Shelby & John
the party people
Tyler Stewart
Best Man
When I was 5 years old, I moved next door to Tyler. Tyler’s mom brought him over and introduced us; he was very shy and hid behind his mom’s legs. Eventually he broke out of his shell and we became best friends. At school during recess, all the kids would refuse to let Tyler and I play on the same team because we played well together because of our great skill and chemistry. We stayed best friends throughout high school, were roommates in college, and he’s still one of my greatest friends. I had the honor of being his best man in his wedding, and I’m honored to have him as my best man.
Richard Whitehead
Man of Honor
First off- heck yes to breaking bridal party stereotypes! Second, let me tell you about Richard aka Rick. I sat down in my first class at U of M Flint with my backpack in the seat next to me, this guy walks in, grabs my backpack and says “can I sit here?” I think to myself, “There are like 20 open seats....” I move my backpack and he sits down, the both of us were probably thinking, “well, this is weird.” But I'm so glad he sat by me, because that class gave me the opportunity to realize how incredibly awesome this guy really is, it just took a funny way to realize that! Him and I have had wonderfully awesome times together I’m so glad we got to be silly and juvenile in our younger years and I love what we have now. Thank you for being by my side the past 10 years.
Niles Owen
Groomsman
I’ve been friends with Niles since 2nd grade at St. John’s. One of my favorite things about Niles is no matter how much grief I give him or how much I mess with him, he never takes it to heart. We both enjoy picking on each other and laughing about it afterwards. Despite living in other states, we still keep in touch and every time I see him, we pick up right where we left off. Niles asked me to stand as his groomsman, and I’m excited to have him as mine.
Abbey Moehlau
Bridesmaid
Abbey and I attended OU together for our masters program. I met her on my first day of classes, and I remember Abbey being very soft-spoken yet being very kind to me. Coming into Oakland not knowing anybody, she was always the one to answer any question I had about lectures, homework, and tests. She quickly became the one I relied on due to her supportive and helpful character. She’s still so caring and always gives an open ear and an open heart. She is always ready to jump in and help whenever needed. She redid my hair 10 minutes before I walked down the aisle, in August, and stayed cool as a cucumber. I’m so happy OU brought us together and gave us the opportunity to be such good friends, soon-to-be Mrs. Kijanka ;)
Charles Herzog
Groomsman
Charles and I also went to St. John’s together, however, we did not become good friends until 6th grade. We remained friends throughout high school and college. My friendship with Charlie is unique and is laced with different traditions that we follow. Whenever we hang out, we like to play the same games and walk to a grocery store in the middle of the night to buy lunchables. This tradition started when we friends in middle school and were unable to drive, but has continued to this day. I couldn’t ask for a better friend to stand in my wedding.