Wedding Party

In Memory of Randy Angella

Father of the Bride

Daddy. I miss you so much. Your voice, your giant hands, your out of control eyebrows, and your engulfing hugs. I miss your love, your belief in me. Let me tell you about this man, though! God, you’d love him. You’d be so confused at first. He’s not like the others. He has no bravado, no need to preen, no false sense of charm. He’s, cool. Tall, dark, and handsome. Stoic. Waits for the right time to land the right line and says it quietly. You’d just love it. He’d make you laugh deeply. As you say, he “speaks quietly and carries a big stick.” And he’s got a great beard. Damn you would love that. And don’t worry, he doesn’t let me get away with anything, thank you very much. But no, I don’t intimidate him, and yes, I promise he knows how special I am. He’s right here with me, for the long hall. You would love the place we bought. It’s old. Full of history. It feels like there are rings to this house; like the rings of a tree. Your guitar sits in the living room. I know it’s sacrilegious. It should be played. But it’s the last one you were working on and didn’t finish. I sort of wanted it that way. As if it’s just waiting for you to finish it; to glue the frets in and string it up. Just one more sand and polish. It stays as unfinished as the holes in my heart without you here. I’m so damn lucky you were my dad. I’m so damn lucky I got you, even if it feels too short. I’m so lucky you hugged me everyday and told me I was loved everyday. Thank you, daddy, Your little girl

Elizabeth Tran

Matron of Honor

Much like Andrew and I, Liz and I met on Bumble. Technically we have been together longer than Andrew and I have, but I don’t bring it up often, Andrew gets jealous. I wish I could explain the sort of kismet in meeting Liz. She was on a journey I craved and provided a stability, and an example of grounding I didn’t know I would so desperately need. Then my father died. It just so happened her father had passed away only a few years earlier. She understood. She just got it. And she still does. Grief is so confusing and strange and complicated and it’s hard to do alone. I am so, so fortunate to not have to know what it’s like to go through it alone. I’ve always had her. She is the most confident, well rounded, logical person I know, and the last few years of “Tuesdays with Lizzy” as Andrew likes to call them, have provided consistent space to heal, not only from my grief, but also from old wounds, inconsistencies, and issues we never have a chance to consider, and put to rest. She also consistently reminds me, “yeah, that’s not about you,” and “oh, no, those are just your emotions.” If I had a nickel for every time I felt justified in my hurt and she just stared blankly at me and I ended up laughing, I’d be a much richer woman.

Josh Kauffman

Man of Honor

Josh is joy. He’s love and laughter and desire to be, to live, to connect, and pursue happiness. And he challenges me everyday to be happier. He doesn’t know it, but he does. He’s growth and courage and friendship that proves it can age beautifully and that you can be so mad at each other and text saying, “I know we’re mad, but I have to ask you, did you see…” and then never talk about what you were mad about because it just doesn’t fucking matter. We met when we both needed to do a lot of healing, and growing. And sometimes that is really difficult to survive through with a friend and when I’m afraid of losing him, he brings his rush of joy and energy into my life and I get a little more comfortable trusting others with my heart. I’ve watched him transform in the last few years. Not in some sort of cheesy way, but I’ve watched him choose to fight for the happiness and joy he has, and it hasn’t been easy, or through easy choices, but good lord is it impressive and humbling to watch. He decided he wanted more control over his own happiness and life, and all be damned, he did it. I’m honored to have been a witness and hopefully, in some small ways, a support in the process. I trust him to hear the worst of me, and accept me. I trust him to bury the body, but still be mad about it. I trust him to flee the country with me, but for, like 4 days, because he has Harper (his pitty). I just need him to buy a house in Durham with the rest of us. No pressure!

Kerrin Duffy

Bridesmaid

Kristel Poole

Best Woman

My literal soul sister. My heart sister. My spirit animal. My partner in ridiculousness. My “wait, weren’t we just going out on Tuesdays for tequilas? How are we now choosing paint colors for the bedroom and going to bed at 9pm?” sister. My sit and cry sister. My laugh until dawn sister. My talk about anything and everything sister. My “I will never leave you” sister. My “we’re out of wine, but look, whiskey!” sister. My I can call you at anytime and I know you’ll pick up sister. My you hate them, so I hate them sister. My the worst thing happened sister, no, wait, just kidding, this is definitely the worst thing ever sister. I met Kristel because she has 11:24 on her wrist. I was like, “ugh, why do you have that?” She told me it was her birthday and I said, “oh, we’re immediately best friends. Sir, can you please move over? You’re in my seat.” And honestly, he did move. We dove into our friendship and she rushed in like a gift from the universe, holding pieces of me together I didn’t even know were going to fall apart. See I know Josh, Dean, and so many at this wedding and in my life because I met her. She is a light to the world, even when it’s hard for her to see. I love you, sister.

Madi Hester

Bridesmaid

I met Madi at book club. And yes, it was that cool. I heard her talking about the book and I was like, “damn, hard girl crush right now.” I was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Her effervescence, her passion, her incredible insightfulness, her loyalty and love, her dedication to the good and the enigmatic vulnerability that helps signify her as someone deeply affected by life and others. This is not a woman to be trifled with, but let me tell you, she is a woman to enjoy life with. She suffers no fools, and lives her life to the fullest. In a way, Madi grounds my ability to live in my dreams; to settle for nothing. Take no shit. But show up. Be it. Don’t just say it. Be it. Be about it. She’s the jolt, she’s shot of get it done, but then reminds me, “um, how have you been that for others today?” She challenges me by just being herself and requiring people be who they say they are and in that, she also challenges me to accept nothing less for myself. It’s real. It’s deep. It’s beautiful. I could say I can’t do any of this without her, but I just don’t want to. And yes, we met at book club.

Brent Duffy

Groomsman

Matt Duffy

Groomsman

Eric Tobin

Groomsman

Mimi Kelly

Groomswoman

Mark DaCruz

Groomsman

Jack Duffy

Father of the Groom

Dean McKinney

Officiant

The moment Andrew and I said we were looking at engagement rings, Dean said, “oh, can I officiate?” Like, NBD. My heart absolutely burst. It was like instantly seeing a flash of your future, knowing a story will be made before it even happens, longing for the treasured memory it will create you have yet to experience. When there are so many difficult endings in life, Dean gives me so many moments of beginnings, nows, and beautiful moments to plan for. He’s the embodiment of goodness and life, and compassion and kindness and empathy and it’s so appropriate his favorite color is black, his home is painted as moody as possible, he prefers taxidermy as decor, and he is self-described as dead inside. I’ve studied a lot of religion over the course of my life, but I’ve never met anyone that embodies what it means to be a person of faith, without it having to be about faith. His character, his consistency, his goodness… He is the person that I will lose my cool if I see him hurt. Like, all of the sudden I’m a 21 year old male that just lost his job at a bar on Friday night. I got nothin to lose! All 5’6” of this comin’ at ya. Being in his presence calms me, heals me, and I will forever be in his debt for his love. Most of the time you’ll find him at universal studios Orlando.

Brian Bergeron

Groomsman

Connie Duffy

Mother of the Groom

Donna Angella

Mother of the Bride

My mother. If this is my one and only chance to ever express to those I know and love my heart about my mother… I will never do her justice, but if there is any good in me, it started with her, was rescued by her, and is because of her. She is dancing. She sways and glides and loves and lives and gives. She teaches strength, embodies compassion, and defies nature. She is contrast and conundrum and riddles and laughter and lessons. She is heart and soul and energy and passion and uncompromising and empathetic. She is the journey and the destination and the fun and the rolling of eyes and a never ending cup of wine. She is margaritas in the backyard, and 2am panicked phone calls in college and then a masters and then a PhD and then buying a house. She is holding me while I cried an ocean of tears and celebrating me when I met the man of my dreams. She is grace and ethereal, and made of the lovely and optimistic and the hopeful. She is music and light and poetry and words of encouragement and wisdom and growth. She is friendship and parentage and leadership and fellowship and community. She is mother to some, perfect to none, and everything to me. She is my hero. She always has been. And she always will be. She is honored in this space.