Wedding Party
Emma Daszkiewicz
Bride
If you don't know who I am why are you even coming to this wedding? Emma grew up in the hills of Seattle. She met her Maid of Honor, Lee, not long after birth when she was brought home from the hospital. They could not meet while Emma was in the hospital because Emma was in the NICU. Not long after that, Robyn was born and the pair became friends enjoying a lifelong - though sometimes violent - bond. After enrolling Ingraham High Schools Drama 1 Class, Emma met Sarah. The pair became fast friends, braving the lows of high school together. After high school, Emma left all these friends behind to move to the Midwest and attend Macalester College. There she met Gabe, David, and Jemma in quick succession. Jemma and David were indispensable friends and allies throughout their college days. After graduating college, Emma stayed in Minnesota before moving to Connecticut and then Massachusetts to pursue a career in admissions.
Gabriel Brown
Groom
Given that you are coming to this wedding I also assume you know me but if you don't... Gabe grew up in Eugene, OR. He met his Best Man, Matt, at Parker Elementary school, beginning a lifelong friendship and fierce gaming rivalry. Gabe then went to South Eugene High School, where he tried the whole theater thing but decided that playing video games with Max, Cameron, Jesse, and the rest of The Crew was a lot more fun. After venturing to the frozen wilds of Minnesota for college, where he met the love of his life and also Ansel, Gabe started a career as a software engineer because computers are pretty cool. He has since moved further and further east, first to West Hartford CT and now Boston MA, and is wondering at what point he'll be staying on an island in the middle of the Atlantic with a well-respected liberal arts college that has a strong focus on international admissions.
Lee Iris Thomas
Maid of Honor
Lee Iris Thomas is thrilled to be taking on this once-in-a-lifetime role as Emma’s Maid of Honor. Previous credits include co-BMW Thief (Thanksgiving 2014), Mario Kart Competitor (since 2009), and not being weird when meeting her future brother-in-law (2015). Lee is a fantastic kitty-aunt to Aragorn, and is also busy raising her own furry children, Bolt and Zoom (born 2020). Emma propositioned Lee with a bottle of Empress Gin. Lee bent Emma’s head back at one of their first meetings in 1997.
Matthew Gerl
Best Man
My dear friend Gabe, memory doesn't even serve me how long we've been friends in this frying pan of closeness. It has simmered ever since Parker Elementary and the days we were able to share a chair in your room playing the first Harry Potter game as long as your parents would let us stay up. It's been such a blessing to have you by my side all these years through thick, thin, and lil Cesar's pizza on longboards. Hailing from PDX I keep Gabe's zombie trains in chaos, his wallet in turmoil and his IPAs strong. Here's to you buddy and your wonderful bride to be! PS Emma imma beat you in Mario Kart bring it
Robyn Wrey
Bridesmaid
Robyn and Emma first met in October 1997, following Robyn’s introduction to the world (Emma already a mature six months old). Neither remember the day well but Robyn guesses it was partners-in-crime at first sight. A quarter of a century of shenanigans, hikes, plots, and schemes later— it’s hard to imagine life without being in each others orbit. You can find Robyn climbing, hiking, and reading books. Talk to her about snacks and airplanes.
Max Logan
Groomsman
Gabe and I met in high school while performing in a production of "In the Heights" and have been best friends ever since. During the production, I was invited to a night of gaming at Gabe's house, where I met many of the other groomsmen, whom I also consider among my closest friends. We've spent an extraordinary amount of time together training zombies, hunting down Katya's homemade cookies, and obsessing over the worst coding algorithms we can find. These days, you can find my wife and I in our natural habitat in Texas with our two dogs, where we enjoy gaming, yoga, and cider.
Sarah Jenkins
Bridesmaid
Emma and I first met in Freshman year—of High School, mind you--in an intro to drama class neither we, nor our teacher, took seriously. We were at each other’s side for all of high school despite different classes and interests (there was no way I was joining debate team!), and very nearly went to the same university. We didn’t, but even 10 years into a long distance friendship, she’s still the only person I call on a whim. I remember the first time Emma told me about Gabe when they’d just met, and when she first told me they were dating. And I remember how eager he was to make a good impression—baking her friends cookies when he first came up to Seattle to visit. From countless face times to virtual game nights to annual visits, I’ve seen little vignettes of them as their lives became a life together, and I look forward to seeing what comes next!
Jesse Fox
Groomsman
Hi there! I'm Jesse and I'm extremely honored to be a groomsman for my brother and his lovely fiancée. I grew up in Woodland Park, Colorado and moved to Eugene, Oregon later on. I met Gabe and found out I loved gaming with him and many others you'll see at the wedding. I'm here for a good time but mostly to celebrate my two friends. Come say "Hi" and talk to me about dogs.
David Blomquist
Bridesmaid
I first met Emma, as a first years at Macalester, where we began an incredible streak of taking classes together which almost forced us into a friendship. Through all the time spent studying for our medieval history classes and gossiping about collegiate drama, it was inevitable that she would become one of my closest friends. Now I’m recently moved to the Bay Area with my partner, our dog, and our cat. I was lucky enough to see Emma and Gabe’s romance blossom over our time together in college, so I know that they are in for many more happy years together and wish them only the best.
Cameron J. Reid
Groomsman
Cameron and Gabe went to high school together, where they sang and danced in school musicals and choir. They would longboard or play frisbee together and would have big sleepovers at his parents house with cookies, games and pizza. They’ve stayed close over all the years and now Cameron can witness Gabe becoming a real married boy!!!
Jemma Kloss
Bridesmaid
I first met Gabe and then Emma during our freshman year at Macalester College when Emma decided after a brief (and one-sided I will note) french class rivalry that we absolutely had to be friends. We bonded over a shared fascination with the Merovingian dynasty, fantasy fiction, and Bad historical movies, and I then proceeded to let Emma talk me into multiple major life decisions—including a history degree I did in fact go on to use in my career as an archivist. So thanks, Emma! I’ve been lucky enough to have a front row seat to Emma and Gabe’s romance over the years, and I’m so excited to see them forge their life together.
Ansel Colby
Groomsman
Ansel and Gabe met at Macalester College - both being Computer Science majors. They've had many ups and downs together, ranging from building an app that never took off to nearly dying in a highway spinout in a blizzard in the back of a stranger's car! Thankfully they are both still alive and even though they now live 3000 miles apart on opposite coasts they still keep in touch and hang out when possible.