Maid of Honor
Joyce is Grace's childhood best friend. We often joke that we are actually the same age because we were due on the same day, Joyce was just in a rush and ended up being born 2 weeks early. We first met at a friend's birthday party when we were 8, and have been basically inseparable ever since! With neither of us having biological sisters, we made a pact when we were 10 to be each other's MOH someday. Here we are over a decade later and I'm cashing in on that childhood promise.
Best Man
Chase is Christian's younger brother. They first met in 1995 when Chase was less than 24 hours old. Christian was only 3 when Chase was born, so he barely remembers a time without him. From the oddball instruments Chase seems to effortlessly pick up to his keen observation that "stonks only go up," Chase always has something new and exciting to bring to every party. Following his "foolproof" formula, Chase is sure to knock his Best Man speech out of the park!
Bridesmaid
The woman of many names, Chiara "Switzy" Dalla Piazza was once just a foreign exchange student my parents hosted during my freshman year of college. Quickly, we became close and eventually leaned into just referring to each other as "sister" in conversation. Despite the fact that Chiara only lived with my parents for a few months, we kept her around through phone and videos calls as well as regular visits on her part back to the US. Chiara will be traveling the farthest out of all our wedding guests, making the 10+ hour flight from Switzerland to Missouri to celebrate with us!
Groomsman
Christian and Kyle met in newspaper class in middle school - although Kyle doesn't seem to remember this. After becoming best friends in high school and maintaining a close friendship despite going to different cities for college, Kyle and Christian have been roommates for the past 3 years. In the over 15 years that these two have known each other, they have gotten themselves into more than a handful of sticky situations. If you get a chance, don't let Kyle get away without telling you about the "Statue Incident."
Bridesmaid
Ellie is Grace's Sorority "Big Sister" During the whirlwind that was my first couple years of college, I couldn't have survived any of it without my sister Ellie helping me navigate all of the new and scary that basically fills one's late teens and early 20's. Ellie may just be the person who knows best how much I prayed and waited for Christian to come into my life, and I couldn't imagine heading into this next chapter of life without her by my side. SLAM
Groomsman
Gabe and Christian met during Christian's sophomore year at Missouri S&T. Christian recalls that Gabe was the "coolest freshman" and they quickly became close friends. It was together they found an affinity for D&D, and now almost 10 years later they still participate in campaigns together. When Gabe graduated from S&T after Christian, he packed up and moved across the state for work, landing right here in KC. How much of the move was the great job offer, and how much of it was getting to be in the same city as Christian again, we may never know.
Groomsman
Judah is Grace's younger brother. We first met in July of 2002, despite my firm sentiments that I would've rather had a sister - or even a puppy - than a little brother. Rounding out the wedding party as the youngest but tallest groomsman, Judah and Christian have made it their buddy-cop mission to ensure I don't get even a moment of peace for the rest of my life.
Ring Bearer
Rosemary Kate is our ring bearer! Knowing it was important to us for both Rosemary and Carolina to have a role in our wedding, we pondered what her role would be. A second flower girl? A mini bride? Rosemary’s 7 now, and she has decided that being a flower girl was a little too childish for her. With no small boys in our family (all our young brothers and cousins are inching closer to their teens), we asked Rosemary if she would want to want to take on the role of being our ring bearer. You’ll find her decked out in her all-white jumpsuit, as she has also decided that a dress would be too childish for her. She is, after all, a big girl now.
Flower Girl
Carolina is beyond excited to be our flower girl for our big day. Through the process of finding the attire for our wedding party, she has by far been the most high maintenance member of the group. I think her specifications for her flower girl dress may have even more more detailed than mine for my wedding dress! You’ll catch her in her dress “with a bow”, tiara, veil, white gloves, AND brand new sparkly white heels. What can we say? She is definitely a princess and will undoubtedly be stealing the show on HER big day!