Colleen & Brian
Wedding Party
Chris Torres
Man of Honor
Chris and Colleen met when Colleen first moved to DC and took Chris’ fitness kickboxing class. Chris encouraged her to consider self defense and sport fighting. Because Colleen was working at a poorly funded non-profit at the time, she couldn’t afford the additional fee. Chris told her to take his classes anyways, stating that he wanted to support her efforts. Chris coached Colleen to a 10th Planet purple belt, a Fit to Fight black belt, and through two fights. Chris and Colleen founded Guerrera, a self defense program for women and femmes, together. Chris seems like an odd choice for a maid of honor in many ways, but he is ultimately responsible for Colleen pursuing her greatest passion. He is still the first person Colleen calls when Brian can’t help with something, or when she’s had a tough sparring session. Chris is the owner of N-Flux, a self defense and martial arts studio in downtown DC.
Morgan Johnson
Bridesmaid
Morgan Johnson and Colleen met on Bike and Build, an adventure where they cycled from the east to west coast. Morgan and Colleen bonded on a 116 mile ride to Baton Rouge where they swapped life stories for hours.They were so tight-knit they were titled “Collorgan” by their peers and were “married” at the Bike and Build prom. Morgan’s family took Colleen in during some critical weeks in her life and became family. Morgan is a mental health PA in Charlotte, where she legitimately changes lives every day.
Emily Petrie
Bridesmaid
Emily Petrie and Colleen met in DC where Emily was being a real adult and Colleen had begun coaching martial arts for a living. They became training partners and fast friends. Emily is the ultimate friend, always down for an adventure (but not to share an air bnb). She and Colleen share a love for pitbulls and getting punched in the face. Emily is an accomplished MMA fighter, having endured one of the toughest fights in amateur history.
Dr. Emily Hittner
Bridesmaid
Emily Hittner (ahem, PhD) and Colleen met at Northwestern where they were both pursuing graduate degrees. Emily and Colleen were also both Bike and Build alumni and frequently rode their bikes down the long path to downtown Chicago. Emily is as kind as she is intelligent (which is saying a great deal) and often hosted “fun nights” for each of her friends featuring all of their favorite foods and things. Colleen’s fun night is still one of the best nights of her life. Emily loves (good) beer, hates country music, and pretends to like UNC sports for her partner, Mwiti.
Sam Williams
Bridesman
Sam and Colleen met in the absolute nerdiest of ways - high school debate. Sam and Colleen shared a love for social justice and organizations that support people with disabilities. Colleen and Sam also overlapped at UNC for a year (or two?) and actually studied together (friggin nerds….). Sam quickly became a fixture in Colleen’s family and lived with them while he was an intern at Pisgah Legal Services in Asheville. Sam is a lawyer in NC - his title being “who the hell knows!?” from the man himself. Fine, he’s a Trial Attorney with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Hannah Jaegers
Bridesmaid
*Insert awkward laugh* Hannah and Colleen became fast friends at UNC as undergrads, where they engaged in all kinds of shenanigans. In the summer of 2012, Colleen and Hannah (along with their friend Andrea) practically lived together: making family dinner every night, listening to Hannah listen to Taylor Swift over and over, despite Colleen having a way nicer sublet on the other side of town. Hannah is the kind of person you can talk to about anything. She is as kind and affirming as she is endearingly awkward. Hannah is an academic advisor at the University of Virginia.
Sarah Davidson
Bridesmaid
Sarah and Colleen met in DC, where Sarah was one of Colleen’s fitness students. Sarah was a dirty cheater, Colleen told her so, and they became fast friends. The most important thing to know about Sarah is that she loves deadlifts and hates burpees, lunges, and running. Sarah quickly became an integral part of the Guerrera Community, volunteering to help new students learn techniques and providing a much needed dose of humor. Sarah works for the EPA, saving the environment, in DC.
Emily Bagwell
Bridesmaid
Emily Bagwell and Colleen met at UNC where they were suitemates their first year. Emily and Colleen bonded over their shared love for the dollar tree, and loving people a lot. Despite their radically different backgrounds and ideologies, Emily and Colleen became the best of friends. While on Bike and Build, Colleen’s dad had a terrible bike accident and was bedridden for months. Emily flew to the west coast to take his place and be with Colleen when she (finally) made it to the ocean. Emily is a social worker and mother of two exceptional children.
Angel Sieber
Groomswoman
Angel and Colleen met Colleen’s very first day at Top Team where Colleen messed up the drill over and over and Angel put up with her anyways. Colleen, Angel, and Brian became friends instantly. Brian and Angel shared a love of shitty emo music. Angel and Colleen frequented the odditorium and drag shows - experiencing moth-man in the flesh. Angel could really be on either side of the aisle, she is an essential part of our relationship and a dear friend. Angel is a parole officer in Hendersonville, where she focuses on rehabilitation and supporting those she works with by connecting them to essential services.
Victoria Henderson
Bridesmaid
Victoria was Colleen’s CrossFit coach when Colleen was training for her first kickboxing fight. Victoria embodied what it means to be a strong woman, and to support other women. She drove hours, by herself, to attend Colleen’s fight despite only having known her a few short weeks. Victoria is an adventurer, moving across the country, doing incredible things on impulse. She is an accomplished CrossFit athlete and half ironman.
Christine Kontra
Bridesmaid
Christine and Colleen live parallel lives. It’s freaky. Colleen and Christine started training at about the same time, and became VERY close training partners. Trusting someone to train you for a fight, to hard spar with you, to challenge and uplift you is…a lot. Christine was everything to Colleen and Colleen can only hope she returned the favor. Christine went on to win the WKA National, World, and Pan Asian championships in Muay Thai. She married the love of her life (who also had children) and currently resides in Maryland where she owns her own personal training and Muay Thai studio.
Lauren Banda
Bridesmaid
Lauren is down for anything. She is truly a partner in crime. While Colleen and Lauren met at American Top Team, their relationship is built on girl dates ranging from grabbing coffee to watching their teammates fight their hearts out in the cage. Lauren is an exceptional friend. She is a confidant, a support system, a hype woman, and a teammate. At Top Team, she is to children what Snow White is to animals. They follow her around like a horde of hooligans knowing that they might get a treat. Lauren is weirdly obsessed with frenchies, and will whittle Steve down into getting one someday.
Rusty Haun
Groomsman
If you've ever seen Brian and Rusty together in person, you know their bromance runs deep. (So deep, in fact, that Colleen tries not to be jealous.) Rusty met Brian through JiuJitsu and have been friends, training partners and traveling companions since.
Dr. Andy Nelson
Best Man
Andy and Brian met something like 10 years ago thanks to the magic of being husbands of roller derby players. Andy knew it was gonna be a live-long friendship when Brian called him his Samwise Gamgee. They bonded over the years through deep discussions of power rangers, fast and the furious movies, various giant robot tv shows, and lightsabers. These days said bonding mostly happens through regular phone calls while one of us is driving home.
Stephanie Bohland
Groomswoman
Stephanie Bohland met Brian when they were but young homeschooled teenagers attending the same high school co-op. He stole her birkenstocks and talked to her non-stop during study hall while she was trying to read—they’ve been best friends ever since. Stephanie was born in Florida, but with a military father moved constantly as a girl. She loves food, taking pictures, reading, writing, yoga, chocolate, and traveling. Stephanie is a massage therapist and student at Winthrop University. She currently lives in Cross Hill, SC, with her gorgeous partner and three cats. She’s traveled the world and is moving to England…the day after this damn wedding. But it’s fine, she loves him and red-eye flights are cheaper anyway.
JD Scarbrough
Groomsman
Having met through JiuJitsu, JD started as a student of Brian’s, eventually becoming a coworker, friend and roommate. Having gone on several road trips together, it was on one of these that JD earned himself the nickname of Pippin, Gandalf’s favorite traveling companion (and the only Hobbit Gandalf has nicknamed, even if it is with ‘foo
Odie Delaney
Groomsman
Odie and Brian met training together at American Top Team, and the two families immediately forged a deep friendship. Odie wrecked Brian and Colleen's lives in training, and built them up with words and a quite ridiculous laugh. Brian and Odie (and Rusty!) trekked across Alaska to hunt bear and moose, and came back proudly with one chicken.