Colleen & Jared
Wedding Party
Caitlin Andersen
Matron of Honor
Caitlin and I met almost 30 years ago! Although she may not have been thrilled about my arrival into the family, she accepted me as her sister anyway. We spent the first 18 years of our lives attending each other's dance competitions and performances. Now we are both avid Big Ten sports fans (On Wisconsin!) and one of our favorite annual traditions is attending the Big Ten Basketball Tournament with our Dad. I am so thankful for all of her help and support throughout the wedding planning process and I'm so lucky to have her as a best friend and sister.
Della Huffman
Bridesmaid
Della and I met on the very first day of being on campus in Madison and quickly bonded over margaritas - we've been inseparable ever since. We have lived together and traveled the world together! Most recently, we celebrated our 10-year friendship anniversary cruising the Mediterranean, enjoying wine tastings in Tuscany, delicious pasta in Naples, and all of the historic sites of Rome (OK, we might've had help from our self-guided Wikipedia tour). No matter where we are or who we are with, it is bound to be a good time! I am so excited that she will be standing by my side on my wedding day.
Erica Engh
Bridesmaid
Erica and I were in the same 6th grade class and met when Erica (wearing a very stylish outfit from Limited Too) asked me to eat lunch with her on the first day of school. We also like to take credit for our parents becoming fast friends and all the memories made over the years. We spent our middle school and high school years dancing together. We have also done quite a bit of traveling together over the years - dance competitions in California, spring break in Florida, and a girls trip to Vegas! After college, we both moved back to the Twin Cities, and one of our favorite things to do is go to concerts and shows together! I am so grateful for Erica's friendship the last 18 years and couldn't imagine my wedding day without her by my side!
Becky Mason
Bridesmaid
Becky and I met as Sophomores in Madison and ended up living together the next two years. Our bond grew especially strong during the summer before our senior year when the Discovery channel taught us how to survive in the wilderness. Those skills have definitely come in handy over the years! We always enjoyed pretending to be twins out in Madison, and a surprising number of people believed us; although, this only worked when her actual twin, Emily, wasn't around. After college, we’ve traveled to visit each other multiple times, reunited for Badger football games, and even spent a weekend together in Budapest. I'm so happy to have Becky as a friend and Bridesmaid!
Laura Jacobs
Bridesmaid
Laura and I met through Jared, believe it or not! I think Laura is happy to finally have another girl in the Jacobs family and I couldn't be more thrilled to gain another sister. Laura and I bonded over our many years of competitive dancing and our love of cheesecake. I am very grateful for her incredible baking skills that have translated into countless tasty treats. Recently, Laura has also become the greatest Cat Aunt to our beloved furry family member, Piper. I'm very excited to have my new sister take part in our wedding!
Alexander Jacobs
Groomsman
Alex entered my life 16 months after I was born. I wasn't really sure what to think of him at first. I'm told that I liked to hit him on the head and call him doggy, but despite that we grew to become close. From long school bus rides playing cards with the weirdest deck of cards in the world, epic 99 stock Super Smash Bros duels as Kirby vs Samus, and countless hours of Magic Cards and board games, Alex and I have always been able to have a good nerdy time together. We even willingly chose to rent an apartment together as adults, and could still tolerate each other at the end! While I don't see him daily anymore, we still make time to grab a bite to eat at a local Guy Fieri approved restaurant. Thank you, Alex, for standing at my wedding and for always being a good doggy...err...Brother!
Joshua Jacobs
Groomsman
When Josh was a baby I was so fascinated by him that I would sniff his hair and exclaim how good it smelled. I no longer sniff his hair (it doesn't smell that great anymore) but I still find him to be a pretty cool dude. You couldn't find a better partner when it comes to picking interesting beers to drink, celebrating gratuitous rock songs, or talking about weird pizza toppings with. Josh is one of the most helpful people I know, as long as the help you need is something unusual like needing someone to develop an algorithm for you, or wanting to know the key signature of a random Toto song. I'm thrilled to have him beside me on my wedding day, secure in the knowledge that if I ever need to ask someone about the newest blackhole theories at my wedding, he will be there for me.
Robert Brewer
Groomsman
I met Rob my Sophomore year of college when we pledged Phi Mu Alpha together, and he's been one of my best friends ever since. Over the last decade we've done a little bit of everything: from hosting unnecessarily elaborate parties together, early morning games of HORSE at the YMCA, incessant quizzing about which colleges every NBA player attended, countless episodes of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, and recording 60+ episodes of a football podcast together, I can't think of anyone I've shared more laughs with. As on-again, off-again roommates throughout our twenties we've always been there for each other for the good times and the bad times, so it was a no brainer to have him by my side on the most exciting day of my life!
Matthew Polum
Groomsman
My earliest memories of Polum were of him as a Freshman walking around a party holding a bottle of Jack Daniels everywhere he went. Little did I know that this punk-rock wannabe who exaggerated EVERY story he told would end up becoming one of my best friends. We've road tripped to Lambeau Field together where I bought him consolation Long Islands after my Vikings beat his Packers. We've helped Bruce Springsteen crowd surf together, and he proclaimed his jealousy when I told him about how I touched Bruce's butt (my Mom was jealous too). We've even argued for years about which Zelda game is best and not come to blows. Now the man who has stood by my side loudly singing at two Weird Al concerts will be at my side on my wedding day, and I could not be more excited!
Kevin Gadel
Groomsman
I met Kevin, Colleen’s younger brother, at a family gathering. We are both quiet when in groups of people, so we didn't get to know each other super well the first time I met him. I did quickly notice his subtle, sardonic sense of humor that reminded me of me and knew that eventually we would become good friends! Over the course of dating Colleen, I got to know Kevin better and better and have been thrilled to find someone who can both appreciate a cheap domestic beer in a dive bar with me, but also point me in the direction of some amazing food and wine....often in the same night! As an extensive world traveler, he's also proven invaluable with advice on honeymoon destinations. I am honored to have my new brother by my side on my wedding day!
Piper the Kitty
House Guard
On September 12th, 2019, we adopted the cutest kitty in the world, Piper. From her early morning cuddles, ceaseless games of sock-fetch, and fascinating mewing conversations when we get home from work, Piper has filled our hearts with love, our house with laughter, and furniture with scratches. It's a relationship built on love, trust, and forgiveness; she forgives us for dressing her up in skunk costumes on Halloween and we forgive her for her stinky farts. Although we will miss her dearly, she will not be with us on our wedding day as she needs to guard our home from toy mice, stray pieces of string, and the one neighbor cat who likes to look through our window. We love you, Pipey-Wipey, please stay off the chair!