Wedding Party

Kristen Szendrey

Maid of Honor

Kristen and Kelly met while working together at Falls Road Animal Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. They didn't know it when they first met but they had actually gone to vet school together (they were in different classes)! They became best friends, trauma bonding through the craziness of emergency veterinary medicine, food poisoning and a robbery (because Baltimore) and the rest was history. They have traveled to Portugal, Florida, California and Texas together and love to share a good bottle of wine/drinking fancy cocktails while yapping on the couch (we love trash TV) or out at a trendy restaurant. Kelly forced Kristen to go up in a hot air balloon with her, even though Kristen is afraid of heights, and somehow their friendship survived (wine tasting in Napa helped). Kristen lives in Long Island, New York and is a much loved emergency and general practice veterinarian who loves the Jets, EDM, Taylor Swift, Maryland blue crabs and spending time with her large and lovable family.

Caitlin Mase

Bridesmaid

Cait and Kelly have been friends since they were in elementary school (good ole Visitation Academy days). Their families were always close and therefore they spent most holidays (almost every NYE) together. Cait was the only girl our age who had more animals than we did growing up- so obviously they were destined to be friends. As they got holder and everyone started to move through the world independently they moved to different countries (Cait to France and Africa; Kelly to St. Kitts) and pursued their personal medical school journies (Cait becoming a MD and Kelly a DVM). They eventually found themselves both living on the west coast and reunited. Kelly and Cait along with her husband Apollo became known as "the pancakes". Then came the two most beautiful, perfect additions (well three if we include Frankie) to the pancake crew- Vivienne and Amara who became our little besties. Auntie Kelly loves her lake time with the Mase crew and is always beyond excited to come visit. Cait is an emergency physician (humans) in Severna Park, Maryland and loves to paddle board, renovate her home, bake sourdough bread and grow her own vegetables all while raising two little independent, bright and kind little girls.

Julie Alsop

Bridesmaid

Julie and Kelly went to veterinary school together but became friends when Kelly traveled to Austin, TX for work, where Julie and her husband Jordan lived. Kelly spent many months in Austin for work and most of her time spent out of the hospital was with Julie. They have weathered the Great Texas Snowpocalypse of 2021 and tornados/hail storms together- Kelly escaped to Julie's apartment with Frankie and Willow and became the official third wheel roommate. Julie (along with Jordan) helped Kelly with numerous RV projects that usually involved climbing on the roof, into tiny spaces or lifting impossibly heavy objects (Kelly is forever grateful). Julie now lives in New Market, Maryland with her husband Jordan, beautiful baby boy Arlo and two cats Weezy and Kira. Julie is a veterinary cardiologist and a new mom and is exceedingly talented at both. She is a Steelers fan, loves craft breweries and loves to rock out to early 2000's emo music late at night with a yuengling beer.

Emily Penning

Bridesmaid

Emily and Kelly became friends in college- Go Hokies! They met while they were both purusing degrees in animal science at Virginia Tech and became roommates their last year of college. When they weren't sharing pizza at PKs, they were usually found two stepping at the Cellar, tailgating at a Hokies game, having a beer at Hokie House, hiding in their bath tub during tornado warnings, or playing "stump" in their living room. Emily took her job of being Kelly's roomie very seriously, protecting her from getting in trouble downtown even when Kelly decided it was a great idea to roll down the hill on main street. Emily and Kelly both attended veterinary school after graduating from Virginia Tech. Emily fell in love with a cattle Rancher in Kansas (her now husband Keenan) and never came back. Emily and Keenan recently welcomed their sweet baby boy Lanham last year which keeps her even busier than the cows, bees, horses and Wrenn (the dog) do. Emily is a veterinarian for Idexx and travels throughout the midwest to educate veterinarians and their staff about disease surveillance and detection. While they don't live close enough to see each other often, Kelly and Emily are known to have hours long phone conversations about life as they both drive across states for work.

Sam Baird

Best Man

Sam and Beck are first cousins by blood, but with no brothers between them, they became brothers by choice. Their bond was forged during late nights of video games at their grandparents’ house, and when they weren’t gaming, they were usually doing some questionable and occasionally dangerous odd job for Sam’s father, Brad. As Beck left for college and Sam moved through high school, they stayed in close contact, still finding time to share experiences and—somehow—still ending up doing peculiar manual labor for Brad. When Beck began to travel the country for work, Sam completed his undergraduate studies at Colorado State University in biomedical sciences, balancing teaching, biochemistry research, and clinical work along the way. Through every stage, Beck and Sam never lost the brotherhood they built growing up. Sam is now applying to medical school while continuing patient-facing work and research, and he is also an avid amateur paleontologist with a collection of dinosaur bones he has found throughout the Mountain West.

Tyler Sladek

Groomsman

Beck and Tyler first met at Berthoud high school. They definitely were not friends and first but after a while they found common interests. They played football together through high school and when UFC was on they would get together and watch the fights.. and on occasion Beck would call Tyler to pull his Toyota out of the mud. After graduation Tyler went straight into construction operating heavy equipment and Beck went to college. Even though they were both busy they found time to make bad decisions and good memories. They still make bad decisions today, but they can blame those on bad parlays.

Gus Deats

Groomsman

Gus and Beck met in Dallas TX when they both started training jiu jitsu within three months of each other. They both ended up adopting similar styles, leading to the constant exchange of ideas and the foundation of a friendship that would extend beyond the edge of the mats. From sight seeing in Seattle to adventures in Austin, their relationship has been driven by Beck's constant scheming and Gus's bohemian soul. A few years ago Gus decided to move full time to Austin, the new Mecca of jiu jitsu, to pursue his life's passion of becoming a mediocre martial artist. Off the mats Gus enjoys reading philosophy, biology, and psychology, as well as playing chess and is an avid appreciator of Austin's lively street art, food, and music scenes.

Adam Abdallah

Groomsman

Adam and Beck first met at Universitry of Northern Colorado in 2015, where they shared a dorm during Adam’s transition from the Air Force Academy. Beck quickly became a steady and reliable friend who made a new environment feel like home. After graduation, their paths brought them together again in Washington, DC; Adam for graduate school at Georgetown and Beck for work, allowing their college friendship to continue seamlessly into adulthood. 11-years later, they’re still boys and Adam is honored to stand by Beck on his wedding day.

Zuri Betz

Officiant