Wedding Party
Sarah Edmunds
Bride
Sarah was born in La Grande, OR on April 15, 1990. She grew up with two older siblings, Laura and Tyler. Sarah grew up in the idyllic country setting of the Blue Mountains where her family engaged in outdoor recreation and backyard farming. She relocated to Portland, OR in 2017 to complete a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing degree at the Linfield School of Nursing in downtown Portland. She now works as a bedside RN at Oregon Health and Sciences University. Her curiosity and eagerness for travel have only increased since meeting John in 2020 and they have already shared many adventures together. Her passions include health science & wellness, rock climbing, jewelry making & design, cooking, & travel.
John Young
Groom
John was born in Long Beach, CA on April 4, 1990, just two weeks before Sarah. John grew up in Morristown, NJ and enjoyed the local Italian, Irish, and Jewish cuisine and culture of the East Coast. John relocated to Oregon in 2016 to begin school at Oregon State University and graduated with his mechanical engineering degree in 2020. John now works as a senior field engineer for Eaton and travels the PNW for work. His passions are cars and jeeps, fishing, hunting, cooking, laughing, and traveling the world in search of new adventures. His life has only improved since meeting Sarah in 2020.
Sally Houseman
Maid of Honor
Sally & Sarah have been besties since the age of 15. They graduated from La Grande High School together in 2008 and have been through thick and thin. Sally is a geologist & lab manager at the Desert Research Institute in Reno, NV. The kindest heart and sweetest soul, Sally is passionate about painting, gaming, the outdoors, and spending time with her truly wonderful family.
Andy Young
Best Man
Andy is John’s older but shorter brother who lives with his wife Amber and son Brooks in Highlands Ranch, CO. Andy and John spent their childhood together adventuring on bikes, playing video games, and getting into plenty of fights. Andy has provided John with a friend in the outdoors, fishing partner, hunting partner, and shares the Young family passion for entertaining friends with good food and laughs. Andy works as a structural engineering manager designing marine infrastructure. He still calls his brother when he needs help with the family cars.
Jamie Reckers
Bridesmaid
Jamie and Sarah meet at orientation for the Intermediate Cardiovascular Unit at Oregon Health & Sciences University to embark on their first job as Registered Nurses. Fast friends, they share a bond that can only be forged in an experience like being new nurses together can. Through every laugh and every hard moment they've been there for one another. Jamie now works in critical care on the Neurosurgery Intensive Care Unit at OHSU. She is passionate about outdoor recreation & has dedicated much of her free time in the continuous service to others through volunteering with Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue. She is also a fabulous cook which is perhaps too many things to be good at.
Charlie Hunter
Groomsman
Charlie and John have been lifelong friends from the young age of elementary school. Charlie has been a source of laughter and fun times for John throughout most of his life. Charlie recently started working in nursing in Pittsburgh, PA and shares John’s passion for good food, adventures, and comedy. Charlie shared in the backpacking trips to Jasper, Banff, and Olympic Peninsula. As inventor of super monkey dive bomb and specialist in the art of Beirut, Charlie has helped create lasting memories for John and their mutual childhood friends.
Wellington Georgiou
Bridesman
Wellington & Sarah meet while both working on the Intermediate Cardiovascular Unit at OHSU & became fast friends. Now years later birthdays, Christmases, marriage, homeownership, & relocation have all necessitated each others presence & input. Wellington has always been a source of laughs, fun, and most importantly deep compassion and understanding for Sarah. Wellington left OHSU to pursue education and a career in mental health but not before trying his had at business co-ownership with fearless fervor. He eventually relocated to Santa Cruz, CA with his husband Brendon and their dog AJ where he is pursuing a doctorate as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
David Rafkin
Groomsman
David and John met through a mutual friend Martha in the Astoria, OR area about ten years ago. They hit it off and have since become great friends sharing in many late nights over the campfire, cooking up some great meals, surviving harrowing nautical adventures, and enjoying the best of nature on the Oregon Coast. David is a business owner and general contractor in Astoria, OR. He is an accomplished white water rafter that has traversed the Grand Canyon a handful of times. David likes to live off of the fruits of the earth and is a key player in the Young farm firewood business.
Dani Lipsky
Bridesmaid
Dani and Sarah met in the search for housemates. They did indeed live together and during that time gained a deep appreciation for one another. Dani is an industrial designer & woodworker with a passion for designing adaptive gear for disabled athletes. She has worked in many different roles in the fabrication industry all while running her own non-profit, Project ROAR; Re-Think Outdoor Adaptive Recreation. Sarah and Dani have cried together, cooked together, nursed each other, & been through all the other impossibly intimate & bonding moments that come from sharing a living space. Dani's passions are fabrication & design, winter sports, rock climbing, & art of all kinds.
Patrick Hinkle
Groomsman
Patrick and John met in the early morning hours in Rogers hall, each assembling a racecar for their affiliated SAE club team at Oregon State University. Patrick shares Johns love of automotive racing, music, spending time with good friends, and traveling to Las Vegas for a quick game of blackjack. Patrick lives in Chehalis, WA with his wife Tiffany and three daughters Grace, Jozie, and Mackenzie. Patrick is a professional amateur racecar driver, and works as a maintenance superintendent for Kinder Morgan in Portland, OR. He should not be trusted to navigate a canoe on the Youngs river.
Kayla Poppe
Bridesmaid
Kayla and Sarah meet in the third grade at Greenwood Elementary School & have been best friends ever since. Truly every success and sadness has passed between them & every big moment merits the other's involvement. Kayla has been a nurse since 2014 working in many different settings & is now pursuing an education as a Nurse Practitioner. She is passionate about animals & health sciences. She and Sarah will never stop pretending to be mermaids together.
David Rogers
Groomsman
David and John have been friends since the early years of Morristown High School but were classmates from elementary school. David has been a great friend and shared in many of John’s memories of growing into adulthood and finding passion in food, music, and travel. David has survived in Manhattan, NY for a decade and recently started a new role of senior leadership in data security . David enjoys playing bass guitar, traveling the world, speaking French as a second language, and has a moderate addiction to Coca Cola products.