Eric & Kemi
Wedding Party
Kevin Dougherty
Best Man
Dr. Kevin Stephen Dougherty and I attended Cedarville University and majored in biology together. We met freshman year and have remained very close friends ever since--20 years later! Kevin also took the trip with me to Uganda for my Introduction, so the least I could do was to include him in my wedding party. ;) If there ever was a human being that defined "friend", his picture would be tied to it. Kevin is married to Beka, and they have two sons, Cooper (2 years old) and Caleb (4 weeks and counting!), as they enjoy living in Wisconsin.
Cassie Fowler
Matron of Honor
Kemi first met Cassie in 2014 when Imani came to Paducah, Kentucky, Cassie's hometown. Kemi found out that they have alot in common after their instant connection but most of all their love of God made them bond even more. Kemi now calls Cassie her sister. Cassie used to pray for Kemi to get a Godly man and when she told her about Eric, Cassie was very happy--one thing done on her prayer list. Kemi and Cassie share similar backgrounds just from different sides of the world. God brought them together. He saw they needed each other. Cassie is married to Trent, and they have two children, Jordyn and Terran.
Punit Hinsu
Groomsman
P-Unit and I attended Temple University School of Pharmacy together. We were friends then but our friendship really started to grow after we graduated. Since he lived in nearby King of Prussia, that was very helpful to be able to hang out and for me to eat all the chicken and bread Cheesecake Factory had to offer. But he has since moved to Texas, got married to Sruti, and they have a beautiful one-year-old daughter. I miss seeing them and I am sure baby Kaaya misses her Uncle E too.
Jackie Houck
Bridesmaid
Jackie is Eric’s cousin, a dear friend of Kemi, and wife of Eric’s groomsman, Tommy. Jackie also travelled to Uganda with Eric for his Introduction ceremony to Kemi at the end of 2019. Jackie and Tommy’s three sons love Kemi very much, and Kemi reciprocates that love 100%. Jackie has a God-given talent of organization and planning, which Eric and Kemi used to their advantage with this wedding. Frankly, Kemi and Eric would have had no place to get married if it wasn’t for Jackie. She even hosted the bridal shower—a very touching gesture to Kemi. Jackie is always volunteering to help in any capacity she can, even when her own plate is overflowing with responsibilities. In addition to raising three very active boys, she is a real estate agent for Keller Williams.
Tommy Houck
Groomsman
Tommy holds the title of longest duration friend among the groomsmen. We grew up together when our parents lived on the same street four houses down. Our paths collided later when he started to date and later married my cousin Jackie. Tommy has often answered my distress calls when I need something fixed with my car or house. He is one of those guys that will do anything for you, and I am so thankful to be able to call him a close friend. He and Jackie have three boys: Dylan, Tyler, and Wesley.
Josephine Namuddu
Bridesmaid
Kemi has known Josephine “JoJo” for more than 10 years, and Kemi has seen her grow into a beautiful woman. JoJo and Kemi both came on tour with Imani in 2014 and 2015, and since JoJo was one of the older girls on the tour, she and Kemi did a lot of things together like setting up merchandise to sell, and cooking food for the whole group. One specific example from 2015 as the choir was staying at a church, the church did not have a working stove, so Kemi and JoJo had to cook chicken for the entire choir by microwave. JoJo currently lives in Oregon and is studying fashion design.
Steven Phillips
Groomsman
My favorite brother. Growing up we weren't that close--I think we were just too different. We often joked if we even came from the same parents, since he claimed I came from Mars. But as the younger brother, I naturally looked up to him and wanted to be as cool as he was--good with any sport he touched, smart with any class he took, and competent with any task assigned to him. Thanks for not shooting my eye out with those rubber band fights that we both know he always started. We'll always be brothers and I'll always be proud of him. Steven retired from the Navy in 2016 and lives in California with his wife, Christa.
Maureen Nantongo
Bridesmaid
Kemi and Maureen ("Lovely") have been friends for almost 20 years, and were known as church girls because that is the only place they would talk about all the time together. Lovely got to know Kemi during a particular low point in Kemi's life and was a very great help to her. Lovely used to come and visit Kemi at her single room house with food and many other things that Lovely knew Kemi needed. Since then they call each other sisters. They both recognize how God has been so good to them. Lovely lives outside Chicago, Illinois.
Johnny Stranzin
Groomsman
If I didn't include this guy, I would never hear the end of it. :) Johnny Stranzin and I also met at Cedarville University but he was a year behind me. As an incoming freshman, he was providentially assigned to Kevin Dougherty's (and Tiffany Grace's) small group at Cedarville, and because those two are a riot to be around, Johnny would eventually become a friend of mine too. We kept in close contact after graduating, and fast forward to 2017 he would eventually set the stage for making me meet my future wife! But we can't give him too much credit, as he tends to get a big head very easily. :) Pastor Johnny Stranzin lives with his wife Ashley, twin daughters Lily and Jaden, and son Eli in Florida.
Jaden and Lily Stranzin
Bridesmaids
Kemi met Jaden and Lily in 2014 when the twins were still in single digits! Since that time, Kemi fell in love with these girls. Whenever the Imani choir comes to the U.S. to tour, their first host housing is at the Stranzin home. These girls have adapted so well to them coming, including sharing their room with Kemi and opening their hearts to the whole choir. Lily and Jaden play softball in high school and are pitcher-catcher duo. Their teams finished in the top two spots the past two years.
Andrew Stafford
Groomsman
Andrew Kizer Stafford and I also went to Cedarville University together, but our educational paths diverged. He took the money route, and thoroughly enjoys being my accountant, in addition to his regular job of course. Kizer is one of those friends that is consistently stable. I would have never guessed we would be this close 20 years out of college, but we enjoy (or at least I do!) seeing each other at least every October! He and his wife Audrey live in Ohio with their two boys, George and Grant.
Bode and Drew Huffman
Ring Bearer
Bode and Drew are the two sons of our close friend Tiffany Grace. The boys first met Kemi when Kemi and the choir first came to Roanoke on their 2018 tour. The choir stayed at a camp and when we visited them there, Drew and Kemi spent hours going on bear hunts. Since meeting Kemi and the choir, the boys have been obsessed with everything Uganda. Bode made a lifesize poster flag of Uganda for a school project, and both boys miss their friends from the choir dearly. Bode turns 6 in August, and Drew turned 4 in June. We are so excited to have them be a part of our wedding!
Wesley Houck
Ring Bearer
Wesley is the youngest son of Eric's groomsman Tommy Houck and his wife, Jackie, who is also Eric's cousin. Wesley is 4 years old and will be in pre-kindergarten in fall of 2020. His smile can light up a room, and he is loved by all who know him. When Wesley was an infant, every time he saw Uncle Eric he cried inconsolably. Thankfully that has since stopped! Wesley is growing up fast as he tries to keep up with his two older brothers, Dylan and Tyler.
Kaaya Hinsu
Flower Girl
Kaaya is the daughter of Eric's groomsman Punit Hinsu and his wife, Sruti. She was born in May 2019, and 5 & 1/2 weeks later, Uncle E was there to welcome her as her only white American uncle. Eric can't believe how much she's grown since he last saw her--she fit on one forearm! Now she'll be walking down our aisle with three handsome young men. We're so excited!