Wedding Party
Celine Dugan
Maid of Honor
Sam and Celine have known each other the longest (since Celine was a few days old) Sam's first memory involving Celine was when Sam's dad forced her to leave Dairy Queen early because she was about to have a little sister. When asked if she wanted a puppy or a sister, Sam said puppy but her parents gave her a sister instead....Now, however, Sam can't imagine not having Celine has her (much taller) little sister. Celine is an enviable bad ass, who has completely captured Sam's heart. Celine is now Sam's favorite person to chat with over an IPA and compete over who has the cuter cat. Celine now lives in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia (Sam's old neighborhood) with her cat, Mona Lisa (whom Celine calls "Mo" and whom Sam calls, much to Celine's chagrin, "Lisa.")
Ally Shaw
Bridesmaid
Ally and Sam have been soulmates for about 15 years. Sam is so glad that Ally quite literally made Sam become her friend in their Freshmen year of college by inviting her to go get a bowl of cereal. Who knew a bowl of cereal would later lead to several wine and pizza nights, jaunts throughout Philly, Lancaster City, and NYC. Always stylish and never a hair out of place, there is no friend more loving and devoted than Ally. Possessing one of the most literary names imaginable, Ally is also one of Sam's favorite people with whom to have deep, intellectual conversations about books, politics, and other important topics. Ally is also the fearless leader of the Blue Hen Bookends of which several members of the bridal party are a part. Ally resides in Wilmington, Delaware with her two giant, jungle cats, Mercutio and Merlin.
Jess "Anglerfish" Wallace
Bridesmaid
Jess and Sam have been spiritually connected anglerfish for about 13 years. Jess and Sam connected immediately over their unique brand of awkwardness. It is rare that Sam sees so much of herself in another person as she does in Jess. So much so, that people used to confuse them often when they were in college. Still to this day, at weddings for college friends, Sam still accidentally gets called "Jess." Some of Sam's favorite memories with Jess include getting food poisoning together in Mexico (sorta....), trying to make their own music video to the song "Lip Gloss" by Lil Mama (circa 2008), and their most memorable trip to Chicago. Jess resides in Bear, Delaware with her husband Ernie, with whom Sam can't wait to get wine drunk with after one of his grueling rotations.
Katie Sterbenz
Bridesmaid
Katie and Sam have been hugging non-stop for 15 years (they're actually still in an embrace as Sam types). Katie has always made Sam feel warm and fuzzy inside whenever she is around, which unfortunately is not as often as Sam would like. Katie is the perfect combination of down-to-earth sweetness and the life of the party. She is someone Sam can always be herself around, knowing Katie will never judge. Sam will always cherish all the time she spent with Katie on the floor of her Rodney dorm room and on the floor of Sam's Philly apartment (they like the floor). Sam wishes Katie was around more, so they could go see more Broadway shows together. Unfortunately for Sam, Katie resides in Riverside, California (AKA way too far) with her husband Vicente and three dogs.
Taylor Maurer
Bridesmaid
Taylor and Sam have known each other for about 13 years. However, they became closer friends after college while Taylor was in law school living in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia, which is also where Sam was living. One day Sam saw a post on the Fairmount neighborhood Facebook group from Taylor who was looking for a gym buddy. Sam got excited when she saw it was Taylor, someone she actually knew, and jumped at the chance to be her gym buddy! They began working out together consistently and became fast friends. So much so that now where one goes, the other follows. When Taylor got a job in New York, Sam moved to New York the same year. Now they are both looking to move back to Philly, so Sam will move whenever Taylor is ready! Sam and Taylor have bonded over their mutual love of Broadway and doing fun activities in NYC. They recently got stuck while on a trip to New Orleans during a snowstorm, which only gave them the opportunity to go to drag karaoke, so it was really a blessing in disguise! Taylor resides in Brooklyn, New York with her roommate and her roommate's dog, Mango!
Brooke Stempert
Bridesmaid
Sam and Brooke have been married for 15 years. Brooke and Sam have been through a lot together and have plenty of pictures to prove it! Brooke has always been one of Sam's favorite people with whom to share long, deep talks about life and travel to awesome places. Sam and Brooke lived together for two years in college and got into all sorts of shenanigans, but whatever they were doing, they were always being silly and having a blast. Some of Sam's favorite memories with Brooke include partying in Nashville with two military guys who snuck out of Fort Knox (no exaggeration) to meet up with them and their epic trip to Banff National Park, which Sam still considers among the best she has ever been on! Sam also loves spending time with Brooke's parents and considers herself their adopted daughter. Brooke now lives in Morris Plains, NJ with her husband Brendan, dog Millie, and daughter Lily.
Katie Falcone
Bridesmaid
Sam and Katie have been in each other's lives for a whopping 19 years! Sam and Katie met their freshman year of high school where they bonded over their mutual love of House. They became especially close after they starred as "Romeo" and "Juliet" in a choreographed dance to Taylor Swift's "Love Story" in front of the entire school wearing cow masks (Something that would only make sense at our school). Throughout the years Katie and Sam have remained close. They used to eat dinner together almost weekly when Sam lived in Philly, trying out awesome restaurants in the area. They had a horror movie podcast together at one point (which Sam is always willing to bring back) and Sam has been happily present at many of Katie's life events throughout the years. Sam even married Katie and her husband Vijal. Now Katie resides in Newtown Square, Pa with her husband, Vijal, and three cats: Khaleesi, Lola, and Beebo.
Stephanie Marszalek
Bridesmaid
Who would have known that (one of) the oldest and the youngest people in law school would become besties? How about wearing identical shirts (completely unplanned) on the second day of orientation? This was the beginning of the incredible friendship Sam and Stephanie now have. Stephanie is Sam's key to understanding Gen Z, but Steph is also wise beyond her years. Sam can talk to Stephanie about literally anything, and she always makes Sam feel validated and listened to. Stephanie is top notch when it comes to party planning, decorating, and making her friends feel special. Stephanie truly cherishes her friendships and makes an effort to support the people she cares about in everything. Sam can only hope that she can be half the friend to Stephanie as Stephanie is to her. Sam can't wait for the next time she gets to belt musical theatre tunes with Stephanie and live vicariously through Stephanie's exciting life NYC life! Stephanie now resides in Manhattan with her incredibly talented roommate and best friend, Ella.