Officiant
I first met Erin right after college as she was finishing up grad school at Wake Forest University (Go Deacs!). A theme you’ll find with all of my friends is that they are endlessly curious, adventurous, and deeply caring—Erin is no exception. I was lucky enough to travel to see her in Pocatello, Idaho where she received her PhD in Counseling Education. We've hiked many a mountain, eaten even more ice cream cones and joined the Electric Bookclub around the same time. For five years, we even lived in the same neighborhood—where we may not have seen each other as much as we should have, but still shared dog walks and late-night chats. Having Erin officiate our wedding is such an honor - having a friend who's been with me through so many ups and downs share in this joyous moment means a lot. And, it's a perfect bookend since our first date was at her house with "20 of my closest friends" as Rob would say.
Matron of Honor
AKA Assistant to the Regional Bride Bekah isn't here simply to fill the quota for 'famous person at our wedding' or to make every single one of you "6 degrees from Kevin Bacon" (see Sirens). She's here because we've known each other since 5th grade - thats at least 34 years of memories. I remember the moment Melissa Freeman and I knocked on her door and asked Jodie if Bekah could play (in the woods...where we hid from her to see if she was tough enough to be our friend......). I'm kinder now...a lot of that is because of our friendship. From the start Bekah wrote, starred in and directed our takes on American Girl plays. We somehow weren't cheer captain and vice-captain in 8th grade (we're not holding a grudge 30 years later...) but we rose above and proved our value. We share a love of finding order in the chaos and creating beautiful events for loved ones. Truly a gem (or gym or Jim...I can't tell the difference). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ friendship.
Bridesmaid
A friendship for a lifetime. We met at UNCG (my first college) outside of my dorm room. At the time her friend Jessica Peterman and a woman whose name I've long forgotten (with a broken heart wrist tattoo) introduced us. Our love of punk rock music brought us together. Kris and I have managed to stay in contact the most - recently about child rearing but, also about historical TV dramas and local gossip. With her background in film we've enjoyed attending RiverRun Film Festival together for at least one film a year for a while now. Like everyone on this list- I love Kris' strength and drive. I've always thought of her as thoughtful and grounded. Kris has her PhD in Communications Rhetoric and Digital Media. She works at High Point University with many titles but my favorite is Associate Professor of Game Design.
Bridesman
Ben! Long time friend, who else would I talk to for hours at a time? Always a phone call away. When Ben finished Med school we met in Greece for two weeks. That was my first real vacation in many years and reminded me how much I love travel. I've known him since my junior year of high school. We spent countless late nights in downtown Winston-Salem at shows. I highly doubt I would be as level headed as I am right now if it weren't for our friendship. Being Ben's friend is knowing that while his dog, Giblets, may absolutely hate you to the point of biting your thigh, you are always welcome to visit..or call. A favorite memory is when Ben called and said "Hey, I'm standing in line to buy Avail tickets, I hope you can make it to Richmond for the show in a few weeks". That's Ben...kinda random but always thoughtful and funny.
Man of Honor
AKA Vice-Captain AKA Assistant to the Regional Groom Mark and I met playing hockey, and what started as teammates and rival captains has turned into an extremely special friendship. We’ve spent years pushing each other, competing hard, and then laughing about it afterward—usually while insisting the other one just got lucky. On tournament weekends, he proved he could survive multiple games fueled almost entirely by fruit cups and vibes from the craps tables, which remains one of the most impressive athletic feats I’ve ever witnessed. Mark is the kind of friend everyone hopes to have: endlessly kind, genuinely supportive, and always willing to drop whatever he’s doing to help someone out. He has a natural way of bringing people together, landing a joke that makes everyone feel included, and knowing when it’s time to be serious. He’s been my sounding board, my voice of reason, and one of the first people to tell me, “You should marry Julien”—and he doesn’t hesitate to remind me “it’s about time”. I’m incredibly grateful for our friendship and couldn’t imagine a better person standing beside me as my best man.
Groomsman
Ben is the kind of friend you feel lucky to have—and the kind of dad you can’t help but admire. Watching him with his young son is one of my favorite things about him—every small milestone, every first step, every little victory is met with pride, patience, and so much love. It’s obvious that being a dad brings out the best in him. Ben also gave us Jaide, who—before officially becoming a mom—adopted all the Murder Hornets and became our team mom. We still mourn the loss of her cookies. As a fellow Office fan, Ben has also created and bestowed upon me the legendary Player of the Game Dundie, which we still proudly give out after each game. Ben is always first in the room, usually with some beers for the boys, and somehow manages to make chaos on the ice look like a game plan. I’m lucky he counts me as a friend, and even luckier that he’s standing beside me on my wedding day.
Groomsman
Matt is our wise elder—calm, composed, and unshakable… unless we’re playing the Jägerbombs. Then all bets are off. He’s the only person I know who has been on Jeopardy (and came in third, suck it Tribeck), written a book about The Beatles, earned a doctorate, and simultaneously shut down more offensive players than anyone else I know. Honestly, he’s the man the Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World” is modeled after. Beyond his accolades, what I really appreciate about Matt is how genuinely kind he is. He's calm, smart, endlessly interesting, and a little dangerous when playing certain hockey teams. I’m proud to have Matt standing by my side on my wedding day.