Bridget & Owen
Wedding Party
Kim Hein
Maid of Honor
Kim has been a part of Bridget's life for as long as she can remember. Bridget can't exactly pinpoint the moment that she and Kim became friends but since they have, it has been a friendship full of so much love and memories. Bridget and Kim have maintained a strong friendship through all of life's ups and downs, from living in other countries and other cities to moving jobs and relationships. Bridget recalls Kim in all important parts of her life from some of the awkward (Our Lady carnivals) to some of the wild (Kim visiting Bridget in Philly for New Years) to most recently taking a trip all the way across the pond to visit Bridget in Spain. Kim has one of the biggest hearts and has been a voice of support in all parts of Bridget's life. Kim is the friend that everyone wants to have because when she is your friend, she is your friend for life. Her loyalty and compassion are completely unmatched. Bridget is so honored and excited to have Kim right by her side as one of her maids of honor!
Sam Roff
Best Man
Owen's oldest friend, Sam has been the greatest constant in his life for almost 30 years. Attending the same schools from pre-school through undergrad, Sam has been not far from Owen for much of their lives. After Owen spent years hearing Sam called "Owen's brother", he was in for a shock when a bunch of DeSales students began asking "Are you Sam's brother?" Owen has had the distinct privilege of watching Sam grow from the annoying little brother into the young man making his mark on the world, and now into a dedicated husband, selfless mentor, and even a role model for his big brother. Having Sam in his life is one of Owen's greatest blessings, and he wants to be just like him when he grows up! Sam's energy and selflessness are infectious, making the people around him better, especially Owen. After serving as a best man at Sam's wedding and embracing Caroline as a sister, Owen is very excited to have Sam beside him for his own wedding.
Alli Poczak
Maid of Honor
Bridget's oldest friend of the bunch (since 5th grade!) Alli has had such an amazing and important impact on Bridget's life. Alli and Bridget have always been friends, but in more recent years have become even closer and very involved in each other's lives. Bridget and Alli (and Kim) can find themselves hanging out for hours and hours (and hours!), whether that's hitting up a winery or brewery, or in someone's house and catching each other up on everything and anything that there is in life. Bridget loves how intentional and thoughtful Alli is and that she is there for you with her whole heart whenever you need it. Alli has seen Bridget in some of her hardest points, but has been there to help pick up the pieces. Alli visited Bridget in Spain while she was in grad school and gave Bridget some of the hardest laughs of her LIFE in a boat in Retiro Park (iykyk). Bridget has the honor to call Alli one of her maids of honor on her big day and she couldn't be luckier!
Anders Hemdal
Best Man
When Owen first met Anders, he was one of the RAs for the freshmen guys in Conmy Hall. The only times they crossed paths that year were when Owen should have written Anders up, but definitely didn't. The next year, Anders somehow talked his way into an RA job, and was on the same staff as Owen. They quickly became friends, sealing their relationship with many nights of drinking, games, and friendly debates/shouting matches. They have been best friends through the highest and lowest points in their lives, and have watched each other grow as men, as partners to Bridget and Taylor, as friends to each other, and in Anders' case, as the greatest father to the most perfect little girl. Being friends, coworkers, and roommates together (and of course serving as the officiant at Anders' and Taylor's wedding!) has been an incredible honor for Owen, and he couldn't imagine getting married without Anders by his side.
Cassie Edet
Bridesmaid
Bridget and Cassie's earliest memories were spent stuffed like sardines in a pickup truck on a nighttime drive heading to the town of Esteli from the capital city of Managua, Nicaragua. Bridget and Cassie had both started working for the international development nonprofit, Global Brigades, on the same fateful day in 2017, and after knowing each other for only a few moments were crammed next to each other (both very tall ladies!) as Bridget profusely sweated because she was wearing 3 layers of coats in 80 degree weather. Their friendship started rather quickly with Cassie being the loving and calm partner to Bridget's wild and loud personality, though Cassie was always there as an ear for support and a hand for a shot of tequila. Their friendship turned into becoming roommates, living in 3 separate countries together and traveling all over the world together (Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Philadelphia, Nebraska, Chicago, etc). Today, Bridget considers Cassie still one of the most important people in her life and loves her so deeply! The gallo to my pinto (with the tattoos to boot) Bridget is so honored to have Cassie there on her and Owen's big day.
Alex Bondi
Groomsman
Owen first met Alex as one of his RAs in Conmy Hall at DeSales, and his earliest memory with the man who would become one of his closest friends was when Alex and several other residents burst into Owen's dorm room with nerf guns as part of a notable escalation in the ongoing nerf wars that took place that year. Despite the ambush, Owen had only positive experiences with Alex during a year filled with many, many issues with the freshmen of Conmy Hall. Two years later, they were part of the DeSales Rome program, and explored the eternal city and elsewhere together. After weekly (or more) dinners at L'Archetto II, a very hazy trip to Munich for Oktoberfest, and frequent drinks between classes, they quickly became good friends, and continued growing their friendship back at DeSales and beyond. Their love of travel took them to Iceland, Spain, and Portugal, and their love of beer has taken them to breweries all over. Owen has watched Alex's own relationship with Noelle blossom and grow, and has the honor of serving as a groomsman in their wedding (back at DeSales of course). Owen is very excited to tie the knot himself with Alex at his side!
Kelsy McIntosh
Bridesmaid
Bridget and Kelsy met living in Nicaragua in 2017. They immediately connected because although they were meeting in the middle of Central America, they were both from the "Northeast" of the United States and made it their mission to teach their coworkers all things Jersey and Philly. Kelsy and Bridget became close quickly and ended up visiting each other in Manhattan on holiday break from work only a few months after knowing each other. One of the earliest memories Bridget has with Kelsy is when they both decided to travel back to Nicaragua on December 31st just to be greeted with almost the whole town closed and nowhere to get food. After Nicaragua, Bridget and Kelsy moved to Honduras together (where they were roomates with Cassie), and then Panama together, and Bridget even met up with Kelsy while she was living in Ghana. After they both left living abroad, their friendship stayed strong with Bridget and Kelsy visiting each other often on either side of the Delaware River. Bridget is so happy to have such an amazing friend (with amazing hugs!) by her side as she marries Owen and as Kelsy herself has said, "bring all the tears."
Bryan Silk
Groomsman
When Owen first started dating Bridget, he initially wondered how he would connect with Bryan, five years his senior and living his own life down in Philly with Arielle, their cats, and their new house. But, they quickly discovered their shared interests in music, theatre, sports, food, and most of all, cats. Every time they see each other, they are bound to laugh, annoy Bridget, Brandon, and their parents, and probably radicalize each other just a little more than they were before. Every conversation between Bryan and Owen has been a lively one, no matter the topic, and Bryan has a way of being passionate about pretty much anything. Watching Bryan's relationship with Bridget and their family grow and strengthen as everyone figures out adulting has been a privilege for Owen, and Bryan has always made him feel like a brother and member of the Silk family. As the oldest in his family, Owen is unsure of what it's like having an older brother, but he likes to think it's like having Bryan in his life. Having Bryan stand with Owen and Bridget at the wedding was a no-brainer for them, and Owen is very lucky to have his bonus brother at his side.
Kylie Jensen
Bridesmaid
Bridget and Kylie also met in 2017 (With Cassie and Kelsy mentioned above!) Kylie (or as we all call her Kevin/Keith/Kyle) and Bridget became friends pretty quickly living abroad. Kylie, who started at the organization a few months after Bridget, was immediately a great energy and a great friend. She was the friend that was down to hangout, catch up and have a good laugh. She came from Nebraska and was the second Nebraskan Bridget ever met in her life. Bridget remembers her first most vivid memory with Kylie was when she and Kylie were on kayak together in Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua and Bridget was scared for her life that the kayak would flip, but Kylie calmed her nerves. Kylie did that again years later for Bridget when they were hiking rainbow mountain in Peru and Bridget started to get altitude sickness and Kylie (quite literally) saved Bridget's life by singing the "Sound of Music" soundtrack as they made their way back to the bus. Bridget loves Kylie's "yes" energy and her ability to stay calm in all of the most wild times. Bridget is so happy to have Kylie next to her on her big day!
Brandon Silk
Groomsman
At the age of 25, Owen didn't think he would ever find, or want, ANOTHER little brother, having gone through plenty of growing pains with his own. But, Brandon came as a package deal with Bridget, and can still be heard dramatically screaming or be seen fighting Bridget whenever they're together. After meeting, Owen and Brandon quickly bonded over sports, movies, and bothering Bridget, and Brandon has become a true brother to Owen. With their ever-present middle finger greetings, occasional shoving matches (usually at Bridget's behest), and frequent debates over the best New York baseball team (go Yanks), there is so much love and fun to be had between the two. Owen has enjoyed watching Brandon grow from a (lovingly) foolish youngster into the devoted and hard-working man he is today, and has cherished watching Brandon find love himself with Anyela (Viva Peru!) When he started considering marriage, Owen very quickly decided that Brandon needs to be there, middle fingers and all, when Owen and Bridget get married.
Emilee Strange
Bridesmaid
Bridget and Emilee have been friends since high school and became very close over the years. Emilee got to know Bridget's family pretty well over time, as did Bridget with Emilee's. They have been a part of each other's lives through some amazing highs and some hard lows. Bridget remembers many a times catching up with Emilee for hours on end, sipping wine at Emilee's place and talking about all of the ins and outs of each other lives. These conversations sometimes turned into debates or more often turned into trippy conversations about the meaning of life and time. When Bridget and Emilee were not getting super deep about something abstract, they also loved to just have fun together. Whether that was going somewhere to dance, floating down the river during the summer, or getting themselves into some shenanigans, Emilee was always the go to friend. Bridget was very lucky to have Emilee in the same city as her when she moved back to the United States so it was a weekly (sometimes multiple times a week) seeing Emilee and making memories with her. Bridget is so proud of Emilee in all of her endeavors and she is proud to have Emilee right by her side as she and Owen tie the knot!
Frank Leo
Groomsman
Frank and Owen met in class, both history majors at DeSales. Some of Owen's earliest memories of Frank include attending Men's Group meetings together, competing for better grades in Dr. Nytroe's class (Owen barely won), talking about the Roman Empire on a daily (hourly) basis, and, of course, the infamous history major villa party. The best memories came after college, when Frank and Owen lived together in Allentown before and during the pandemic. Overlapping unemployment and endless hours of video games, TV binges, and general nerdiness eventually gave way to career success, personal growth, and most importantly, devoted and enduring relationships with brilliant and strong-willed women (and general nerdiness). Watching Frank's relationship with Nicole grow and evolve has been even more magical for Owen than watching Star Wars and Lord of the Rings for the fortieth time with this incredible friend. Owen is very grateful to have had Frank by his side for the entirety of his relationship with Bridget, and for the love he and Nicole gave to Nala, and can't wait for Frank to be there when they seal the deal in Dubrovnik (down the road from Emperor Diocletian's villa in Split!)
Jimena Gonzalez Garza
Bridesmaid
Jimena is Bridget's newest friend out of the bridal party, but one she has gotten very close to in a short period of time. Bridget met Jimena during her grad school time in Madrid, Spain. Bridget's and Jimena's friendship consisted of spending time together at local restaurants, rooftops, or at Jimena's house hanging out with her adorable dogs! (Jimena only lived a 15 minute walk from Bridget!) Jimena's and Bridget's friendship really strengthened when they were assigned to the same work group for group projects throughout the semester! This included hours and hours spent with each other working on deadlines, becoming loopy, and even one all nighter. Since grad school has ended, Bridget went back to the United States and Jimena moved to Denmark, and still the two have been able to keep in touch with Bridget visiting Jimena in Copenhagen at the end of 2024. Bridget is so grateful for having met Jimena and to have someone in her life who is such a kind and thoughtful soul!
Joe Parker
Groomsman
Joe was actually the first friend Owen made at DeSales when he was the host for Owen's overnight visit during his senior year of high school. Joe and his friends welcomed Owen warmly to a night of fun and food, and Joe took Owen to classes the next day. That visit became one of the main deciding factors for Owen's college decision, leading to years of great experiences and memories with Joe and plenty of other friends. When Owen arrived that fall, he met Joe again, this time as a classmate (and they both grew beards over the summer!) After many classes and Men's Group meetings together, Owen and Joe remained close friends after college, and their friendship has only grown over time as they brought Brinda and Bridget into the fold as well. Whether discussing the Roman Empire, football, Lord of the Rings, or the wonders of working with high school students, Owen is always in for a good time when Joe is around, and he's very lucky to have Joe stand by his side in Dubrovnik.
Taylor Hemdal
Officiant
Taylor is a close friend of both Bridget and Owen, and is married to Owen's best man Anders! When Taylor and Anders got married, Owen was their officiant as well! Bridget and Owen love Taylor with all of their heart, and cherish the time spent with the family she is the beating heart of. She is such an amazing friend, partner, and momma to the most fun and spunky kid, Ingrid. Bridget and Owen have been so lucky to be a part of Taylor's, Anders', and Iggy's lives, and are so grateful that Taylor said yes to officiating the ceremony on their special day!