Wedding Party
Lia Sherman
Maid of Honor
Kelly McGinn
Bridesmaid
Jesse Heiden
Bridesmaid
Erin Johnson
Bridesmaid
Grace Blitzer
Bridesmaid
Kaylee Meilahn
Bridesmaid
Jeb Middlebrook
Officiant
Brenton McMenamin
Best Man
Joe and Brenton met on a Boy Scout trip to Canada in 1995. They became friends in 1999 when Brenton called Joe to ask him if he wanted to see Blair Witch Project and said he'd already called all his friends and none of them wanted to. They have several pending screenplay ideas, including political/action thriller Inauguration Day (starring Bill Paxton) and a Scottie Pippen biopic. Brenton is halfway to accomplishing his college dream of being a long haul trucker with a Ph.D. (CB handle: "Doc"). Brenton has published two editions of "Moby Dick: Todd Edition," a remake of the Herman Melville classic by Linneus Q. Puffbuster, available at https://www.amazon.com/Moby-Dick-Annotated-Herman-Melville/dp/1717979785.
Paul Ward
Groomsman
Joe and Paul met on July 4, 1998 (they celebrate 25 years together this summer). They were voted Camp Manitou counselors of the century following the 2004 session. They visited five national parks in two weeks in the summer of 2003 and unsuccessfully searched for the Unabomber's cabin in Montana. They rushed the Camp Randall field together following the Badgers' 2003 victory over defending national champs OSU following Matt Schabert's 79 yard TD pass to Lee Evans (Matt Schabert??).
Matt Shroyer
Groomsman
Joe and Matt met in 2008 in NYC. For many years Joe thought Matt had played goalie for the Miami University of Ohio hockey team his freshman year of college. Matt swears he never said that but why else would Joe think it?? In 2019 Matt and his wife Shannon moved to a duplex in Minneapolis. Two months later Joe moved into the other half of the duplex. The three of them weathered the early months of the pandemic together. Matt and Shannon had a baby and moved out and bought a house. Joe bought a house around the corner. Matt wrote the official rule book for Circle Rules Football and is the creator of the Sign Your Life Away Challenge, an NBA fantasy league with intricate rules that Joe, Matt, and others have committed to playing for the rest of their lives.
Austin King
Groomsman
Joe and Austin met in the winter of 2005 at the Plaza in Madison, Wisconsin. It was below zero and Joe and his roommate Brenton were wearing bathrobes and flip flops. Austin, at the time a Madison alderman, complimented their wardrobe and invited them to his apartment after bar close. Joe and Austin reconnected in the spring of 2008 at an NYU Law admitted students event. Joe was a 1L looking for free food. Austin had been admitted due to a clerical error. They later clerked at the same courthouse and spent their lunch hours scouring Chinatown's arcades and dumpling houses. They watched nearly every Packer game together from 2010 to 2015 from their reserved table at Kettle of Fish in the West Village. Both firmly believe they could do a better job calling TOs than Matt LaFleur (and Mike McCarthy and Bret Bielema and Paul Chryst).