Wedding Party
Katie Justus
Maid of Honor
Katie and I have spent our lives being mixed up for each other. I always thought that was funny because we are so different and over three years apart. We went to different high schools and colleges, I have curly hair while hers is straight, she ran the 800 and I would rather die than run one of those. However, over the years, I’ve realized how similar we actually are. We share many passions and we thrive when we get to adventure together. Our love of running and exercise, the outdoors, National Parks, and surviving the great Ticketmaster catastrophe of Taylor Swift Eras Tour tickets (don't worry, we got to go) are just a few things we’ve bonded over. My little sister just keeps getting cooler and cooler as life goes on. She’s passionate, determined, and overall just a great person. As a little kid in true oldest sibling energy, I thought she was lucky to have me as a sister. The truth is, it’s really me who is lucky to have her as a sister. One of my happiest days was standing beside Katie when she got married to Zack and I couldn't imagine a wedding day without Katie by my side too! Fun Fact: We have dreamed and talked about taking a girls trip out to Glacier National Park in Montana for years, which is finally going to happen in the summer of 2026!
Angela Landrum
Bridesmaid
Angela and I met at Ohio Wesleyan University where we both were on the track team. I specialized in distance while Angela specialized in throws and the 100m dash. We were buds all throughout college, but became best friends after joining 50 Day Club. It was this really cool club where we went to go the local bar, the Backstretch, 50 days in a row prior to graduation. To this day, it's probably my longest streak of anything. I don't remember who won more games of battleship during those 50 days, but I do remember realizing that Angela was going to be a best friend for life. We've had some up and downs. The downs were pretty rough - like when Madison and I made her listen to and rate a new Taylor Swift song every week for months or when we made up the rule she had to say thank you every time she had to draw a card during Uno. Every day, I am thankful our friendship can survive such trials. My wedding day wouldn't be complete without Angela by my side! Fun Fact: Angela is one of the funniest people you will ever meet - I can guarantee you will be in tears from laughter if you spend an afternoon with her!
Bailee Miller
Bridesmaid
Bailee and I have seen each other at our best and also at our worst - considering we met in middle school. Our friendship is one of the coolests. It’s truly been a friendship to span across all eras of life. One of the earliest and coolest memories that I can recall is our vacation to Charleston. I still talk about that ghost tour! During our early friendship years, we had dozens of scary movie nights and passed too many notes to count. Now, we get together and reminisce of the great times we’ve had while still making new ones. It’s so rare to find someone like Bailee whose friendship is truly timeless. It means so much to me. Bailee was my first friend to get married and have kids. It’s been the best watching her blossom into an incredible woman and kickass mom. A testament to that is how awesome her kids are. I’m so proud to be their Auntie Sarah! Fun Fact: We once painted a bus for figure eight bus racing together. It was lime green. Bonus Fun Fact: I got Opal from Bailee!
Brittney Mitchem
Bridesmaid
When I first met Brittney, she was being interviewed for the women’s wrestling coach position at Minot State. She was coming up from the south and I was like there’s no way she’s gonna make this move. Joke’s on me, she totally did and I am so thankful for that! She quickly became my best friend and that’s not just because we shared an office in an old racquetball court. I would hear a “SARAHHH” from down the hall or a “brooo” when she walked into the office and I knew she had sometime juicy to tell me. Our tea sessions quickly turned into Sonic or Hobby Lobby runs and then just hanging out. She is cool as hell and there are some days I wouldn’t have survived without her! Fun Fact: Brittney is a scrapbooking wizard!
Emily McKenzie
Bridesmaid
The name Emily is just as common as the name Sarah. Of the Emilys I’ve come across, this Emily is hands down one of the best. We met at Ohio Wesleyan where we both were on the track team. We were both in sororities and in a lot of the same classes (yay for small schools!). We helped each other out a lot in class too. Not by studying, but by waking each other up every time we fell asleep in our extra long psychology class right after lunch. That’s true friendship. One of the best things about Emily is that we share the same humor. There’s nothing better than someone you can send all of the best memes to and they think they’re just as funny, if not funnier than you do. She’s also been someone I know I can always go to for anything. It can be one of those funny videos or life altering news. It doesn’t matter. She’s the gal to go to. She somehow always knows exactly what I need to hear and how to support me just the way I need. She’s absolutely irreplaceable. Fun Fact: Emily takes the cake for the best baby talk voice - solely reserved for her dog.
Emily Roberts
Bridesmaid
Emily and I’s friendship was built on running. She and I first met at cross country practice after I transferred to Fredericktown and was one of my first friends. Since then, we’ve shared hundreds, if not thousands of miles together. We’ve also shared hundreds, if not thousands of good times together. Some that come to mind are camping in her back yard, spending the night at the fair, and almost dying just trying to pick up a turtle shell while riding her horses. Not to mention, we’re proud founding members of the APP. One of the coolest things about distance running is how close it brings people. Emily is one of the best things running has ever given me. She is the most caring and compassionate person. She brings out the best in every person she’s around. Call it an Emily Effect, but she makes the world exponentially better. I am so thankful that one of my yearly traditions is to go up to Wisconsin to spend time with her and her fiancé Nate every summer. Lord knows I’m not trying that in the winter! Fun Fact: Emily and Sarah have both lived in North Dakota!
Madison Haggerty
Bridesmaid
Madison is one of my best friends because she's the one that got us Taylor Swift Eras Tour tickets. (only kidding...kinda) Madison and I grew up 30 minutes apart and competed at the same track meets in high school, but never crossed paths. When Madison joined Ohio Wesleyan's team my senior year, our coach, KB, paired us up as mentor-mentee. I had no idea how to mentor a thrower, but I tried my hardest. I made sure to check in with how her classes were going when she picked Angela and I up from Marg Monday at Mi Cerritos. I took my job very seriously. At that moment, I became Mom (sorry Allison). And after that, our friendship took off. Madison is such a bright light in my life (bright pink to be exact) and her friendship means the world to me. Fun Fact: Madison named her kitten Kevin and coincidently her Dad’s name is also Kevin.
Mallory McCormick
Bridesmaid
Mallory and I were paired up as roommates by our college coach, KB. Our first conversation consisted of sending funny youtube videos back and forth and I knew Coach was onto something. Although she was a sprinter, Mallory ran cross country with us as well, which I obviously thought was the coolest thing ever. We shared blood, sweat, and tears together, experiencing the highest of highs and the lowest of lows of college, college athletics, and life beyond (we lived with a ghost one year). No matter how long it has been since we have seen each other, we seamlessly fall back into conversation and laughter as if no time has passed. Every day spent with Mallory is a fun one! Fun Fact: Mallory can perform surgery, but cannot do a flip on a trampoline.
Rebekah Haip
Bridesmaid
Bekah and I's friendship was built on shenanigans, Screw Boys Days, and pixie stix - the ultimate trifecta. It all started at the first cross country practice I went to after transferring to Fredericktown. Bekah was the first one to run up to me to say hello and the rest was history. We were the best of friends immediately and some would say we share a brain. Whether that means it’s one brain or two of the same, that’s still up for discussion, but we just called ourselves soulmates. (Sorry, Mark. You'll have to settle for soulmate #2.) A majority of my favorite memories include Bekah. From swimming at the watering hole to roadtrips to Indiana, we’ve hands down had the funnest moments together. I’ve cried more tears laughing with Bekah than should be legal. We’ve been friends for half our lives (crazy!!) and the good times never end and the laughs never stop. My life is better because of Bekah! Fun Fact: Bekah has a cat named Soup.
Blake Dube
Best Man
From Dallastown Area Highschool, Blake has been a lifelong friend. We first met when he was the only other freshmen that was allowed into varsity track. We have competed against each other in just about everything you can think of. But here is a cherry-picked list of things that I have won: - Fastest mile time (he peaked in the warmup jog) - Fastest Marathon time (seconds do count) - Most # of marathons (He would need another set of hands) - Bench press max (Blake’s PR is … ) - 1st to have son (Not really a competition, just a humble brag) I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Blake and I have several different eras of life – Highschool, College, and most recently business. College marked the launch of Aeronics- your favorite pet oxygen company. The rollercoaster that is a startup can be emotionally draining-- we once sat in a chipotle in lower Manhattan figuring out how to give back the money investors contributed. But through all of this we kept growing and thriving. I wouldn’t be Mark without having met Blake.
Nick Berchock
Groomsman
Nick is the brother my mom always wished she’d had for me. In fact, according to her, “Nick taught Mark how to be a man.” And honestly, that checks out—because with Nick’s giant kahunas, he’s never been afraid of a little pain. He’s one of the rare people who actually grew up waterskiing behind a boat. Meanwhile, I got to experience the unique joy of watching him use my own wakeboard better than I ever could. Nothing like being humbled on your own equipment. At Pitt, we braved Exercise Science together. We took slightly different approaches: I was in the front row taking notes, while Nick was in the back row scrolling Reddit’s NSFW accounts like it was a research requirement. After class, we’d hit the gym. I’m fairly certain Nick’s lifting career peaked the day another man told him, “I want to get as big as you.” He’s been chasing that high ever since. Nick’s been the influence I needed to break out of my “only-sister-having” body and finally add some muscle mass. Without him, I’d still look like I ran track… and not in a good way. I wouldn’t be Mark without having met Nick
Garrett Grube
Groomsman
G-Baby Gravy – easily the most musically inclined friend I have. I could drive hours without even turning music on, but Garrett’s Spotify recap is somehow longer than the actual number of hours in a year. It’s not a playlist, it’s a part-time job. Garrett is a machine on the drums, a worm in the books, and a grandmaster on the chess board. Meanwhile, I’m… none of those things. But somehow, we still manage to have a good time together—whether it’s jogging around Central Park, sipping black coffee like it’s a competitive sport, or scoring tickets to see 50 Cent in Miami. He’s one of those rare people who’s always down for anything. Garrett has been one of my favorite people to call a friend, and I wouldn’t be Mark without having met Garrett.
Tim Foust
Groomsman
The nicest man you will ever meet. Truly. He will stop to apologize for something he said… despite never having said anything remotely offensive. We first crossed paths on the soccer fields of D-Town. His left foot was massive, but somehow his head was even bigger. In high school, Tim was a triple threat: handsome, funny, and charismatic. He won me over easily. We roomed together freshman year at West Chester University. And honestly, it’s hard to compete with someone who was just as popular there as he was back home. But the most impressive thing about Tim isn’t his charm—it’s his chameleon-like ability to morph into any appearance. Any hairstyle, any hat, any questionable pair of colored contacts he still hasn’t thrown out. He’s been everything from a racy Fu Manchu on Halloween, to a surfer with hair down to his shoulders, to a bearded drifter who could have qualified for a “most wanted” poster. I will always be jealous of his style, even if his beard rivals some homeless. I wouldn’t be Mark without having met Tim
Alec Kaija
Groomsman
A Reino Kiaja, an international man of mystery and known for being too smart for his own good. When you remember ever page of War and Peace, balancing out every other part of life can have its challenges. Alec and I can have conversations that have never been said before in history. He doesn’t use a QWERTY keyboard and doesn’t have the keys labeled. He’s resorted to flip phones because the iPhone screens don’t bend when tested. If his bicycle was a single speed instead of fixed, he might have actually made it to Blakes wedding. If you get the chance to talk to him at the reception, you will walk away entertained, a little baffled, and probably questioning whether you’ve just had a conversation or a riddle disguised as one. I would not be Mark without having met Alec.
Jack Spitz
Ring Bearer