Richard & Jenny's Wedding Weekend
Wedding Party
Amelia Smith
Matron of Honor
Also goes by “Molly”. You really can call her either. Jenny's sister and our maid of honor! Jenny and Molly shared a room until they were 18 and had their fair share of fights as you can imagine but are best friends <3. Richard and Jenny agree she’s one of the most thoughtful + intentional people they’ve ever met, and knows both of them (together and individuals) more than just about anyone. Simply put, she’s one of the most phenomenal people we know. She’s finishing up law school at Berkeley Law and is engaged to Leland (who you’ll see in these intros, too!). They’re getting married on April 1.
David Harris
Best Man
Richard's brother and our co-best man (alongside Michael). David inspires us in so many ways, but at the top of the list is how he is 100% capable of anything he sets his mind to. Whether it’s becoming a movie director as an elementary school student, crushing it as Sea of Gold leader (high school’s cheering section) / student government leader, marathon runner, rock star product manager, and ultimate dad - David’s drive is unparalleled. He and his wife, DeAnna, just had a little one in recent months (Kinsley) and it’s been incredible watching his dedication to fatherhood. Richard’s relationship with David means more to him than practically everything.
Michael Harris
Best Man
Richard’s brother, and our co-best man. While Michael passed away in 2015, we know deep down he will be right next to us on our special day as a co-best man. For as long as he can remember, Richard has looked up to Michael as the guide for how to live life to its fullest. Michael invested his entire being in making those around him happy - from being a mentor to his little brothers, a support system to his parents, a therapist to his clients, and a best friend to everyone. He lived every day sharing kindness, caring for others, and embracing fun, all with a constant smile and an unassuming gracious warmth. Since his passing, Michael has served as a guardian angel for both Richard & Jenny.
Brynne Naylor
Wedding Party
Brynne and Jenny met when they both started working at LinkedIn after graduation. They immediately hit it off, and their friendship has only grown with time. For three years in a row, they went hiking / backpacking together and have many adventure stories to share from that time. Brynne’s energy, passion, and athleticism is only rivaled by her thoughtfulness and empathy. She lives in SF with her sister for now, but will be moving back to NYC shortly to join her boyfriend Griffin who we love! After the first time Richard met Griffin, he loved him so much that he now is called “best friend Grif” in our household.
Colum Coyne
Wedding Party
Went to middle and high school with Richard. Colum’s energy is contagious. Watching Colum do what he loves is unbelievably special to witness - both for the energy it gives him and how contagious that energy is. He gets so passionate about niche things, and that passion makes those around him better. He makes us laugh + feel so loved all at the same time. You can catch him running around the Marina in SF with his girlfriend Grace (also in our wedding party), cute little puppy, Poppy, or surfing Ocean beach with the regulars.
DeAnna Kneis
Wedding Party
Richard & Jenny's sister in law (David’s wife). She is one of the most passionate and fiercely loyal people we know! She’s showed up for both of us in some of our toughest moments, jumping in to support us for anything from when Richard’s brother Michael passed, Jenny had health issues + she accompanied Jenny to one of her scariest appointments, or helping us plan our big scary wedding budget! More recently, she just gave birth to a wonderful little girl named Kinsley! It has been such a gift watching DeAnna become the most phenomenal Mom to our beautiful niece.
Ella Madsen
Wedding Party
Went to middle and high school with Jenny. She has more energy than anyone we’ve ever met, in the best way possible. All of that energy goes into appreciating the people and the world around her. She can talk to anyone in the world with ease and makes every single person she meets feel like the best version of themself. She’s also one of the most talented artists we know. She’s an amazing painter, nail artist, jewelry maker and so much more!
Ella Wilson
Wedding Party
Went to college with Jenny and roomed with her in college + SF. She has been there for Jenny during Jenny’s hardest moments. She has the most unique and unending listening ear, and is always willing to spare the time to make someone’s life better. And knows what you need more than you know yourself. She’s exceptionally talented not only as a friend, but also as a ballet (and many other types!) dancer, an analytics professional, and a soon-to-be physical therapist!
Eva Scarano
Wedding Party
Worked at LinkedIn with Jenny. She was always really more friend than coworker. She’s all over the world at any moment in time, yet so present, stable, and capable at the same time. She is the most amazing listener, a total sweetheart, and the most supportive / cheerleader friend. She’s an passionate advocate for incredibly important issues and that starts with how she supports and advocates for her community. Eva is the life of the party, bringing energy and joy to every situation she’s in. For those of you that have heard of that fateful espresso-martini / heart monitor night for Richard in our New York trip…. well, Eva started it all!! ;)
Freddy Avis
Wedding Party
Went to high school with Richard. Freddy impresses us more and more each moment we spend with him. He’s the ultimate renaissance man (Stanford baseball player / MLB drafted / film composer / producer / multi-instrumentalist / singer / leader of electronic-focused band / fierce advocate of social, environmental, and cultural issues). We’re continually inspired at how much Freddy is capable of. What’s amazing is that he is so much more beyond that, too. He’s so intentional, an incredible listener, and cares deeply about what the person he’s talking to has to say. Not to mention, he’s the life of the party. We cherish every moment we get to spend with him.
Grace Lloyd
Wedding Party
Our SF friend! While we first met her as Colum’s girlfriend, we quickly developed our own deep friendship. Grace is unbelievably fun, easy to get along with, and has the best head on her shoulders. She’s wildly selfless, genuine, and makes everyone she’s with feel like the most important person in the world. Every time we’ve introduced a new friend to Grace, they always come back to us telling us how amazing she is and that she’s “the sweetest person they’ve ever met”. And we can’t blame them. Not to mention, she consistently inspires us with how amazing her design-eye is, and how hard she works (at an art gallery in SF). She designed all of the beautiful designs on our save the dates and invitations!! How incredible is she??
Jack Grodahl
Wedding Party
Played basketball with Richard at college. First met when Richard was a senior in high school and prospied with Jack for a night at Claremont. For the last 10 years, Jack has been one of Richard’s biggest confidants (from hours on the north quad bench to spanish date nights to runs on the oregon coast… the two of them can talk for hours about everything and nothing at the same time). His selflessness and empathy is balanced perfectly by his over the top goofiness. Everyone loves Jack. Jack brought his fiance Molly into our life and we couldn’t be happier. We spent 2 months in Kauai with Jack + Molly in 2021, and as Richard says, “best 2 months of my life”.
Jackson Dean
Wedding Party
Went to middle and high school with Richard. Since 6th grade (without a single exception) Richard has felt loved and supported by Jackson. Said simply, he’s the biggest sweetheart of all time. He has a ridiculously contagious laugh and is one of the most endearing people we know. Jackson’s passion is unrivaled and extremely contagious (from watching sports, fantasy football, Survivor, golf, Sawyer, his friends… the list goes on). Despite Jackson’s attempts to claim the title of “unluckiest person in the world”, he thrives at just about everything.
Kate Anello
Wedding Party
First connected as one of Jenny’s college friends. Kate is one of the most loyal people we know, holding her circle tight and continually investing in them. She is amazing at keeping up with her friends and knows all of her friends with a level of depth that’s envyable. She throws her entire self at everything she touches - whether that’s her friendships, gardening, carpentry, design, or being a kick ass program manager. She has two dogs that are her and her wife, Kanani (who we adore!)’s pride and joy.
Kelly Wells
Wedding Party
Our big sister. Kelly dated Michael and she has continued to be a big sister to us in every way. We couldn't be more proud of the relationship we have with her - it’s both forever family and forever friend. Kelly has to have one of the widest circles we know, yet she always somehow finds time and energy to make sure that everyone in her life knows how special + cared for they are. She goes above and beyond for friendships and has shown up for us over and over again in our most important, fun, and challenging moments. Everyone loves Kelly, and everyone feels loved by her.
Kevin Marren
Wedding Party
Went to middle school + high school with Richard. He and Richard know each other with a level of depth that is unimaginable to many. He’s both one of the smartest and funniest people we’ve ever met. We can easily say some of our biggest laugh-until-you-cry moments have been created by Kevin. Over the last couple of years, he started tutoring kids recently on all of the toughest subjects. He’s able to not only connect with them about academics, but also about their personal lives in a way that motivates them to be the best version of themselves. He’s consistently inspiring us.
Leland Hubble
Wedding Party
Jenny + Richard’s future brother-in-law. Leland has an energy + zest for life that’s incredible. He’s so passionate about life and his hobbies, and is consistently showing up for us through all that he can add to our lives through those paths and more. We’re continually jealous of Leland’s ability to fix or build absolutely anything and whenever we do the literal smallest home improvement, we of course tell Leland because he cheers us on with true excitement and love no matter how insignificant that thing really is. A true teammate + parter to Amelia, he’s brought out the best version of her, even though she was as good as it gets before. We’re so excited to have him as part of the family.
Maddy Gebhard
Wedding Party
Went to college with Richard. Richard and Maddy have been entirely inseparable since the first month of college. The most loving, friendly, and fun person. Whether it’s her empathetic and listening ear supporting Richard through Michael’s passing, or downing 10 espresso martinis by our side at Balboa, Maddy balances heart and fun better than just about anyone. People gravitate towards her. She’s also a huge reason that we’re together today, consistently rooting for us and trying to get us back together during our on + off moments in college.
Matt Smith
Wedding Party
Jenny's brother. Also goes by “Merritt”. Matt is unbelievably smart. Truly unbelievable. Yet, he has a consistent and ever present view of how to contribute to the world in a positive way. His altruism is unparalleled. Matt is incredibly thoughtful and intentional. Whether it’s sending Richard + Jenny articles and books to read when he sees something that reminds him of them, or texting us that he misses us, he always impresses us with how consistently he’s working on being a better version of himself… though he’s as good as it gets already.
Nix Kanade
Wedding Party
Lived with Richard two years in college, then lived with Jenny two years after college while they worked together at LinkedIn. He’s equal parts structured / intentional, goofy, and hard working. He balances all of these in such a positive way. Nix is one of those people that people look at and are like “he’s got his shit together!” and he really does. He knows what’s important to him and he prioritizes that in the most wonderful way.
Pete Foster
Wedding Party
Went to middle + high school with Richard. The perfect mix of loving, sweet, and insanely fun. Pete was one of Richard’s first childhood friends that Jenny really got to know – all because of the effort he put in to do so. He makes everyone he’s around feel loved. Pete is insanely capable of pretty much anything, and works so hard to achieve what he wants, yet never says no to a good time spent investing in friends. It’s impossible to spend time with Pete and not leave 100% filled up.
Peter Meyers
Wedding Party
Michael’s best friend and a big brother to both of us. Peter was like a brother to Richard since Richard’s senior year of high school when Peter lived at the Harris’ for six months post graduating (eating fajitas every night because that was Richard’s favorite food). He’s put in an extraordinary effort to get to know both of us, from giving up his bed to us for a week in New York after going out with us til 4am multiple nights in a row, to consistently putting time + effort into coming to visit us in SF. He’s unconditionally supported us through our best and worst moments. He’s forever family and forever friend.
Reid Wells
Wedding Party
Our SF friend + sister. We were lucky enough to score Reid as a bonus sister through Kelly + Michael’s relationship. Upon moving to SF, Jenny + Reid lived next door to one another and became fast friends, while Richard + Reid’s depth grew after Michael’s passing Reid is fun-loving and laugh out loud funny. A truly loyal friend, she knows her friends deeply and is always making a monumental effort to create fun moments throughout her friendship - some of our favorite adult memories have been because of and with her. A spectacular design eye, you can always look to Reid to inspire your life to be more chic.
Riley Hall
Wedding Party
Played basketball with Richard in college. Riley and Richard also lived together after college, which is where Jenny became close with him. Riley is equal parts driven, thoughtful, and fun. He is a central part of most of Richard’s favorite college and SF memories - and much of Richard’s “growing up” happened next to Riley. Riley was the first person Richard called after Michael passed away, and has continued to be an unbelievable support to him through that journey, giving up his nights to sit on the couch with Richard til he fell asleep, or going to search for him when Richard just needed space + listening ear instead of all the wildness that college was.
Sara Linssen
Wedding Party
Went to college with Richard. Sara is one of those once-in-a-lifetime friendships where you just know you hit the jackpot! While she started out as Richard’s close friend from college and later work-wife, she + Jenny grew close because it was so important to Sara that she get to know her friend’s significant others. It came at the perfect time for Jenny, who was going through significant health issues. Sara was the most amazing friend to Jenny during some of her darkest moments + their friendship has only grown from there.
Sawyer Dean
Wedding Party
Our SF friend! While we initially got to know her as Jackson’s girlfriend (now wife!), she’s since become one of our closest friends. Sawyer stuns everyone she meets with her ability to listen, care, and empathize with others. Whether it’s a random person on the street, one of her students, or her closest friends, she makes everyone feel heard and seen. She feels it all + remembers the nuances of peoples lives with an accuracy that’s absolutely wild to us. Her empathy is rivaled only by her passion for making the world a better place.
Scott Lynds
Wedding Party
Played basketball with Richard in college. When Scott moved to SF a few years ago, he quickly became one of the people we spent time with most consistently, and that was when his individual friendship with Jenny grew. Scott is one of those irreplaceable friends who you can call for anything and who makes every situation better. He’s so easy going and has the most comforting presence. No matter the mood you’re in, you can connect with him and feel better immediately. You can find Scott picking up the newest fad diet (#carnivore) and paying for Strava.
Sofie Thixton
Wedding Party
Went to college with Jenny and was her roommate in their first apartment in SF post college. Literally anyone in the world would feel incredibly lucky to be able to call Sofie their friend, and all of her friends do. She’s extraordinarily fun, talented, and amazing at pretty much anything she attempts to do. One of her many talents – Sofie is an unbelievable chef, one of chefs where going to Sofie’s house is better than going out to any restaurant. She’s currently jaunting around Europe, eating croissants in Paris every other weekend and you can be sure we’ll be staking out her house every morning for a fresh croissant when she comes back to SF.