Wedding Party
Joshua Garcia
Groom
Kendra is someone who comes into your life, and you just feel an overwhelming sense of care and peace radiating from her. Even from early memories of my interactions with her, before friendship and romantic feelings, she was in general a great presence to be around. I think that’s what kept drawing me closer to her, first with becoming friends, then, of course, something more. There are a few moments I can remember that cemented my desires to be with her forever. One that stands out would be about a year into us dating, we decided to have a little night in and spends some quality time with each other. How you might ask? Snacking on cheese, sipping on wine, and building Lego botanical flowers on the floor! Nothing fancy, very simple, but intentional. In that moment, it was a perfect image of how I wanted my future to be and who I’d want to spend the rest of my life with, and Kendra fills me with so much love and makes my world so much bigger. As we continue to grow in this relationship and journey through life, there’s no one else I’d rather be with :)
Kendra Damaske
Bride
I first met Josh through friends, and for a while, we were just around each other, but not really close. Over time, we became good friends, and then slowly, that friendship turned into something more. There are several moments where I thought, I think he might be the one, but one stands out the most. It was just an ordinary evening. We had made dinner together, music playing softly in the background. After we ate, a Coldplay song came on, and out of nowhere, Josh lit up with this excitement. He asked if he could talk about this song and what it was referring to—he’d been listening through all the Coldplay albums. I smiled and said yes. And for the rest of the night, we talked about Coldplay. That was it. Nothing grand or dramatic, just a simple moment of him sharing something he loved. And as I listened, I realized how much I loved hearing his heart in the little things as much as the big things. In that still, ordinary moment, I knew I could do life with him. Just like that, I knew this was the person I’d spend the rest of my life with.
Gabriel Garcia
Best Man
I’m Josh’s younger brother. Growing up, Josh was always someone I looked up to (except for the time he pulled a cardboard box off my head when I was 2—still recovering from that). We’ve had a lot of great memories together, from epic backyard lightsaber battles to blasting Eminem and the Beastie Boys in his truck on the way to school. I met Kendra just four days before my own wedding—on Thanksgiving Day, no less! I had only recently found out that Josh was dating someone, and suddenly, she was meeting our entire family all at once. Talk about making a good first impression! She handled it like a pro and was even a huge help on my wedding day. From that weekend on, it was clear that she was something special. Seeing the two of them together, I know Josh has found his perfect match, and I couldn’t be happier for them!
Karissa Kliewer
Maid of Honor
I still remember the first time I met Kendra—walking into our general chemistry class, sitting near me and completely resembling a professor herself from her knowledge and confidence with the material we were studying. At first, I was convinced she didn’t like me (turns out, she just has a very focused thinking face). But fate—or rather, dorm floor assignments—had other plans, and we soon discovered we lived on the same floor. From there, our friendship grew over late-night noodle sessions with our friends, movie nights with my projector, deep discussions about anything from relationships to the wonders of science, and plenty of Lord of the Rings references (yes, we would absolutely take the ring to Mordor together). Eventually, we became roommates, and we helped and prayed for each other through some of our lowest lows, and now some of the highest highs such as her engagement and wedding with Josh. Not many people have what it takes to earn my approval for Kendra, but Josh has done such a wonderful job being the type of thoughtful, caring, and loving person that I have prayed for her to find. Now, as her maid of honor, I couldn’t be more thrilled to celebrate her next great adventure—one even more exciting than an unexpected journey.
Nathaniel Bannister
Groomsman
As an undergrad Cinema and Media Arts student, I met Josh during my freshman year at Biola in 2019, mainly through watching movies and late-night activities with our friends. I met Kendra around my Junior year at Biola, she was closely connected to some of my friends in the Engineering program. A fun fact: I can make the Naboo blaster sound from Star Wars with my mouth. One of my favorite memories from being with Josh is when we left school for spring break in 2022. The Weekend had just released his album titled Dawn FM. I remember hanging out at Josh’s apartment. He asked if I wanted to go on a late-night drive with him and listen to Dawn FM. I knew intuitively that Josh was someone with whom I felt free to be myself. When we got on the road and started listening to the album, there was this sense of freedom I hadn’t felt in a long time. We JAMMED OUT. I looked over at Josh, and he was doing his signature head shake with his eyes closed move. I was boppin' my head to the rhythm and singing all the lyrics at the top of my lungs. Josh is someone who accepts you where you are. As I have grown to know Josh as a friend, his presence alone has been such a gift. It has been wonderful to witness Josh and Kendra’s relationship as they have grown as a couple. Wherever they go from their wedding day, they will bring a sense of freedom that is much needed for people like me who don’t realize that they need it until it is experienced in the presence of those who seek to love fully
Hannah Zhang
Bridesmaid
Kendra was a friend of a friend of a friend. I heard of her the summer before we came to Biola and thought, I might meet her there or I might not, out of the many people at BIola. Surprisingly, we sat at the same table the first night of global students orientation dinner and realized we’re on the same floor in Alpha dorm! We often say that we’re meant to be friends. Since then, we have worked together, laughed together, cried together, eaten (a lot) together, and finally got to live together. Six years ago me would have never expected that a random friend of a friend of a friend would have become one of my closest friends in the coming six years of our lives. One of my fun memories with Kendra is when we lay on the floor of my senior year college apartment with our feet up on the couch, discussing what would happen if gravity switches 90 degrees. We ended up concluding that it would not be good (surprise), but fun to imagine nonetheless. A fun fact about me is that I am trilingual in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese, and decided to work on learning Korean during Covid quarantine so I can tell people I’m not Korean when they come up to me speaking Korean. Languages are cool.
Trevor Hughes
Groomsman
Josh and I have known each other for many years and he is what I consider to be one of my closest friends. I have known Josh long enough to confidently say that he is a friend that I will have for life. When you know someone for so long, the times you spend with them can seem to blur after a while but that's okay with me because when I look back at the memories I have with Josh It’s a very happy blur. It seems like just yesterday that we were all in high school cramming into his toyota pickup going off campus for lunch and trying to hurry back before the next class started. I am truly blessed to have him in my life, and I am grateful to call him a friend. Josh has always been a great friend, a great man, and he will without a doubt be a great husband. I met Kendra during the summer of last year at a backyard barbecue and I must say, she is an amazing person. She fit right in with our friend group which is saying something because we are not always too easy to get along with. We were all able to sit and talk like we had known each other forever! Looking at the two of them, it’s true they are meant for each other. The love I saw coming from them was abundant and everflowing. Together they make a perfect pair and it fills me with overwhelming joy to see the two of them become one.
Catalina Park
Bridesmaid
I very first met Kendra at Biola in an auditorium sized Psych 101 class where we both always sat towards the front and answered questions. At the time I admired her as the confident and kind - girl from Italy, but because we were both good friends with Hannah, we got the chance to know and love each other as dear friends. A favorite memory of Kendra and Josh is getting to play board games with them both in different stages of their relationship and watching their dynamic shift as they grew comfortably in love. My favorite fun fact is that I grew up near my Grandma's farm and I am obsessed with baby goats. They are my favorite creatures and I like to joke that I've been a goat midwife since I was old enough to walk.