Kathryn & Garrett
Wedding Party
Laura Sappington
Maid of Honor
Laura and I met our freshmen year of college. We are both more quiet in nature, so we didn't truly get to know each other until Laura joined an organization that I was involved in. Four of us decided to take a spring break trip to Houston, TX and through that experience learned more about Laura and asked her to be our roommate. Our friendship grew and has continued to grow from there. After graduation, we went our separate ways, but found ourselves living in the same city a couple years later. We became roommates again, and have lived together the past 2 years. I am so thankful for her friendship, support, and constant spiritual wisdom in my life!
Phillip Ort
Best Man
Brother Phil and I met in the spring of 2017, when I began working in the Spurgeon Library at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO. Our friendship has been built on our mutual nerdiness: as we have worked on the nine-volume Lost Sermons of C.H. Spurgeon and researched Greco-Roman and Ancient Near Eastern epigraphy over the past three years, we have bonded through our discussions of theology, politics, music, literature, and many other very nerdy things. Brother Phil is much farther along in his Christian walk than I am, and I look up to him as a model of sanctification.
Shannon Snyder
Bridesmaid
Shannon and I met our freshmen year of college where we were suite-mates. We became fast friends, mostly due to Shannons outgoing nature. Shannon helped to pull me out of my shell and participate (sometimes) in activities outside of the dorm room. During our sophomore year we became roommates and started a campus organization together. We continued to live together, on and off campus, for the entirety of Shannons time at SBU. Throughout the years, our friendship has been such a tremendous blessing to me. I love her outgoing, energetic, crazy personality, and am so thankful a social butterfly like her took in a homebody like me!
Timothy Gatewood
Groomsman
Brother Timothy joined the team at the Spurgeon Library just a couple months after me, and he was an indispensable part of our daily operations. His brilliant mind and dry sense of humor made every day at work both thought-provoking and hysterical. Over the past couple of years, our daily conversations have ranged from Charles Spurgeon's view on the end times to our favorite pipe tobacco blends to his most recent obsession, WWE. He has been a model for me concerning what it means to be a Christian, a scholar, and a family man.
Karen Kelley
Bridesmaid
Karen and I met during college at SBU where we were both music majors. We performed in two different ensembles together and were able to connect due to our shared quiet, more reserved nature. On a whim, I decided to invite Karen along to go to the pumpkin patch with a group of us. I'm so glad I did! Our friendship has been filled with laughter from the very beginning, and I am beyond grateful for her friendship.
Jonathan Punzo
Groomsman
I met Brother Jon some eight-to-ten years ago, when we started attending Missouri Valley Baptist Church together. Over the years, we’ve played in several musical ensembles together—it’s curious that they were mostly worship teams, given our mutual love of prog rock and metal (Tool and Dream Theater being among our favorites)—and when we’re not talking shop about guitar gear, we discuss our love of firearms, construction projects, and teasing our significant others. Jon has shown me the importance of honesty in the Christian life; one ought not wear a plastic smile when all is not well. The Apostle Paul has commanded us to share one another’s burdens (Gal6:2), and Brother Jon has been a dear confidant for a long time.
Allison Hall
Bridesmaid
Allison and I initially met our freshmen year at SBU where we lived in the same dorm. It wasn't until sophomore year when Allison became one of my roommates and joined a mutual campus organization that we became close friends. We remained roommates for several years and enjoyed making memories together. Allison has always been such a wise soul, and I am so thankful for a friend who always gives a "speech" and provides her amazing wisdom when I need it most!
Josh Landrum
Groomsman
Music is what binds Brother Josh and me together; we met about four years ago when I first began attending Northland Baptist Church, and we have played together on the worship team ever since. He has taught me the importance of enjoying the life that God has given us. By nature, I am quite a dour person, but Josh is always smiling, cracking jokes, and enjoying the blessing of the moment. His contagious enthusiasm always leaves me more grateful to be alive, and I am blessed to know him.