Julia & Jake
Wedding Party
Ann Gardner
Mother of the Bride
Ann is one of the best mother's a child could ask for. She is companionate, intelligent, caring, selfless, a culinary extraordinaire, and most of all...patient. Julia, and her brother Matthew have given their mother a run for her money several times growing up (and continue to from time to time). However, Ann being the saint that she is, continues to amaze her family with her level of composure despite their shortcomings. In her limited free-time, Ann loves gardening, sailing, traveling, and hosting epic social gatherings. Though Julia has obtained many skills from her mother, she continues to strive each day to be half the woman Ann is. Julia is grateful to have such an amazing role model and is excited that her mom will be there as she embarks on the next chapter in her life.
Antoinette Bodah
Mother of the Groom
Antoinette "Toni" is one of the most selfless people on planet earth. She is there for her all her children/grandchildren and will travel to them whenever she is needed, even if they were so ungrateful to move to different states across New England. She would drive Jake, and often his friends, to various sports no matter how inconveniently far away they were. This often resulted in a friend staying over at our house in a last minute unpreparable turn of events Toni always agreed to for some reason. Toni sacrificed most of her free time and sanity to help her family have experiences they would not have been able to have with many other mothers. Jake wants to let his mother know that this did not go unnoticed and hopes that he will be able to model her selflessness with his own family.
Steve Gardner
Father of the Bride
Those close with Steve can attest that he loves his family, sailing, and is adept at fixing nearly anything. In Julia’s senior year, Steve was “thrilled” to accompany Julia on University of Bridgeport’s student acceptance weekend. While disappointed that she did not pick this school, he was happy she chose Keene State College, where she met Jake. Previous boyfriends did not connect with Steve, but he and Jake hit it off almost immediately. While Julia was away for her year-long internship, Steve and Jake bonded through several shared interests. Steve took Jake under his wing like a son, helping him transition to a new profession in energy rating. Appreciating her dad’s love and support, Julia cannot imagine anyone else to fill the shoes of walking her down the aisle on the big day.
Gary Bodah
Father of the Groom
Jake spent his childhood catching a baseball without using two hands, gripping a golf club in a comfortable way instead of the proper way, and playing soccer much to his father’s dismay. Even though Jake was not always the most "coachable" son, his father, Gary, never gave up on trying to teach him how perform everything with the correct technique, no matter how much Jake pushed back. He put up with the blatant disregard of catching with both hands, eye rolls through instruction on how to swing a club, and successfully teaching Jake how to properly kick a field goal, even if he never ended up playing football. Jake learned from his father through his actions and has tried/will try to become a man that exemplifies what it means to be a caring friend, loving husband, and future father.
Savannah Dube
Matron of Honor
Julia and Savannah met during orientation week at Keene State College and quickly became inseparable despite their differences. Savannah loves dogs, Julia is a cat person. Savannah loves donuts, Julia does not eat fast food. Savannah is tall, Julia is, well not. So... why did Julia ask Savannah to be her matron of honor? It is safe to say that the two have become inseparable based on the sheer fact that they lived together all 4 years of college, survived a 35+ hour road trip to Atlanta Georgia for spring break, and that they continue to remain best friends despite Savannah's recent move to Japan! Despite the fast food thing, Julia could not imagine celebrating the biggest day of her life without Savannah by her side!
Andrew Bosco
Best Man
The first time Jake went over to Andrew's house, he accidently dropped and broke a coffee mug. Andrew decided he would tell Jake that this particular mug was a family heirloom passed down from his grandmother. This made Jake s*** himself at the thought of having to tell John Bosco what he had done. Upon confessing his actions to John, Jake saw Andrew start laughing and slowly realized it was a prank. John did thank Jake for telling him, but it really was not a big deal. Jake did not realize at the time how many countless nights he would end up staying at Andrew's house and how much his family would end up meaning to him. Andrew is one of the most genuine persons someone could meet. Needless to say, he has been Jake’s closest friend getting him through all of his big life events.
Ali Fagenbaum
Bridesmaid
Ali is Julia's older cousin. Julia has always looked up to Ali, both metaphorically, and quite literally seeing as how Ali is 5' 11" and Julia is 4' 11"! Julia has always thought of Ali as a sister, validated by the countless shopping trips, mani and pedi excursions, and hand-me-downs Julia received growing up that she can still fit into! Despite Ali living in western New York and Julia in Rhode Island, the two remain very close. Julia has been so fortunate to grow up with an amazing role model like Ali who has always been incredibly determined and outgoing with everything she does. Being a semi-recent newlywed since August of 2019 and a first-time mother to her adorable daughter Emerson, Julia is honored to have Ali by her side on the biggest day of her life!
Benjamen "Ben" Kane
Groomsman
Jake and Ben have known each other an awfully long time, first meeting in Sunday school at church. Ben often invited Jake over to his house after church most Sunday's and they would spend the next several hours playing outside, video games, or classic arcade games. Ben is one of Jake's most competitive friends. He strives to be the best in any activity he commits himself. It is because of this that Jake often viewed Ben not only as a friend but as a rival as well. As a teammate Ben passively pushed Jake to become better at whatever they were doing, be it soccer or competitive video games. Everyone needs a friend that will keep pushing them. Jake is glad that he has Ben as that friend.
Hayley Dugan
Bridesmaid
Hayley is another of Julia's cousins and Ali's younger sister. Growing up, Julia was so lucky to have a cousin like Hayley who offered advice on fashion, boys, hair dying techniques, and the best dessert combinations. Today, Hayley continues to be a role model in Julia's life as she raises her two beautiful daughters Madison and Hannah. Julia was blessed to have the opportunity to live with Hayley and her family for one month as she completed one of her dietetic internship rotations in New York. During that time, Julia learned valuable life lessons on the joys and challenges of raising a 9-month-old! Hayley has been with Julia through her big life moments, and Julia's wedding day is no exception!
Jordan Shepherd
Groomsman
Jake has known Jordan the longest out of any of the other groomsmen. Jordan was also lucky enough to have Jake as his very first college roommate. Although Jake was not the cleanest, Jordan was able to still put up with Jake and the two have no shortage of stories from their first year of college together. Jordan is a very sincere friend. He will stand up for you if he hears people talking behind your back, go out of his way to include someone in plans, and will tell you that you are being an idiot if in fact you are being an idiot. Jordan is one of the funniest people you will ever meet and is usually the life of the party. His presence itself provides entertainment and Jake is honored to have him with him on his wedding day.
Jessica Skolozdra
Bridesmaid
Julia and Jessica have known each other since they were born. Their parents met at Roger Williams University. Despite Julia going to Keene State College in New Hampshire and Jessica going to Springfield College in Massachusetts the two have remained close since childhood. Jessica is caring, compassionate, hardworking, and a great friend. She works with the youth as a Special Education teacher and devotes her summers off to working as an assistant summer camp director at the local YMCA. In her free time, Jessica loves to watch NASCAR, go camping, be involved with her church, and spend time with family & friends. Julia is truly blessed to have Jessica in her life and is honored that Jessica has agreed to stand by her on her big day!
Beaufort Pyram
Groomsman
Jake was lucky enough to meet Beaufort when he transferred to Keene State. Jake had heard stories of Beaufort from Andrew since they were both biology majors but did not realize he would be moving into the room right across the hall from Beaufort his first semester. Beaufort instantly became one of Jake's best friends and they hung out every day through the rest of their college career. Jake has Beaufort to thank for teaching him how to have more confidence in himself, which was a skill he did not have before. He was there for Jake though all his ups and downs through the years and always gave the advice Jake needed, not wanted, to hear. Jake is thankful to have a friend as honest as Beaufort, and wanted Beaufort standing with him the day he got married.
Caitlin Skolozdra
Bridesmaid
Julia and Caitlin (Jessica's younger sister) are also close despite the current distance between them. Caitlin is currently attending Flagler College in Florida with a major in journalism. For those who did not grow up with Caitlin, she was very timid and quiet even among close friends and family. Today, Caitlin has come out of her shell and is much more outgoing. She now does tours for Flagler encouraging prospective students. While Caitlin may not be the same person that Julia grew up with and spent many school breaks with, Julia is thrilled that Caitlin has found something that she is passionate about and continues to push herself towards great things. Julia is proud of everything that Caitlin has and will accomplish and cannot wait celebrate with her on the wedding day!
Matthew "Matt" Gardner
Groomsman
Matt is not only the brother of the bride, but also one of Jake's good friends. Jake and Matt have been living together for the past couple years and have grown very close since Jake moved in. Matt shares a lot of the same interests with Jake such as going to the gym, playing video games, and singing horrible karaoke at 3am when his sister is not in town to yell at them. Matt is a very generous person and never asks for anything in return, ok well maybe a can of Spam or two when Jake goes grocery shopping. Jake is glad to have a brother-in-law that he gets along well with and that shares so many of the same interests.
Leigha Hall
Bridesmaid
Julia met Leigha in Anatomy class at Keene State College and became close friends thanks to their cat-daver, Oreo. Julia and Leigha's friendship continued to blossom from their shared hobbies; painting, drinking wine, and going on shopping excursions. Some could say that Leigha is the yin to Julia's yang. Leigha is confident and outgoing, while Julia can be reserved and hesitant. While the two may have differing personalities, Leigha and Julia continue to push each other to be stronger each day and work on their areas of improvement. Leigha has never been one to give up on anything, even in her current pursuit for an advanced degree in healthcare administration. Leigha remains one of Julia's closest, most loyal friends and Julia is so happy to have Leigha with her on the big day!
Tommy Twombley
Groomsman
Tommy and Jake have been great friends ever since they worked the same summer job together. Jake, Tommy, and Ben all worked at the same campground in Rochester New Hampshire one summer and there are many memories that seem like they just happened yesterday. Tommy was also Jakes's first post college roommate. Between working and living together, Jake can safely say that Tommy is one of his best friends. Jake looks at Tommy with a lot of respect. Tommy has recently bought a new house with his girlfriend, Sam, became a father to a baby girl, and has been an excellent father figure to Sam's two other children. He never stops working to make sure his family is happy and is always there when his friends need help. Tommy is truly a selfless person and Jake is glad to have a friend like him.