Hao & Geordie
Wedding Party
Salena
Maid of Honor
Salena and I met 15 years ago in high school, when I asked her for some Goldfish, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. She’s been there for every season of my life, through every high and low. Having her by my side as my Maid of Honor just makes sense.
Kylie
Matron of Honor
Kylie and I are the same in different fonts. So alike, it sometimes feels like she’s my twin. She just gets me, often knowing exactly how I feel without me saying a word. That said, there’s never a silent moment when we’re together.
Vienna
Bridesmaid
Meet Vienna, better known as Mama Vee, my longest and dearest friend, who truly feels more like family. She has the biggest heart and has been there for me since I first moved to America, even editing every paper along the way (I owe her at least half my degree). She was my ChatGPT before ChatGPT was a thing!
Dani
Bridesmaid
Dani and I met in high school (thanks, A-Team—iykyk). I knew we’d be great friends when I saw she had a life-size cutout of Harry Styles in her room. She’s the person I can always talk to about anything.
Kimberly
Bridesmaid
Kim and I met because we dated the same guy in middle school, safe to say, our friendship was the best thing that came out of that relationship. Kim is one of the coolest people I know. Her first car was a red convertible, which she used to pick me up for 6 a.m. swim practice. My parents still know her as 'the girl with the red convertible.' People used to mistake us for each other all the time in high school. She has been there for me through some of life’s biggest moments!
Paul
Best Man
Paul is my original roommate, my identical twin, and my lifelong best friend. Since birth, it’s been us. We were roommates throughout our twenties, and I still remember when I sold my house, Paul just nodded and said, “Cool, where are we moving?” That’s Paul: supportive, fiercely loyal, and always in it with me. While most guys in their twenties wanted to hit bars and clubs on a boys’ trip, Paul made us all go to theme parks instead. And would order milk and cookies at bars. Perpetually. It’s not a bit, it’s just who he is. Hao once asked me if it was hard sharing a birthday with someone else. I can say sharing mine with Paul has never felt like a compromise. It’s been the best part. I got to grow up with one of the sweetest, most thoughtful, and most genuinely good people I’ve ever met. It’s been one of the best parts of my life. I wouldn’t trade it, or him, for anything.
Jordan
Groomsman
Jordan Vevang is an absolute maniac. Growing up, he was the runt of the litter, the youngest of four, with two older brothers, a foot shorter and fifty pounds lighter than everyone in our grade. So naturally, he had to be tough. And he was. He was two-hand slashing kids in hockey before puberty, and despite being the smallest guy on the ice, you absolutely did not want to mess with him. Case in point: in junior high, I jokingly took a French fry off his plate. He responded by choking me unconscious. That’s not a joke. That’s a true story. Now, Jordan is 6'2", 230 pounds, and built like the Rock, which means he no longer needs to act like a psycho... but trust me, it’s still in there. These days, he channels that intensity into being a fiercely loyal protector, a phenomenal father and husband. He’s one of the most loyal people I know!
James
Groomsman
I met James walking home from school when we were teenagers, and he asked if I wanted to play. Most people had moved on to calling it “hanging out,” but not James. At thirteen, when everyone else was scrambling to seem cool, mysterious, or at least mildly indifferent, James was just unapologetically, completely himself. It was almost disorienting. When we asked if he wanted to come to a sleepover, he replied, dead serious, “I could never do that… I’d miss my mom too much.” That level of emotional honesty at that age felt like watching someone perform a trust fall into open traffic. He wore sweatpants to school every day, deep into high school, like society’s rules just didn’t apply to him. And honestly, they didn’t. We once watched The Notebook with a group of girls, and while the rest of us tried to play it cool, James just openly cried. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone, which is probably why he ended up impressing everyone. James somehow became one of the most well-liked, respected guys in school, not by following trends, but by being real when nobody else could figure out how. He’s still that guy, only now he’s also a dedicated father, an amazing husband, and one of the most genuinely kind people I know. I’ve looked up to him since we were kids. I still do.
Matt
Groomsman
Matt is one of the most peculiar people I’ve ever met. In high school, he bought McDonald’s burgers in bulk and stored them in the fridge. These days, he’s graduated to making green juice smoothies, about a hundred at a time, and freezing them with the precision of a fitness influencer preparing a fallout shelter. That’s just Matt. He might be a genius. He might be an idiot. Most likely, he’s both. For nearly three years, I lived in the apartment directly above his. His place was so full of plants, it looked less like an apartment and more like a seasonal Home Depot garden center. He’s an obsessive rock climber who once took me up a couple of “easy” mountain pitches. I was hundreds of feet in the air, clinging to a rock wall in existential panic, while he cheerfully described it as “a nice mellow day.” Matt is totally unique, endlessly thoughtful, and absolutely, undeniably, the weirdest person I’ve ever met. And I love him for it.
Charlie
Groomsman
Charlie is my older brother, a very kind, slightly odd guy with a long history of questionable decisions made in the name of sibling bonding. When we were kids, he once pulled a “practical joke” by saying, “Hey Geordie, hop into the front seat.” As I climbed over, he slammed on the brakes, and I flew face-first into the windshield, cracking it. He immediately bribed me with anything I wanted from 7-Eleven, as long as I promised not to tell our parents. I never did. Until now. (Sorry, Charlie.) But that’s what big brothers are for, pushing you around, toughening you up, and then buying your silence with candy and Slurpees. He definitely tried to make me tougher. Not sure it worked. These days, Charlie is a loving cat father who plays Dungeons & Dragons three times a week, and has somehow evolved into one of the sweetest, most generous guys you could ever meet. He would do anything for me, and has, many times. And I’m incredibly grateful for it.
Heather
Officiant
We haven’t known Heather that long, but it honestly feels like she’s been part of our lives forever. She just gets us, our quirks, our sense of humor, and the way we love each other, better than almost anyone. Having her officiate our wedding means the world to us.