B & H
Wedding Party
Ciara Kohr
Maid of Honor
I'll never forget the cold winter day in 1998 when the phone rang and my mom yelled: "We won the lottery!" My heiress dreams were quickly dashed when she followed up with, "you're going to have a baby sister!" Already traumatized by my two year old brother Aidan's reign of terror, I burst into tears. While I clearly didn't think so at the time, I really had won the lottery. When Ciara was little, I had a real-life doll to dress up. Later, her and Aidan's combined teenage antics made me the prodigal child. And now that she's all grown up, she is one of my best friends. From acting as her psuedo tiger-mom/swim coach to salsa-ing until 3am in Cuba together, we've shared many adventures. She just graduated from Emory University with a public health degree, and I'm such a proud big sis!
Austin Cuave
Best Man
When my parents announced that I was going to be an older brother, I made it no secret that I wanted a sister. I had already picked out a name: Flower, after the skunk in Bambi. Instead of Flower, I ended up with an amazing little brother named Austin. Six years older than him and considerably taller and more athletic, I would tease, poke, and harass Austin relentlessly . . . it was great! As the years have gone by, our relationship has transformed - I still call Austin my little bro peep, but he is now a great friend and confidante who has sadly surpassed me in height and athletic prowess. Some of my favorite recent memories have been our trips to Jackson Hole and Park City, flying down the slopes together. I'm so glad to have a brother to love and can't wait for our next annual ski trip!
Emily Houchin
Matron of Honor
Emily and I have been friends since third grade. Or so I thought. Turns out, Emily incorrectly believed I was trying to steal her elementary school bestie and commenced a stealth campaign against me. She "impersonated" me and told the new boy in class "I" loved him, filled his lunchbox with sand and convinced the school it was my doing, and conspired to have her crayfish murder mine in science class. Nevertheless, I eventually converted her from frenemy to one of my closest confidantes. From comforting each other through high school breakups, to tearing up frat row at UCLA, to surviving the grueling first years of law school, we've been through it all together. After being maid of honor at her wedding, I can't wait for her to return the favor and exact revenge in her reception toast.
Thomas Copehnaver
Groomsman
Tom is one of my oldest friends. We met in middle school, where we bonded as soccer and basketball teammates. After graduating from high school together, I was lucky to have Tom as a built-in friend when we left for Virginia Tech. Our shared love of travel and athletic pursuits has made for many fun memories both during and after college. Some of my favorites include running together on the beaches of Nice, a backpacking trip in Yosemite where Tom's level of fitness sharply contrasted with mine (he seriously kicked my butt), snowboarding on some incredible powder in Jackson Hole, and rafting down the Truckee river with Brianna in tow. Tom is always someone I can count on for advice and motivation to keep in shape for whatever the next adventure brings.
Rebecca Eckert-Fong
Maid of Honor
Before we became friends, I knew Becca as that ice skater girl in the other fifth grade class who always sang annoyingly in the recess line. We ended up in the same middle school lunch clique the following year, where she found new ways to annoy me, including regularly smashing her graham crackers into a fine powder that she called "fairy dust" and sprinkling it down my shirt. We reached a truce after one of her stunts involving an exploding can of soda landed me in the principal's office with the intended victim, our friend (and fellow bridesmaid) Bianca's sixth grade crush. Eventually, Becca became one of my best friends, which she remains to this day. She hasn't lost her mischievous side, so look out for some pro-level hijinks that will surely come from her corner on the big day.
Derek Davis
Groomsman
My friendship with Derek began at Virginia Tech on the basketball courts of McComas Hall and in the classrooms of Bishop-Favrao Hall, where we took classes for our shared construction management major. There is still debate over who had the better pickup basketball team. I have a lot of great memories with Derek, from New Years in Montreal to New Years in Rome . . . but one epic post-graduation Blacksburg visit stands out for reasons that may or may not make it into a toast at his wedding someday. As someone who enjoys the finer things, Derek was the perfect travel buddy in Dubai during our MBA program. He has been a great friend over the past ten years, and I can't wait to celebrate more life achievements with him and his girlfriend, Alex, who just bought their first home in Charlotte.
Bianca Coats
Bridesmaid
Bianca joined Becca and my lunch table as the new girl in middle school. By high school, the three of us had become the inseparable "3Bs." As the most responsible of our trio, Bianca introduced us to her church friends, with whom we engaged in such wholesome activities as TPing houses, launching potatoes into the compound of the local cult, ice blocking on the golf course, and decorating the "painted rock" above town with vaguely phallic symbols. These escapades and others were chronicled in our group LiveJournal, a record of our teenage angst which has sadly disappeared from the internet. Bianca and I also spent many summers coaching kids on our local swim team. Now she has three adorable ones of her own, who I can't wait to tell "high school Bianca" stories when they are old enough:)
Dante Branch
Groomsman
During our freshman year at Virginia Tech, Dante lived in the same building as some of our Winchester friends. We had some great times in college, but one of my favorites is when we accidentally rushed a fraternity and didn't know it until we received bids. After college, Dante and I both moved around a lot for work, Dante in the Navy and myself in a traveling role at my company. We both love travel and used this as an opportunity visit each other in the various cities where we were living at the time. From Vegas to San Diego, I can always count on Dante to bring the party. Now that he has graduated from Harvard with his MBA, I have no doubt life will take Dante to even more exciting destinations, and I look forward to continuing the tradition of visiting him wherever he goes next.
Catie Hagman
Bridesmaid
Catie and I became friends and roommates after joining the same college sorority, Delta Gamma. Addicted to the kitchen staff's cookies, Catie had been brainstorming methods of accessing the oven after hours in order to bake more. Problem: the kitchen was locked each night to prevent inebriated DGs from starting a fire. Solution: a tiny backless cabinet connected to the kitchen, through which a miniature person (i.e. 5'2 me) could crawl and unlock the room. In exchange for unlimited dessert, Catie offered me her discerning judgment and intimidating 6'0 presence to deter the unsavory frat boys I occasionally attracted. Evidently, my taste improved because Catie (and her husband) instantly took a liking to Hunter, so now we can look forward to a lifetime of fun double dates!
Aidan Kohr
Groomsman
Shortly after Brianna and I started dating, Aidan graduated from Purdue University with a mechanical engineering degree and moved to Saudi Arabia for work. Despite Aidan being halfway around the world most of the time, we've bonded on his time off. For instance, when Aidan came home to the Bay Area for a visit last summer and was voluntold to help Brianna and I with our massive list of house projects in Tahoe - undoubtedly his favorite vacation! For two full weekends, Aidan worked in the yard filling up multiple driveway-sized dumpsters with yard waste and grinding rust off our bear box. I look forward to joining as member of the family and enjoying more of Aidan's free labor (KIDDING!) Aidan, we know payback is imminent and we owe you a fun time at the lake as soon as you are home next.
Samantha Suehiro
Bridesmaid
Along with Catie, Sam and I also met as part of the same DG pledge class. I could write a novel about all the memories we've shared together, both during and after college, but my favorite are the ones from studying abroad in Europe shortly before UCLA graduation. It is truly a miracle our young, naive selves made it back to California in one piece after multiple encounters with overly friendly Irish and Italian gentlemen. Our skill at obtaining free gelato, dinner, Guinness, transportation, and birthday piano concerts across numerous foreign countries was matched only by our masterful impersonation of Rick Steve's audioguides. It is hard to believe that time in our lives has passed, and I'm joining Sam in the marrieds club. Next step: move closer to each other and get into more trouble!
Rev. John D. Copenhaver Jr.
Officiant
Dr. Copenhaver has been a part of my life since I became friends with his son, Tom, in middle school. By default, he attended countless of my middle and high school basketball and soccer games and has always been a kind and welcoming presence in my life. Now enjoying his retirement, Dr. Copenhaver was the pastor of United Methodist Church in Salem, VA for many years. He is also a professor emeritus of religion and philosophy at Shenandoah University, where he served as pastor, campus minister, chaplain and professor (including head of the Department of Religion and Philosophy) during his 27-year career.