Wedding Party
Alex Murphy (he/him)
Officiant
Alex is Brenna's older brother and Sarah's future brother-in-law! Alex lives in Atlanta, GA with his wife, Morgan, and their dog, Hank. When deciding who should officiate the wedding, Alex was the obvious choice. Alex has gotten to know Sarah and Brenna as a couple through the time they've spent together on various family trips to CA, OR, GA, IL, and CO. The Murphy siblings have always shared a special bond that has grown stronger as they've gotten older. Alex and Sarah became fast friends bonding over their sense of humors and love for tequila!
Morgan Murphy (she/her)
Brenna's Bridesmaid
Morgan is Brenna's sister-in-law, and is like a big sister Brenna never had. Brenna feels so lucky to have a sister-in-law like Morgan, who she also considers a friend. It is even luckier that Morgan and Sarah get along so well and that the two couples couldn't enjoy spending time together more! In fact, Brenna, Sarah, Alex, and Morgan had the opportunity to spend lots of quality time together in 2023 sharing many laughs and creating many wonderful memories. Morgan and Sarah always joke that "they are the best things to ever happen to the Murphy siblings" - and they're not wrong :) Morgan has also been a huge help to Brenna and Sarah in the wedding planning process as she is an event planner.
Caroline Klopp (she/her)
Brenna's Bridesmaid
Caroline is Brenna's best friend from college. Although they played golf against each other in high school, they didn't become friends until their time as teammates at the University of Oregon (Go Ducks!). There they bonded over their equal love for vanilla lattes, Grey's Anatomy, and sushi. Paired together on the golf course, these two were guaranteed to be laughing and smiling the entire round. Caroline was the best supporter, mentor, and friend Brenna could have asked for both on and off the golf course those 4 years. Caroline now lives in Vancouver, WA with her husband Taylor and their dog Riggins. Although Caroline and Brenna live 2,126 miles apart, their friendship remains one of the most important in Brenna's life.
Natalie Porter (she/her)
Brenna's Bridesmaid
Nat and Brenna met day 1 of PT school at Northwestern and have been best friends ever since. They were each others rock during those grueling 3 years of grad school spending endless hours studying together and drinking countless lattes while doing it. Their friendship has continued to thrive sharing many of life's big and small moments together including driving 22 hours straight back to Chicago at the start of COVID, helping move apartments, landing dream jobs, and standing alongside the other as they get married. The two have been some of each other's biggest supporters over the past 6 years and no doubt will continue to be moving forward. Nat lives in Chicago with her spouse Ace (they/them) and their fur baby, Luna. Brenna, Sarah, Nat, and Ace love spending time together and often enjoy monthly double dates exploring new places in the city.
Nick Pozzesi (he/him)
Brenna's Bridesman
Nick is Brenna's longest friend, but really feels more like family. They have known each other from the day Nick was born. They were destined to be best friends as their moms were very close before either of them were around. Growing up, Nick and Brenna were inseparable and have many shared childhood memories together: playing in the yard, building forts, climbing trees, among many other activities. It was only fitting that the two went to prom together Brenna's senior year of high school and that Brenna stood up at Nick's wedding a few years ago. Over the years, Nick and Brenna have always made an effort to maintain their friendship even when living states apart. Nick now lives in Idaho with his wife, Natalie, and their baby girl, Emilia.
Megan Green (she/her)
Brenna's Bridesmaid
Megan is Brenna's best friend from high school. The two didn't meet until junior year when Megan transferred from a different school, but you would've thought they'd been friends for a lifetime. The two could almost always be found together back and did their best to stay close through college visiting each other as often as they could. Fun fact: Megan is Brenna's only friend who has met the full extended family on Brenna's maternal side! She and Brenna road-tripped down to Santa Maria, CA back in 2013 for Marsha & Mike's wedding reception. Then this past year, Megan attended the 10 year anniversary party back in Santa Maria. Although Brenna and Megan don't get to see each other often, they have a friendship where it feels as if no time has passed. Megan now lives in California with her partner, Aaron, and their two fur babies Tucker and Penny.
Mike Gerali (he/him)
Sarah's Bridesman
Mike is Sarah’s older brother. Growing up, he liked to get under Sarah’s skin (and still does with less frequency as an adult). Mike and Sarah share a love for pop culture, ranging from movies, TV shows, and their favorite chefs. Mike always provides Sarah and Nick with useful advice, being the older brother. Sarah always looks forward to his calls while he’s in the car running an errand. It’s a special feeling to have an older brother to look up to and know that you can trust with anything. Mike lives in North Carolina with his fiance, John, and sheepadoodle, Grover!
Nick Gerali (he/him)
Sarah's Bridesman
Nick is Sarah’s twin/wombmate. They were built-in best friends growing up, making up countless games together, like bumper cars. This game involved stuffing their shirts with pillows and then running into each other. Sometimes, they would even stand on the couch while bumping into each other (don’t tell their mom). Their childhood move from Illinois to Connecticut was made easier on them because we always had each other. Nick lives in the suburbs of Chicago!
Lauren Warn (she/her)
Sarah's Bridesmaid
Lauren is Sarah’s older cousin. As a kid, Sarah wanted to be just like her. She still vividly remembers getting to wear matching dresses with her one Easter. Unfortunately, Sarah grew up to be much cooler than her ;). Neither of us have sisters and Sarah likes to think that we fill that void for each other. Lauren’s wedding was one of the best days of Sarah’s life, so she’s hoping she can return the favor by having her in my wedding. Lauren lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband Bernie and two kids, Ashton and Nathan. They also have two dogs, Louie and Biscuit!
Elaine Gerhard (she/her)
Sarah's Bridesmaid
Elaine is Sarah’s best friend that she has known her whole life. Or, as she said in her speech at Elaine’s wedding, Sarah has known Elaine her whole life because Sarah is two months older :). They have gone through so many milestones together, including getting engaged within a month of each other. They also ended up in similar careers, as Sarah is a Preschool Teacher and Elaine is a Speech Therapist with Middle Schoolers! She’s even subbed in Sarah’s classroom during her summer’s off. Their families are as close as can be without being blood related. Sarah was Elaine’s Maid of Honor in her wedding, making it even more exciting to have Elaine as part of her bridal party. Elaine lives in Chicago with her husband, Chris, and their cat, Oliver!
Danielle Diol (she/her)
Sarah's Bridesmaid
Danielle is Sarah’s work wife/co-teacher. Sarah technically sees her more in a week than she sees Brenna. They know each other better than they know themselves. It’s easy to form a special type of bond with someone while navigating the trials, tribulations, and tears of toddlerhood (15 toddlers each day, to be exact). Sarah often wonders how she would get through their hard days without Danielle as her partner in teaching. Sarah was Danielle’s “something blue” in her wedding in Mexico and she is so excited for Danielle to stand by her side! Danielle lives in Chicago with her husband, David, and their two cats, Mowgli and Maui!
Morgan Steffler (she/her)
Sarah's Bridesmaid
While it pains Sarah to say this due to her constant quest to be the funniest, Morgan is the funniest person she knows. She is the absolute best story-teller. Sarah often ruins the ending of her stories because she’s so excited for them to be told. Morgan is a teacher at the same preschool as Sarah. For a year, they lived a block away from each other and bonded during their bus rides to and from work. Morgan is incredibly reliable and is always looking out for everyone, which makes Morgan so special. Morgan lives in Chicago!