Jackie & Bernie
Wedding Party
Kirsty Rae
Maid of Honor
Through AP Stats class, family vacations, breakups and breakdowns, Jackie and Kirsty have remained best friends since sophomore year in high school. They have learned how to be adults together, have been through each other's highest highs and lowest lows, and Kirsty knows how to make Jackie laugh in a heartbeat. Kirsty also started calling Jackie and Bernie "Jernie" long before we knew a wedding was in sight. Thanks, K Rae, for the killer wedding hashtag!
Devin McPherson
Best Man
Bernie and Devin became friends in high school, and the first time they really bonded was at Tech Olympics (not nerds). After rooming together at UC and joining the same fraternity, Devin quickly grew to become one of Bernie's best friends. Devin and Bernie enjoy Monday night bowling together in their sloth riding a dinosaur uniforms.
Christabel Pieters
Bridesmaid
Jackie knew her and Christabel could be close after she saw Christabel at her first rugby game (that can girl can be feisty on the sideline). They've grown so close over the last seven years; together, they enjoy grabbing coffee together and share an interest in Cincinnati's newest bars and breweries. Jackie is so happy to be gaining a best friend and the sister she never had.
Jake Oney
Groomsman
From countless tailgates to tropical vacations and frustrating games of Catan, Jake has become one of Bernie's closest friends. Together, they enjoy making fun of Jackie every chance they get and texting about today's hottest stocks. (NERDS!)
Kathryn Heuerman
Bridesmaid
Jackie has literally known Kathryn since birth, and they're more like sisters than cousins. They grew up living within 5 minutes of each other, and there's probably only a few weeks out of Kathryn's entire life that they haven't seen each other. Kathryn and Jackie are pros at encouraging one another to have too much fun on bar crawls.
Austin Baker
Groomsman
Austin started out as the new kid at rugby practice. After getting some tips from "star player" Bernie, Austin naturally grew to become a phenomenal rugby player. Austin and Bernie played together over the years, and although Bernie's rugby playing days are behind him, the two still love getting together to enjoy the game over a round of drinks (or two or three..).
Jenna Miller
Bridesmaid
Jackie and Jenna became close in high school attending and traveling to Lakota West soccer games together. While Jenna moved away for college, she always remained an amazing friend to Jackie (she's the best at keeping in touch and making you feel the love!). Now, Jackie enjoys visiting Jenna wherever she may live and also loves showing her around Cincinnati when she comes back to visit.
Bashir Emlemdi aka Bushi
Groomsman
Bernie and Bashir became friends while "learning" Latin together freshman year of high school. The two remained friends throughout high school, through Bashir becoming the MVP of a rugby tournament having never played the sport before, and even through Bashir's fame as Student Body President at the University of Cincinnati. The two later joined the same fraternity at UC, and senior year enjoyed being part of the unofficial-undisputed trivia champions of Clifton.
Melanie Schmid
Bridesmaid
JDRF brought Melanie and Jackie together. Within a month of Melanie joining the team, Jackie and Melanie became close friends. Jackie relies on Melanie's grit and motivational conversations to get through any hard day. Together, they love doing anything that involves activity and laughing (this past summer, that included a lot of kayaking).
Alex Schoulthies aka Schoully
Groomsman
Schoully and Bernie became roommates after Schoully made the dormroom couch his home. The two continued living together throughout college while sharing their FIFA addiction. Now Bernie and Schoully enjoy sharing comedic tweets, and drowning in their shared misery of Bengals fandom.
Sasha Squibb
Bridesmaid
While neither Sasha nor Jackie work for JDRF anymore, they're so grateful that it brought them into each other's lives. Sasha and Jackie are eerily similar in so many aspects of their lives (hello, enneagram 2's). Sasha can tell what Jackie is thinking and how she is feeling before Jackie even knows. Everyone needs a friend like that in their lives!
Alex Unser-Baumann aka U.B.
Groomsman
Bernie and UB's friendship formed on the rugby field and continued at the bar. After taking a hiatus from rugby, the two came out of retirement to join forces on UC's rugby team. The two have enjoyed intramural sports, college sports, and beer sports together over the years.
Rae Watkins
Bridesmaid
Rae and Jackie met at UC through Devin and have grown close over the last several years. They love going out and having too much fun, and they are really good at being some of the first ones out on the dance floor. Together, they enjoy making faces at each other while Devin and Bernie sit and have boring conversations about computers, CrossFit, and engineering.
Noah Webb
Groomsman
Noah and Bernie met long before the history of Noah and Christabel began. They both enjoyed rafting trips together through youth group. Now they take pleasure in making Christabel's life slightly more frustrating, but filled with more love. They enjoy creating memories together through the countless double dates, car shows, and sporting events.
Elaine Rae
Officiant
We wanted someone to marry us who has equally made an impact in both of our lives. Being Jackie's second mom throughout high school and college certainly made an impact. But, when Bernie moved to Greenville for work, he spent many weekends with Elaine and Alan at their home just an hour away. They quickly became his family and home away from home. Plus, Elaine's shortbread cookies are one of Bernie's all-time favorites.