Wedding Party
Carly Smith Vargas
Maid of Honor
I met Carly my freshman year at BYU. I was experiencing culture shock, missing my family, and feeling extremely lonely my first year in college and along came this socially awkward, geeky girl from South Carolina who was obsessed with the Joker and loved the same cheesy emo music I did. She lit up my life and, from that point on, we were inseparable. It was a running joke for the longest time that she was my “wife”, I was her “husband” because we never did anything without consulting each other first. Every dance performance, every “I need a plus one” event, and all the “should I buy this skirt or get gas for my car?” moments, Carly was there. I could not have asked for a better best friend.
Quinn Wride
Best Man
Quinn is my brother and we grew up being really close. We have always and still spend so much time together doing anything from skateboarding to watching movies. Quinn is an amazing person who cares a lot about people. He is also the chillest most relaxed guy I've ever met, sometimes to a fault. He just doesn't get bothered by a lot of things and lets things roll off like water on a duck. We have always been close and Quinn always has been and will be one of my closest friends. Living the past two years with him has been awesome and we've grown closer and done so much together that I can't even imagine what it will be like when the wedding happens and I am not living with him anymore.
Terence Wride
Groomsman
Terence is my older brother and I have always looked up to him. He has always been so cool and stylish, with an amazing taste in music. Many of my interests and tastes in things are attributable to what Terence has introduced me to throughout my life. There are so many memories of blasting a punk CD on a little player we had in our bedroom and going skateboarding in the street and the time we spent together. Our relationship got much better when we became adults and we were much closer and would spend time together most days. Terence is an amazing man who I will always look up to and is one of my closest friends.
Ian Wride
Groomsman
Ian is my younger brother who showed up when I was already a teenager. I remember when he was brought home from the hospital and I was somehow able to hold him and calm him down one night while babysitting. He is 12 now and has grown up a lot. I have never met anyone with such a strong personality at a young age as Ian. He is a goofy weirdo, but also the most kind and caring person ever. He seeks out and befriends any kid he sees. I can't imagine what life would be like if that spicy boy did not show up into our family. Ian will always be my younger brother, but I also look up to him so much and think he is amazing.
Cece Ching
Bridesmaid
I remember the exact moment that I met Cece. It was freshman year at BYU and we both had signed up to dance in BYU Fiesta. I showed up to that first rehearsal and I was extremely nervous cause back then I had two left feet and had never done cultural dancing before. This adorable human with mermaid hair was sitting next to me and I could tell she seemed nervous too. I leaned over and said "Dude, I don't know how to dance", and with the biggest smile on her face, Cece said "Ohhh my gosh, me neither! Let's be friends!" and ever since then we've been so close. We’ve traveled all over Mexico and the Navajo Nation together dancing our little hearts out, known by our dance group as the “Two Cholitas”. She’s one of the reasons I found a love for my culture and for dancing.
Lauren Bond Harman
Bridesmaid
I met Lauren freshmen year at BYU and we were roommates for three years. Lauren has a heart of gold and is one of the most kind and nurturing people I've ever met. Back in the day whenever I was feeling down, Lauren would make Shepard's Pie for dinner because she knew it was my favorite. One of my favorite things to do is make Lauren laugh because when she does, you can't help but crack up too. When Lauren announced she was leaving for a mission, I couldn’t help but cry cause I knew I’d miss her but I was so excited for others to get to experience what a wonderful human she is. Lauren has always been an easy person to talk to and for as long as I've known her she's been a great example to me of what a determined, strong, and intelligent woman looks like.
Keslie Ta'afua
Bridesmaid
Keslie and I go back since high school. We always knew of each other but we didn't become friends until my 18th birthday. It was senior year and we were in San Francisco for a school choir trip. Keslie went out of her way to make my birthday feel really special. We went on rides at the pier, sunbathed on the beach, and at the end of the day Keslie bought me a giant turkey leg because she knew I wanted one. After we graduated, Keslie and I went off to BYU together and not only did she help me through hard times, but she was the reason for a lot of the good times too. We now spend our Friday nights playing D&D and laughing at how nerdy we are. Keslie has always been a friend that I knew would love me no matter what and I'm so thankful for her.
Amanda Escobar
Bridesmaid
My cousin Amanda is someone that I love being around. I never really got to see her much growing up because she lives in Texas, but that never stopped us from being so close. She’s the cool older cousin everyone wishes they had because she introduced me to Rebelde and The Beatles. Amanda is the reason I love to travel and is my favorite person to travel with because she's so incredibly chill and always down to go anywhere. Last March, we went to London for a night just because the flight was open and we wanted to go somewhere. Amanda lights up any room she goes into because she makes people laugh and you just can't help but have so much fun when you're with her.
Sara Miller
Bridesmaid
Sarita may not be my cousin by blood, but she's most definitely family. My aunt Tania, Sara’s older sister, introduced us to each other in Mexico when we were really young and we instantly clicked. When Sarita moved from Mexico to Utah it was a huge blessing because she quickly became one of my favorite people to be around. Being her older cousin, I drove her to prom and watched her graduate high school and it was amazing to watch her grow into the beautiful woman she is. We've spent countless hours dancing the night away at family parties together, we've almost killed each other over an intense game of "Spoons" on more than one occasion, and she's one of the most selfless and big hearted people I've ever met in my entire life.
Alex Wride
Bridesmaid
The first thing I learned about Alex is that she is a loving and caring older sister and from the moment I met her, I wanted to be more like her. She’s so willing to go out of her way to help anyone in need, it’s truly inspiring. Her sense of humor is amazing and she is one of the smartest and most hardworking people I’ve ever met.
Aili Wride
Bridesmaid
Aili is so smart, talented, and hilarious. She’s everything I wish I was when I was her age! Aili is the type of girl who’s laugh makes you crack up and she’s a joy to be around. Her happiness is contagious and her smile is one of my favorite things about her.
Ramsi Fonua
Bridesmaid
Ramsi and I have been the best of friends since preschool and we got along so well despite me barely speaking English. My family used to live in a house that was right behind Ramsi's and after school, I'd climb over the fence into her yard and we'd spend our afternoons jumping on her trampoline and playing with Barbies. In primary, she always did her best to help me memorize the Articles of Faith and in Young Women's we would get into all sorts of trouble pulling pranks at Girls Camp. One can never forget the summer we stole underwear from a rival ward and tried to hang them on the flag pole ;) Even after I moved an hour away from her and she left on a mission, Ramsi and never lost our bond and when we get together it feels like we never left each other's sides.