Chris & Emily
Wedding Party
Laura Burns
Bridesmaid
Michael's other half, Sunday planner, board game enthusiast (family thing!), Pandemic Legacy teammate, cooking savant, dog excuse maker. Laura along with Michael (and the cousins) make up our group that saved the world twice in Pandemic (the board game), terraforms Mars and controls the lords in deep water.
Michael Burns
Officiant
Our officiant, Emily's younger (older?) brother, puzzle enthusiast, ruthless board gamer, mad libs ceremony writer, music minor. Definitely the right price, we're told that our ceremony will be totally customized from a previous (his) wedding. Who knows if the ceremony will be 60 minutes or ONE minute?
Jen Aller
Bridesmaid
Epic book reader, teaching confidante, pickleball partner, sarcasm enthusiast, adventurous food connoisseur (sarcasm), Harry Potter everything. Jen is another Brighton to Somerville / Arlington transplant who consistently takes Emily for a walk (to tire her out). Watch out for her in Harry Potter trivia and on the pickleball court, or ask her about a book recommendation. I'm sure she'll have more than ONE.
Nick Herbold
Groomsman
Competitive, likes activities (aka must always be busy doing activities), the nicest guy ever, excellent pickleball partner, perpetual energy of a kid who ate all their Halloween candy in one sitting. Nick has put up with Chris for over a decade and has helped make Chris the amazing guy he is today. Nick is the third in our Gloomhaven party helping us destroy monsters. He originally rallied us for pickleball, to which we are eternally grateful.
Rachael (McWeeney) Clay
Bridesmaid
Former imaginary friend (to Chris at least), last name down-grader, Puppy Bowl editor, Chris avoider, strategy board gamer. I've now met Rachael after she was avoiding me for years. And we found out we have a lot in common. She likes board games, is into nerdy stuff, attends medieval fairs and has a growing family of THREE boys. I'm glad we met as I was starting to think Emily was a bit crazy having an imaginary friend after 30.
Mark Schruender
Groomsman
Eighth grade math teachers unite! Before Chris's friends met me they were afraid that I was Mark in female form (I'm not) since we have the same career. Mark and Chris talk about three things and only three things - girls basketball, fantasy baseball, and Celtics basketball. Mark is a professional spymaster in Codenames and can always be counted on to get ONE percent better at anything each time he does it. http://basketballgrowthmindset.com/
Katie Luby
Bridesmaid
Shrewsbury crew, hiking enthusiast, pool lounger, epic napper, math teaching support group, Emily's travel buddy. Katie does the honest work of hanging out in Emily's parents' pool and talking about teaching Math with Emily and Jen. She is a welcome change of pace with thoughtful responses and an even-keeled approach to the normally frenetic and breathless pace of Emily's friend group :)
Mike Wilhelm
Groomsman
Happy, goofy, kind, and late. Mike is one of twenty-two Mikes in my phone but it doesn't make him any less special. I am grateful that he prepared Chris for a roommate who always likes to spend time together. Mike taught me the intricate rules of foul shots the first time I went to a Saugus game and it made the sport infinitely more interesting.
Steph Gonzalez
Bridesmaid
LOUD PERSONALITY(!!!), bizzaro Emily, bad idea giver, "the other boyfriend", not a good initial judge of character, closet board game nerd, degree collector, too cool for school, may be crazy sometimes. Steph has been a part of our couple for TWO plus years now. While she was not a big fan of me early on, she warmed up to my wit and sarcasm after awhile (as you all did, right?)
Maggie Tittler
Bridesmaid
Great last name, co-founder of PPPPP...., voicemail leaver, secondary photographer, naive of sarcasm, ice cream connoisseur, world travels instagram follow, nose picture enthusiast, "how was your day" replacement. Maggie provides the incredibly valued service of talking to Emily about her day every day. While this is mostly over the phone, they also have week-long conversations over voicemail. Emily and Maggie may be the only people who look forward to having a THREE minute voicemail in their inbox. Edit by Emily - here's us having a bit too much fun on our Iceland adventure! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axtMZ44rBAU
Anna Burns
Flower Girl
The spunkiest member of the Burns family, Anna is Emily's cousin (technically once removed). She lobbied hard for the position of flower girl and agreed to our terms and conditions: must be on the dance floor at least 50% of the night. Anna is a rising 4th grader who is filled with energy, creativity, and humor. She often opts to take the long route to school (which you can see from her window!) solely to justify riding her bike.