Tina & Nick
Wedding Party
Sarah Curley
Woman of Honor
Tina and Sarah became friends somewhere around 2008 when a mutual friend made the observation "hey, both of you love to dance. You should be friends." They went out dancing together and the rest is history. Be sure to find us on the dance floor together because it's our favorite place to be! Both Tina & Sarah love deep connections and conversation through which they have bonded over through the years. As a fire and air sign, the two most loyal signs, they are the perfect combination excitement and balance.
Mark Baumgarten
Best Man
Nick & Mark became friends....well they're brothers. Since being adults they have lived together on and off and while living with anyone isn't easy, they have always made great roommates. Mark even lived with Tina & Nick for a year during their engagement. They all bonded during quarantine and really enjoyed having family dinners together every night that Mark wasn't working at the hospital. They argue often, as brothers do. During quarantine, Mark ran to the store to grab steaks to grill. While at the store, Mark asked Nick if the t-bone would be ok to which Nick said "of course". Mark then returned with two sirloin steaks saying they were better cuts. Thus ensued the most epic argument of steak quality to which Mark still hasn't admitted defeat.
Meghan Rulison
Brideswoman
Tina and Meghan worked together at Applebee's in 2008. Meghan always made fun of Tina for eating Oriental Chicken Wraps every shift. A few years later, Meghan was looking for a career change and Tina's job was hiring. That was the beginning of Meghan's Law Enforcement Career. That's Detective Rulison to you! They worked together in the Communication Department together and that's where their friendship truly blossomed. Meghan, also a lover of dancing, quickly became one of Tina's closest friends.
Ryan Mars
Groomsman
Tina’s younger brother. Nick met Ryan at Tina’s graduation in 2018. If you know either of these two, you know they can both get along with anyone. These two hit it off laughing at Tina’s dad’s unexpected antics, german engineering, and the stock market. Ryan loves to pick Nick’s brain about the markets. Ryan has quickly learned that when they have an 8am tee time and an hour drive, he can arrive at 6:55am and still have time to sit down and watch Nick jump out of bed.
Paige Southwick
Brideswoman
Tina and Paige met at East Carolina University and hit it off with their love for adventure, beer, and the outdoors. After school they both wanted to move to a big city for their internships so they agreed to make the move to Charlotte, NC together. Tina and Paige had a running list of all of the breweries they wanted to visit in Charlotte. Paige was actually the first friend to meet Nick when they started dating. She, of course, approved.
CJ Pirosko
Groomsman
Nick & CJ met in kindergarten and were in the same class together at St. Anselm's all the way through 6th grade. The quartet (Ryan, Ben, Nick & CJ) created the activity of 'tree tipping'. Kinda like cow tipping but not. They found dead trees and ran into them until they fell down. Explains a lot today. Their other hobbies included snowmobiling, pulling each other on tubes, and attending bonfires where they would "sip" the beer (in high school, when they were 21 of course).
Miranda Tharp
Brideswoman
Tina moved to the small town of Greenville, NC for graduate school at East Carolina University in 2016. She met Miranda on the class Facebook Group and they agreed to share an apartment together! They immediately hit it off and made for great roommates. Having the same exact schedule for 12 months, you really get to know someone. They were dubbed "Tiranda" and their apartment became the meeting point for all get togethers. Many study sessions, wine nights, and movie streams were had in that apartment. Their friendship has been long distance ever since but they have remained close.
Kyle Mattila
Groomsman
Nick met Kyle through a mutual friend on the very day he arrived back home from a long weekend in Las Vegas. They hit it off immediately and quickly became golfing buddies, then neighborhood buddies, and then gym buddies. Kyle would pick Nick up at exactly 5:15ish for their morning gym sessions; Nick getting out of bed only when he saw Kyle's headlights driving up. They talked about their results more than they would actually see them.
Ben Rowen
Groomsman
Nick & Ben became quick friends when they met in first grade at St. Anselm's Elementary School. Many of their memories include skateboarding in garages late at night, making their very own "Jackass" movies at home, and playing Runescape together for hours. Ben was the best, of course. Don't be alarmed if you seeing them playing tag at the wedding - it's been ongoing for 20 years. Their oldest competition was at church on Sundays; During the peace offering, they set out to shake hands saying "peace be with you" with as many people as possible. The winner is still undecided.
Katie Slay
Brideswoman
Tina and Katie met at East Carolina University. Katie, a lover of brownies, fireplace chats, and wine, quickly became a close friend of Tina's. They bonded over the fact that they both had brothers named Ryan! Katie was always down for a workout or a relaxing evening on the back porch. You could always count on her for some fresh baked goodies when you visited.
Rob Phipps
Groomsman
Nick & Rob both attended Appalachian State University as Finance Banking Majors and met through a friend, of a friend, of a friend. They agreed to be roommates and managed to stay friends through it all; the raging house parties, the 8am classes they never skipped, and sleepless nights spent gaming err... studying. They can both agree that their favorite class was P.E., when they would snowboard for a college credit. Since both moving to Charlotte, they have been on multiple ski trips together and golf together regularly.
Lauren Mattila
Brideswoman
Tina and Lauren met very shortly after Tina and Nick started dating. Nick invited Tina over to his place where he said "my friends invited us out for a drink with them and they're excited to meet you." Tina swooned over this and agreed to meet the friends. This is where she met Lauren who was 6 months pregnant at the time. Tina being very nervous asked Lauren "what beer are you drinking?" before realizing what a dumb question that was. Luckily, they hit it off and Lauren let the comment slide. Lauren is married to Kyle, Nick's best man. They used to live around the corner from Nick and Tina and many game nights were played. They have since moved a little further south but Tina and Nick still make the trip to visit. The pool probably helps motivate some of those trips....
Ryan Henry
Groomsman
Nick & Ryan have also been friends since the age of 5. They played basketball together for 2 years in middle school. Ryan was along for the ride for the transition to public school with Nick in 7th grade. Ryan was also involved in the 'Tree Tipping' outings. The Henry Family had a pool growing up so that's where Nick would go to work on his color for summer; going from pale to less pale.
Carolyn Rooke
Brideswoman
Tina is excited to gain Carolyn as a sister in law. She has all of the best qualities of a Baumgarten & then some! They have bonded over their political activism and thought provoking books. She is the queen of spreadsheets and provided Tina & Nick with most of the planning tools that got them through wedding planning. She trailblazed the execution of the first Baumgarten wedding and Tina & Nick are forever grateful.