Kara & Blake
Wedding Party
Jamie Sides
Matron of Honor
Most people know the story of how the tall girl and the short girl became best friends. I was a new nurse and she was my preceptor. She left me to the wolves and I 100% did NOT like her. Who even does that? My future matron of honor, that's who. I couldn't get out of the ICU fast enough. One year later guess who shows up in MY operating room? THAT girl. Ugh. She claims she doesn't remember me. Turns out she's not so bad actually...and now I don't know what I would do without her. She knows me better than most. She provides me with a pool in the hot summers. Protects me from crazy Sam's Club shoppers. Doesn't judge when I need brownies and ice cream day two into the diet. Fellow NeedToBreathe fan. Not a fellow shopper but you can't win them all. Made me an Aunt Kay Kay. She's my #1.
Angie Dormer
Bridesmaid
Where to begin? This is my BMB aka best married buddy. Pretty soon I get to be her BMB! She has been with me through not only every step of this crazy wedding planning process but through every step of LIFE. Prayer partner. Fellow lover of Mexican food on Sundays. Our latest boutique finds fill our text messages throughout the week. She believes God sent me to her in a time of her life that she needed it most but I wholeheartedly believe that God sent us to each other. I never knew that I needed such a larger than life friend. She's outgoing, funny, loud without a care and the best mom to my "sissy" Ally Claire. Her husband isn't too bad either. ((Love ya Clintus)) If you don't know her now you'll know her by the end of our wedding day. And you will love her just like I do.
Marilauren Rogers
Bridesmaid
I met Marilauren Rogers in English class my freshmen year of high school. Wasn't a fan. She tried to steal my best friend at the time and that didn't sit well. Fortunately for her, I am a forgiving person and junior year I allowed her to be my friend. Ten years later and here I am writing how she made it to our bridal party. She is a fierce protector. Not afraid to speak up or out for what she believes. A force to be reckoned with and one of my favorite people. She's the mom of our group of four best friends. Or likes to pretend that she is. We play along. I am 100% sure that has helped prepare her to be the best mom to little Farilyn. My adorably sweet niece. Marilauren you were the best decision I ever made junior year. Even more than refusing to dissect frogs in Biology.
Allison Palmer
Bridesmaid
The second friend in our group of four. Freshmen year Wellness we became fast friends as we discovered our mutual hate of running and playing ball. We laughed over stupid things, like the time we were not paying attention to where we were going and she walked face first into our Coach's back, leaving a full face of makeup on his white shirt. Neither one of us told him of course. Our first cars were matching Mitsubishi Eclipses, which we named Emmett and Edward. Yes, we fell victim to the Twilight saga. We made weekly if not biweekly trips to Walmart to do nothing but walk around because...small town life. We have countless embarrassing photos of each other. With a hundred and one more memories to go with them. She has been there through thick and thin <literally> and is my AlPal.
Amber Kirk
Bridesmaid
Amber. The final friend in our group of four. She may have came into the group a little late (after high school) but she is here to stay because she made our little girl band complete. Redhead with all the feistiness. She is the ONLY one in our group that is ALWAYS on time. If you are her friend or family member you can count yourself blessed because she will move heaven and earth for you. She is the hardest worker I know. If you shop at the Dyersburg Lowes then you have seen her, most likely talked to her, and she has without a doubt helped you. She took me on my first true "backroad down in the holler" experience. That was something. She loves deeply. Fights fiercely. The Ginger to my Snap.
Annie Suarez
Bridesmaid
I met Annie while elbow deep in surgery. Literally. We became fast friends. Then best friends. Then...ROOMIES! We lived together for almost two years and it was some of the most fun times I've ever had. It mostly consisted of going everywhere together, late night food runs, Target + Tj Maxx, watching two broke girls (probably because it was so relatable), and sharing our gross/awesome surgery stories at the end of the day. I lived for poppyseed chicken night via Chef Annie. Living with her will always be right up there with how I feel about chocolate covered strawberries (insert inside joke here <vegafruit>) , and some Blue Bell ice cream. Prettyyy good. There are some people you just know you want to keep around forever.
Kayla Salinas
Bridesmaid
Cousin. Built-in Best Friend. Official Matchmaker. With a two month age difference { I'm older ;) } there wasn't a lot we didn't do together. Elementary school, middle school, sleepovers at Gma and Pepa's house, fishing every Thanksgiving, we even worked together at Hobby Lobby (if you can survive the Christmas season, you can do anything). There came a time though when my family decided to move to Tennessee when I was 13. Which meant leaving my best friend. Somehow with all the miles between us and only seeing each other maybe a couple times out of the year we remained close. Sounds cliche but we always pick up right where we left off. I'm looking forward to moving home and spending time not just with Kayla but making new memories with our little families too.
Caitlin Dykes
Bridesmaid
Average dancer. Can cook toast fairly well, the jury is still out on boiling eggs. Rad conversationalist. Future best friend to Taylor Swift. Probably because her voice sounds just like her...but better. Don't tell Taylor. Or do. She needs to know. Lyric writer extraordinaire. Like seriously she's the real deal with a gig and stuff in Nashville. Guitar playing genius. Recently married to another guitar genius. Their kids are destined for alllll the great things. Everybody needs a friend that will make you laugh with every sentence. Heart of gold. Prayer warrior. My Cait.
Malori Martin
Bridesmaid
Malori. Mal. MalMoo. My Person. [s/o to Grey’s Anatomy]. Mrs. Martin as of September 7. Best friends since March 19, 1991 aka the day I was born. Fellow Lisa Frank enthusiast back in the day. In an attic somewhere (I like to think so anyways) there are still two paper doll cutouts of us with plenty of clothes, of course, that our moms so creatively fashioned for us. Malori is a real life doll. She’s elegant and classy. Beautiful. But most importantly she has a caring heart as big as Texas. I’m looking forward to living closer to my precious friend. We have lots of time to catch up on and new memories to make!
Micah Marshall
Best Man
I have 800 characters to spend on this bio and I could use every single one on an inside joke. I met Micah eight years ago at Texas Bible College and since then we've been roommates, band mates, road trip partners, co-workers, and the list goes on. I can't quite put my finger on the "did we just become best friends?" moment, we met, subconsciously decided we were going to be brothers, and the rest is history. Most of the best memories of my twenties involve Micah; a couple of epic road trips, near death experiences, unforgettable jam sessions, sitting around like old men griping about "street youths," and hours upon hours of laughing until neither of us could breathe. With all the great memories we've shared, I can't wait to make more in the years to come with my brother by choice!
Jonathan Hernandez
Groomsman
Jono. Squonto. Chancho. When you've been best friends for your entire lives the nicknames start to add up. I blame my mexican food addiction on all the times I stayed at Jonathan's house. It was always a little tough to figure out who lived where because we spent every possible second together growing up. It's impossible for me to reminisce over my childhood and teenage years without bringing up some Jono stories and it seems like an injustice to attempt to summarize a lifetime of friendship in one short paragraph. Suffice to say that some friends come into our lives for a season and help us to grow but a very select few stay and grow with us through each season. As we've gotten older and embarked on different journeys, Jono has always been that lifelong friend. Here's to the next thirty!
Adrian "L.A." Salinas
Groomsman
"Broooo!" If you've ever had the privilege of meeting L.A., you've been greeted with similar enthusiasm. I had that privilege during my first semester at Texas Bible College. Within a few minutes of meeting each other, he was offering support and encouragement when I really needed it. That's L.A., outgoing and hilarious at first glance but also caring and thoughtful. The third member of the "Honeybadgers" (the road-tripping combo of L.A., Micah, and myself), L.A. is loyal to the bone, unflinchingly supportive, and the funniest person I've ever met. You may be aware that L.A. and his wife Kayla introduced Kara and I. They also hosted game nights, let me crash at their house at a moment's notice, and have always been up for a double date. I'm thrilled that my friend will now be my cousin!
Logan Rashall
Groomsman
It's a little daunting when you find out that your girlfriend's brother is a firefighter with a black belt. Fortunately for me, Logan is the perfect mix of protective younger brother and welcoming friend. I'm not sure if it happened on our road trip through New Orleans, during a late night game of Dutch Blitz, or when we were covered in grease fixing an RV, but somewhere along the way, my future brother-in-law became my friend. When we were coming up with our wedding party, Logan told Kara that I didn't need to feel obligated to include him as a groomsman. As a younger brother myself, I completely understand the sentiment but felt no obligation whatsoever. I count myself extremely blessed to not only be getting a wife, but also a brother.
Kaylon Wheeler
Groomsman
Most of my memories with Kaylon are too embarrassing to share. Growing up, we were both homeschooled by my mom so he basically became my younger brother. True to older brother form, I sometimes acted like he was a nuisance, but every day when I finished school, I would pester my mom to see if Kaylon could play. I remember playing Risk for hours without ever actually reading the rules. That was our friendship in a nutshell; forget the rules, let's have fun our way! We made "movies," invented more games than I can remember, and played indoor baseball with a yardstick and wadded up papers (my poor mom). It's hard to believe that my "little brother" would grow up to be a man that I look up to but yet, here we are! His creativity and kindness is inspiring and I will always call him my brother.
John Warren
Groomsman
I met John a few years ago playing music at youth camp; and then again playing music for another youth camp a year later. Spending five sleep-deprived days together two years in a row, playing music six to seven hours a day, surrounded by hundreds of teenagers will make or break any new friendship. Fortunately, we survived the trial by fire and I gained a close friend. John is a doer. If you say "it would be cool if..." you better have a plan because he's going to say, "let's do it!" Not many people would drive five hours one way for a one-night songwriting session, but John isn't most people. In just a few short years, I've come to know him as a motivator, a sounding board, a hard worker, and a kindred spirit. It was well worth eating camp food for two weeks to find such a great friend!
Kendrick Lowry
Groomsman
I haven't had the pleasure of knowing Kendrick long, but it didn't take long to recognize how genuine he is. Even before he married one of my closest friends, Karlee, he already felt like part of the "fam." I think we bonded over our mutual disdain for terrible drivers (that sounds a little better than "we both have road rage"). Our trip to New Orleans was frequently punctuated by Kendrick saying "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!" every time somebody cut us off or ran a red light. Our similar driving habits aside, Kendrick is the epitome of a giver. Always working, usually for somebody else's benefit, he still seems to constantly be smiling and cracking jokes. In short order, he became a role model and a cherished friend. Kara and I can't wait for some double dates with one of our favorite couples!