Bruce + Tessa
Wedding Party
Kate Mendez
Maid of Honor
As Tessa began attending Black Rock Church, she asked one of her pastors if he knew of any women at the church who could mentor her through her faith walk and a few weeks later, a “blind friend date” was set up at the Trumbull Mall Panera. Although slightly awkward at first, neither Kate nor Tessa knew what an amazing friendship would grow out of this “setup”. Over the last three years, Kate and Tessa have become incredibly close. Their mutual love of floral patterns, New Girl, and bread pudding is only the cherry on the cake (which they also love).
Lenny Tumyol
Best Man
Lenny is Bruce’s younger brother and his Best Man. Growing up together they were always outdoors, fishing, riding dirt bikes, spending their summers in Turkey, and getting into reasonable amounts of trouble. Though Lenny might disagree, Bruce’s years of tormenting him actually ended up being beneficial for him. At the end of the day if you’ve met one you’ve met both whether or not they will admit it, from mannerisms, speech to suave looks. They are still those two young kids with weekly arguments but are there for each other no matter what.
Sam Daikus
Bridesmaid
Sam and John Daikus are both lifelong friends of Bruce’s. Sam and Tessa have grown close over the years, even now while John and Sam are on the road. Whether it’s convincing each other to get spur of the moment tattoos, giving detailed reports of each others Target hauls or getting way too emotional over text, Sam and Tessa have begun building a lifelong friendship.
John Daikus
Groomsman
John and Bruce have been friends for... a long time. Growing up they rode dirt bikes, made crazy videos, went fishing, messed with cars, and always scheming on how to make a buck. In their younger years, it was flipping anything with a motor and tag sale finds to today where not much has changed but the ideas are a bit crazier like a glamping campground or owning real estate agency where they’d go to showings in western suits and old trucks. Yup, very random. Anyone who knows these two knows things get crazy and hilarious around them like the time they were detained in Utah for an hour and a half after being falsely accused of smuggling drugs across America in a camper. Yes, that happened.
Chelsea Sabia
Bridesmaid
Chelsea and Tessa originally met at their church through Sanctuary and have since then grown close over the years. Despite their disagreement over which ink color is best (blue, according to Chelsea) they bond over all things aesthetically pleasing whether its a perfectly designed journal or trending skincare. With their weddings happening just two months apart, all wedding talk has brought them even closer.
John Mendez
Groomsman
John Mendez and Bruce met later in life when Bruce started attending Black Rock Church. They became close friends and share an affinity for the outdoors and wearing flannel shirts. They also consider themselves sock snobs and will only buy wool socks that contain at least 60% Merino wool. Cabot and Darn Tough socks are the way to go. Some of Bruce’s favorite memories with John are crashing his family vacation to Disney, going to the lake house, and most recently the Chateau of Weekapaug.
Hannah Guinta
Bridesmaid
If anyone knows Hannah they know the joy she brings when she walks into a room. Hannah has been a dear friend of Bruce and Tessa's for years and has been a steady guiding light in bringing them together. As a faithful follower of Christ, Hannah has over and over again set an example for Tessa to find rest, joy, and wisdom in the Lord. Besides their shared adoration for leather journaling Bibles, sushi and eucalyptus they both have a deep love for Michael Scott and Leslie Knope.
Michael Ward
Groomsman
Mike is Bruce’s cousin and they both enjoyed getting into trouble as kids - mostly involving BB guns and fire. They were honestly good kids, they were just naturally inquisitive. One of their favorite things was time spent with their grandfather, usually fishing or shooting BB guns at squirrels or the windows of an old VW rabbit. Sorry. Speaking of apologies sorry to Mike's father, Uncle Calvin, for setting fire to the grass in the front yard during a drought with a magnifying glass.
Sindy Rumble
Bridesmaid
Sindy and Tessa originally met at Sanctuary and instantly clicked. Their personalities were an instant match and their friendship has felt like one that started during their childhood. Sindy has encouraged Tessa to step out in boldness throughout her faith walk, and continues to be a creative light of joy in Tessa’s life. Their mutual love for leather Bibles is an added bonus.
Jeff Hoglen
Groomsman
Jeff “ Hollywood Hoglen and Bruce became friends in high school through John Daikus. Though it’s not confirmed we are pretty sure Jeff has the record for the most amount of cars owned before the age of 18. One of them that he bought and never picked up. Thus the moniker “Hollywood“ was bestowed upon him. Jeff and Bruce’s favorite times we’re going to Burnsies for breakfast and cruising to country music in Jeff’s Mercury Mystique, Acura Integra, GMC Jimmy, Chevy S 10, Toyota pickup, 2 Jeep Wrangler, Honda Crx, or VW Gti. Good times!
Marjie McCandless
Spiritual Matron of Honor
Where to begin! Marjie has been Tessa's mentor since early 2017 and has since then been so faithful in continuing to show Tessa how to grow deeper in her love for the Lord by spurring on Tessa's creativity and encouraging her to step out of her comfort zone. Bruce and Tessa traveled to Israel with Dan and Marjie in 2018 and love having dinner at their house talking about all things faith, life, and real estate (followed by a dramatic game of Bananagrams). Tessa has asked Marjie to be her "Spiritual" Matron of Honor by asking her to pray for the special day and help prepare Tessa's heart as she steps into this new season.
Edward Kennedy
Groomsmen "Emeritus"
Coming soon!
Alexcia Patterson
Mother of the Bride
It is impossible to put everything about Tessa’s mother into a small paragraph like this. Alexcia and Tessa have gone through it all together. A mother-daughter duo stronger than them is probably hard to find, but the adventures these two have been on together has created a bond that Tessa treasures dearly. She sees her mother as an incredible role model, a woman who is strong, steadfast, loving, humorous, encouraging and beautiful. Through thick and thin, they have seen each other grow in immense ways and God has been beyond gracious and faithful. Tessa is honored to have her mother be part in planning her wedding day.
Hartmut Schroll
Father of the Bride
As many of you know, Tessa moved from Germany to the United States in 2007 and would regularly visit Germany to see her dad and family. Despite years of not living in the same country, Tessa and her father have recently rekindled their relationship especially after his latest visit to see her in America in 2019. Most recently, Tessa and Bruce both spent their winter vacation in Germany and it has been a joy for Tessa to see how close Bruce and her father have grown. It is to her joy that her father will be able to attend her wedding along with her grandmother, aunt and nephew who will also be flying in from Germany!
Kathy Tumyol
Mother of the Groom
Kathy is Bruce’s mom, she grew up in Sherman Connecticut, and worked hard in Social Services all her life. In her younger years, she was quite the hippie. She was captured in a photo in Life magazine protesting the Vietnam War. After she finished college she backpacked across Europe and met Ruhi, her husband, in Turkey. She didn’t speak Turkish, he didn’t speak English, but they both knew a little bit of French. The rest is history.
Ruhi Tumyol
Father of the Groom
Ruhi grew up in Turkey in a small town called Biga. He met Kathy and came to America at 19 with $50 in his pocket. He worked two jobs and took English classes at night, often hitchhiking home if he missed the bus. He lived out the American immigrants' dream. They saved their money, bought a failing business, made it very successful, and sold it, then repeated that many times. He gave his sons an amazing life but always showed them that it took hard work. Of all his business ventures his favorite was Goodfellas Apizza and getting to work alongside both of his sons.
Truly Patterson
Flower Girl
If any of you know Truly, you’re aware of what a firecracker she is. Full of sass and sweetness, she constantly brings more and more joy into Tessa’s life. Truly is incredibly excited to be part of the Bridal Party and constantly asks which dress she’ll be wearing. Her favorite things are bacon, Billie Eilish and the color blue. She’s truly scrumptious!
West Patterson
Ring "Bear"er
Tessa is known for calling West “bear”, so it was an obvious decision that West would be the ring “bear”er of the wedding. Now a teenager, West is taller than Tessa which freaks her out immensely so in retaliation she reminds West on a regular basis that she used to change his diapers (sorry West if you’re reading this!) West and Tessa have a shared sense of humor that no one else seems to understand, and they like it that way.