Annika & Matt
Wedding Party
Sami Peick
Maid of Honor
Sami is Annika's cousin. Truth be told, they got off to a rocky start. Anni was used to being the baby of the Peick family, so when Sami came around there was.... tension. Fast forward 20-some years, through Christmases, community theater productions, college and sorority life, and countless other shared memories. Now, the two are thick as thieves! If people are really lucky, they may just reenact their infamous "Charmin Dance" at some pre-wedding celebration. But only if you ask really nicely.
Bryce Joiner
Best Man
Bryce and Matt have been friends for about twenty years. Bryce was the fourth son in the Schwartzkopf family growing up, and Matt's mom surely enjoyed all the evenings she waited up for Matt and Bryce to try and sneak back home well past curfew. Bryce has been by Matt's side through it all. As an attorney, Matt is always fond of finding someone else who said it better and stealing that line. In particular, he's always been drawn to a quote by General Sherman about President Grant during their time together in the Civil War: "Grant stood by me when I was crazy, and I stood by him when he was drunk, and now we stand by each other always." Matt has always been able to count on Bryce, and has no doubt Bryce's best man speech will be one for the ages.
Lindsay Stark-Johnson
Bridesmaid
Lindsay is one of Annika's best friends. If you ever hear Anni call Lindsay "granny" it's because Lindsay is her grand-big from their college days in Delta Gamma. With over 10 years of friendship under their belts, they've been with each other through moves, new jobs, wedding planning, and so much more. Lindsay and Matt (and Lindsay's husband Michael) bonded over their shared passion for poking fun at Anni. Ask Lindsay about the time Anni didn't know what money laundering meant....
Skyler Danks
Groomsman
Sklyer, like Bryce, has been one of Matt's closest friends for many years. Early on, Skyler spent a few evenings trying to teach Matt how to drive a stick in the old blue truck. They both soon realized that was hopeless, and moved on to more productive tasks, like trying to buy beer. There are few, if any, fond memories that Matt has of St. Louis or Edwardsville that do not involve Skyler in some way. Skyler and Annika met for the first time over fine dining at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Ames, IA. They bonded over their shared love of Kristin Cavallari's show, so Skyler knew she was the one for Matt. When he's not watching Very Cavallari, Skyler serves as a Captain in the US Army Reserve.
Corinne Peick
Bridesmaid
Corinne is Annika's older sister. With 7 years between them, Anni was kind of like Corinne's living baby doll. Corinne was -- and is -- the best older sister, and not just because she carried Anni anywhere she wanted to go when she was little. (Fun tidbit: Corinne was kindly asked by their mother to stop doing that so Anni would finally learn to walk... a bit later than she should have learned.) Of course, they had their ups and downs as sisters -- in fact, everyone should ask Corinne what she used to tell Anni when their parents would leave them in the car while running into the gas station or grocery store (ahhh, remember the '90s?) These days, the two bond over their shared love of cats, lake time, champagne and poking fun at how their mom tells stories ;) (We love you, mom!)
Dane Schumann
Groomsman
Dane and Matt met through mutual college friends around 2010. One of the earliest memories Matt has with Dane is of a night of fine dining gone wrong. Along with Chris Frank and Adam Ugulini of wedding party fame (and other friends), the guys were suppose to have what was to be a civilized night at Rockit, a favorite of the Chicago guys at the time... That was not to be. After having a few too many drinks, the guys ended up waiting in the bar area for about two hours while they yelled at each other about what were surely the most important topics of the day. It turned out they were so "loud" they never heard their names called. Dane and his wife Jennifer have been a constant in Matt's life since he moved back to DSM, and can always be counted on for good times.
Rachel Profitt
Bridesmaid
Rachel is Annika's older "bonus" sister. Rachel joined the family when Anni was just 7 years old, so Anni really doesn't remember a time when Rachel wasn't around. It wasn't until recently that Anni learned Rachel thought she was ANNOYING, but Anni's big, puppy dog eyes and quick whit are surely what won Rach over in the end. Now that they're older, it feels less like a little sister-big sister relationship, and more like a friendship. Rachel and Matt hit it off from the very first time they met... you should ask one of them what their nicknames are for one another!
Chris Frank
Groomsman
Chris Frank ("Frank") and Matt met in college. After they graduated, Frank and Matt took many a trip together to Chicago to visit friends. During that time, Matt would also travel down to DSM while he lived in Ames to hang with everyone's favorite ginger. When Matt returned to the DSM area in 2016 for law school, the two were reunited and spent their time together either at Shorty's or watching the Hawks on Saturday. Frank is always handy with a hot tip for Fantasy Football, and Matt can think of few people that have been as a reliable friend as Frank. Frank was there for Matt during the highs and lows of law school and always enjoys a good Rocky montage or Tim Dwight highlight reel.
Megan Duval
Bridesmaid
Megan is one of Annika's best friends. When they met during welcome weekend at Drake in 2009, Megan thought Anni hated her, and Anni thought Megan hated her. Good thing they got THAT out of the way because they ended up being sisters in Delta Gamma and roommates throughout college. In fact, they used to joke that they didn't like to be more than an arm's length away from one another for too long. With over 10 years of friendship under their belts, they have been through A LOT. But one of their proudest accomplishments is refining their "snuggle punching" technique. You'll probably see it come out on the wedding day!
Adam Ugulini
Groomsman
Matt and Adam met at Drake University in 2006 while playing darts at Peggy’s, and Matt has counted Adam as one of his closest friends ever since. After college, Adam moved to Chicago and Matt became very familiar with the Illinois countryside during one of his many Amtrak rides up to visit. Adam was always a gracious host and there was never a dull moment on those trips (but many missed train rides on Sunday mornings). Adam and his lovely wife Lauren eventually moved back to DSM, and it was on a visit to see them in 2015 that made Matt realize he wanted to come back to Iowa. The rest is history. Annika spent many a Sunday getting to know the Ugulinis (and Marshall, the dog) while watching the dumpster fire that was the final season of Game of Thrones.
Eli Goll
Bridesmaid
Eli is one of Annika's best friends and former roommate. Like a few others in the bridal party, Delta Gamma brought them together, but it was after college had ended. Anni credits herself with turning Eli into a cat lady, so that alone is a huge accomplishment. Eli got to witness firsthand the the early stages of Matt and Anni's love story, so they are beyond honored to have her stand up with them as they say, "WE DO!" (And probably owe her one for how mushy they were there at the beginning.) Eli is the world's greatest listener and co-cat mom. But never ask her to make shots. That never ends well for anyone.
Ayinde Ashford
Groomsman
Matt and Ayinde met during law school and bonded over their shared dread of their criminal law professor during their first year. The two spent many frigid Iowa mornings shaming each other into going to the gym before the daily grind got underway. It was during these workouts where the two would unwind from school and discuss the important topics of the day (well, Ayinde would try while Matt just mumbled about nonsense). Ayinde is an unending source of positivity and optimism, and those are just two of the many qualities that Matt has always appreciated about him. Aside from Annika, Ayinde will hands-down be the best-dressed person at the wedding.
Courtney Althoff
Bridesmaid
Courtney is one of Annika's best friends. They met at Power Life shortly after Anni had started managing one of the studios in 2015. (Fun fact: After all these years of friendship, Anni is STILL in Courtney's phone as "Annika PLY".) Courtney can always make Anni laugh, even when it's the last thing on her mind. Plus, she's gotten Anni to (somewhat) enjoy watching football, so that's pretty huge! Courtney and Matt's preferred method of communicating with one another is through LinkedIn... so, there's that.
Ray Starks
Groomsman
Ray and Matt met during Trial Advocacy during their second year of law school. Ray was -- and is -- generally the voice of reason for Matt and Taylor (another member of the wedding party). Ray also helped Matt look his best for his first date with Annika. The week prior, on one of the more frigid Iowa winter nights, Matt picked a fight with a piece of icy sidewalk and lost while leaving The Saddle after an evening of quiet reflection and 100% responsible behavior. Without Ray's intervention, the scarring would have been permanent. Ray and Annika became fast friends and enjoy giving each other side glances while Matt goes on one of his mumbling diatribes. Ray is a man of culture and, like Matt, loves Chinese ballet.
Elizabeth Watton
Bridesmaid
Elizabeth is one of Annika's best friends. To this day, the coolest thing they've ever done together is go to prison. (You'll have to ask them if you want to know more.) Like Courtney, they became close friends through Power Life, and the rest is pretty much history! Elizabeth is one of the most genuine, caring, hilarious people, and she has been there for Anni through ups, downs and everything in between. Matt decided early on that he'd nickname Elizabeth "Gunz". E is a sucker for a nickname, so that proved to her he was okay to stick around ;)
Taylor Reichardt
Groomsman
Taylor is Matt's closest friend from law school. Without Taylor, prepping for the bar exam would have been even more insufferable than it already was. The two spent nearly every day studying and playing Mario golf that summer while discussing what they were going to do with their lives when they failed the bar. Law school wouldn't have been nearly as fun without Taylor (or Huds, the dog). The two bicker constantly like an old married couple (something Annika picked up on right away), but Matt is lucky to have as loyal a friend as Taylor in his life. The Reichardts became a second family to Matt during law school, and, while Nebraska is a barren hellscape, going to Aurora to see Missy and Kirk is always an adventure. (PS, if you're in need of a dentist, Kirk is your guy.)