Emily & Jon
Wedding Party
Jessica Northcutt
Maid of Honor
She likes to pick on me, but Jess is like the sister I never had! Even though she rolls her eyes, I tell people we knew each other before we were born (our Dad's shared an office space)! We grew up playing tennis together (she ended up playing at Samford), but have grown closer as (former) roommates over the past 3 years! Ask her about her counseling internship with the Atlanta Mission, it's pretty amazing!
Joseph Benken
Best Man
Even with 7 years separating us in age, I consider Joseph to be my best friend (aside from Emily, of course!). We are fierce competitors in every sport imaginable; some of our favorites include ping pong, cornhole, and pickleball. Joseph is a recent grad from the University of Georgia; Go Dawgs! Ask him about the time we got the jeep stuck in a fierce mud pit near our parent's house; that story is a must-tell!
Laura Lee Beneke
Bridesmaid
I call her Superwoman!! LL and I met our first week of school our freshman year at Bama, and I've been riding on her coattails ever since. Her list of accolades are astonishing, but more importantly she is one of the most brilliant, family-oriented, and caring people I know. Ask her about the craziest thing she's ever encountered in the ER (she's a doctor) or about her favorite book - it will lead to a fun story!
John Budka
Groomsman
John and I met at Spring Training during my first season of umpiring professional baseball in 2016. He and I instantly bonded over working out at the local planet fitness and getting happy hour at Mugz Sports Bar. John and I were umpire partners together during the 2018 season in the South Atlantic League. We heard all the duo names that season: Big Jon and Little John, John squared, "the two John's, etc." We spent the entire season together and shared some awesome memories of staying at his family's beach house on the Jersey Shore. John has plenty of fun stories to share of our times together; I would recommend asking him about Pat Anderson (his favorite manager) or the time we went four wheeling together at the CFC Retreat in Dallas, TX!
Gentry O’Steen
Bridesmaid
Gentry is the one you go to when you need some wisdom or a listening ear. We met through mutual friends on a beach trip to Hilton Head and became fast friends in Atlanta. Not only is she one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet, but she knows all the lyrics to any 90s/2000s bop and really likes to dance to Beyonce. Ask Gentry about our trip we went on to Israel together!
Sam Burch
Groomsman
Sam and I met in Florida during Spring Training in 2017 and struck up a close friendship through our love for umpiring and staying in shape. He was our crew leader in 2021 and continued to be a great friend to me on and off the field. Sam is currently umpiring in AAA, the last step of the Minor Leagues before reaching the pinnacle of the professional baseball classification, the Major Leagues. I have no doubt you will see Sam on ESPN umpiring at the top level of the sport! Ask him about the final series we umpired together in Montgomery; that's definitely an interesting story!
Kelsey Gaines
Bridesmaid
Gosh, I love this chick! I can't remember meeting in Atlanta, but I do know we've been friends for 5 years. Our humor just gets each other. We also both love to travel and are always trying to plan an upcoming trip. Kelsey is an extraordinary friend, great at making you feel comfortable around her, and lights up a room when she walks in. Ask her to show you a picture of her first-born Alina, you won't be sorry!
Tim Chappell
Groomsman
I have known Tim since elementary school; we grew up together all the way through our high school years and served as Drum Majors together for the Parkview High School Marching Band. Tim also went on to be a drum major at Jacksonville State, as well as Georgia State. I really admire Tim's drive and patience he exhibits, his loyalty to his work and friends exemplifies this. Ask him about the brewery he is opening up in our hometown of Lilburn, Ga!
Kathryn Justice
Bridesmaid
Kath and I became friends when I moved into her house our junior year at Bama. She was our #1 cheerleader in a house full of athletes, and honestly one of the most encouraging people I know. I don't get to see her as often as I would like, but her southern hospitality and sweet demeanor can be felt miles away. Ask her about her newborn girl twins or about the great city of Dothan, Alabama!
Dexter Kelley
Groomsman
Another umpire story! Dex and I met at the scholarship camp in Fort Myers where I earned a spot at umpire school--he was one of the instructors at the camp hosted by the MLB. We umpired together starting April at Spring Training and struck up a friendship working out together, playing racquetball, and improving our craft of umpiring. We were umpire partners together in the Florida State League in 2019 and had an awesome season together; my best rounds of golf have been played with Dexter; mostly using his clubs! He is currently a crew chief in AA umpiring professional baseball and owns multiple businesses, including a multi-truck logistics company and a pressure washing business based in Augusta, GA. Ask Dexter about the times we've had playing flag football at CFC in Dallas, TX or some of our LA Fitness racquetball sessions (he did beat me 99% of the time)!
Micaela Preston
Bridesmaid
Micaela and I had to become friends twice for it to stick :) We thought we first met at Renovation Church when we were both new to Atlanta! But in reality, we had a friend remind us years later that we had freshman English together at Bama. Whoops! Micaela is my go with the flow, loyal to a fault, always-seeing-the-best-in-people friend. She has served as roommate, travel companion, party planner, church buddy, and shoulder to cry on over the years, and I couldn't ask for anyone better! Ask her about her furry friend, Herschel!
Nathan Owens
Groomsman
Nathan and I met at Stevie B's Pizza while playing 14U baseball for the South Gwinnett Seminoles; I'm pretty sure we ate over 30 slices of pizza between the two of us that night! We have kept up a close friendship through some intense evenings of Catan, Sequence, and Hearts, even with me living out of state for a majority of these years. I'm truly thankful for Nathan and the many years of friendship we have continued to have! Ask him about the time we were at the beach with my family and ended up wearing matching swimsuits (not planned at all)!
Hillary Rymer
Bridesmaid
Hill is my best friend at first sight! We both went to Bama (she was a collegiate swimmer), but ended up meeting at a Christian Athlete camp in Colorado after my freshman year of college. The rest was history after that and she couldn't get rid of me. Hill is one of the best people I know. She loves her family really well, does a great job of keeping in touch with friends and celebrating them, works really hard at an amazing job, and became a new mom this September! Ask Hillary about how she coined my nickname "Zabornado" (which Jon now uses) and the story about Burrito Gigante!
Nick Wilcox
Groomsman
Wilkes and I met at college while we were playing on the club baseball team for Western Carolina University. We struck up a friendship between baseball practices, beer-filled outings at the Kappa Sigma house, and whatever the heck else there was to do in good ol' Cullowhee. One of my favorite outings with Wilkes was driving up to App State for a club baseball weekend and getting our butts kicked; at least they had matching uniforms! That weekend was one of those where the "good" really outweighed the "bad" and the adventure was well worth the price of admission. Ask Wilkes about our time together as intramural refs for WCU and the year he had to keep us in line as the intramural supervisor!