twisters from El Coyote, our friendship has grown so much. Lindsay, a nurse who now lives in Austin, TX with her boyfriend, is a constant source of encouragement and support, and her adventurous spirit is contagious! I can't wait to have my "longest" friend by my side on my wedding day.
Patrick Frye
Groomsman
I met Patrick when we were neighbors in Mt. Lookout, a suburb of Cincinnati. Pat was in Graduate school at Xavier. We quickly bonded over our love of jam band music, tasty beverages, and Xavier Musketeers basketball. Pat lives in Anderson with his wife, Rebecca, son Benjamin, and newborn daughter Eloise! Tom, Amy, Patrick, Rebecca, and Ben attend as many Xavier games together as they can! Glad to have a fellow Musketeer standing by his side!
Megan Karhusz
Bridesmaid
I first met Megan when we were assigned as random roommates freshman year at Miami University, but I'm pretty sure our friendship was solidified when I pulled a picture frame, complete with our names and dorm room number across the front in puffy paint, from my bag and excitedly said, "Hi! I'm Amy and I made you this!". After living and making memories together for those four years in college, Megan (MEM) moved back home to Amherst, OH and I came back to Cincinnati. Despite distance and the busyness of life - especially for Megan and her husband Anthony, who had twin girls in September 2016 - our friendship hasn't changed. After lots of conversations in college about our weddings "one day" (usually after watching Love Actually), I couldn't be more excited to have Megan by my side!
Andrew Houston
Groomsman
I first met Andrew during our first year teaching in Cincinnati Public Schools, in 2010. We quickly discovered our shared love of hiking and backpacking. Every spring break since 2012, Andrew and I, with a collection of other folks including Amy, Andrew’s wife Loni, his daughter Ida Jane, and Aaron, have undertaken an adventure - either hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains, Red River Gorge, or Hocking hills. In 2016, Andrew and I drove to Alaska. Loni then met us in Fairbanks and we spent 16 glorious days, over the summer solstice, being eaten by Alaskan Mosquitos (their state bird) and taking in the natural splendor. Grateful to have my 10,000 mile friend by my side!
Sarah Macy
Bridesmaid
I often refer to Sarah as one of my "best friends from Miami", even though Sarah transferred from MU to OSU after freshman year. Perhaps it had something to do with us sharing breakfast together almost every day that year - we each knew how the other took their coffee and eggs, and if that isn't real friendship, then I'm not sure what is! Since those early days, our friendship has continued to grow and has been a constant source of honesty, laughter, and genuine support in my life - something I cherish deeply. Sarah now lives with her husband, Tom (great name!), in Columbus. I am so excited to have Sarah stand by my side in December!
John Ploehs
Groomsman
John and I grew up 3 blocks from each other and didn’t know it until John started teaching at Gamble in 2014. As two of the directors of the Jr. High Musical, and active members in the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, a natural friendship was formed. We bonded over a similar passion for inner city public education, great music, and Xavier Musketeers. John was a star during our musical theatre professional development, and we laugh about it to this day. John lives in OTR with his wife Andi and will be welcoming a child into their family in the middle of November!
Kelsey Carpenter
Bridesmaid
I started working with Kelsey at Bonefish Grill sometime in August, 2010. After she decided to join me in running a 5K that October, we quickly became the best of friends! We've lived as roommates and traveled both near and far together, weathered relationships and the loss of parents together, and we share a mutual love of country music together. We even own matching bicycles and live by a solid "if we can hear ourselves singing, the music isn't loud enough" rule. There isn't much we don't have fun doing together, which is just one reason that I am so excited for Kelsey to be one of my bridesmaids in December!
Kaitlyn Zinn
Bridesmaid
I first met Kaitlyn while working together at Haney, Inc. Neither of us can quite remember at what moment our friendship really began, but it's been quite clear from the start that we were meant to be lifelong friends! We've shared everything from fun nights out together with friends and rec-league summer softball games, to countless puppy playdates and several lake trips together. We've also supported one another through some of life's toughest moments, something that I am forever grateful for. I couldn't be more excited to have Kaitlyn by my side in December, and I'm just as excited to stand by her side when Kaitlyn gets married to her fiancé, Alex, in June 2019!
Ellie Cisler
Flower Girl
Ellie (who turned 2 in July) is the daughter of Amy's cousin, Katie. We can't wait to see her walk down the aisle as one of our flower girls in December!
Avery McKay
Ring Bearer
Avery (who turned 7 in March) is Tom's nephew. We can't wait to see him lead the other kids in the bridal party down the aisle as one of our ring bearers in December!
Maggie Knapik
Flower Girl
Maggie (who turned 1 in April) is the daughter of Amy's cousin, Meg. Amy and Meg were flower girls together at their aunt and uncle's wedding in 1990, and we can't wait to see Maggie carry the same flower basket down the aisle in December!
Archer McKay
Ring Bearer
Archer (who turned 4 in July) is Tom's youngest nephew (for now!). We can't wait to watch him walk down the aisle as one of our ring bearers in December!