Kirsten & David
Wedding Party
Chelsea Rodgers
Matron of Honor
Chelsea is my sister, and has influenced me more than I could ever say! Chelsea and I used to love to scare and prank each other and would often wait for hours in each other's closets or under each others beds for the perfect scare. Chelsea has been such an encouragement to me over the years, and has always shown me such unconditional love! She calls to check in, gives amazing advice and is so quick to make me laugh when I am having a rough day. I have learned so much from her and cannot imagine my life without her!
Sara Dwight
Maid of Honor
Sara fits the definition of "best friend" in every aspect of the word. We lived together for all five years that I lived in China, and so in many ways Sara knows me better than I know myself! We have led missions trips to the Philippines together, ridden elephants in Thailand, rode horses through Tibetan villages, ate street food in Hong Kong, rode bikes through Cambodia , explored castles in Ireland, been to baseball games in Minnesota and been in thousands of taxis together over the years. Sara has given me some of the best advice I have ever received in my life and has made me who I am in so many ways!
Rhetta Atkins
Bridesmaid
Rhetta moved to China one year after I moved there, and we became friends almost instantly. Rhetta was the friend that I would call when I was home alone and thought a burglar was at the door, and she would show up with a knife ready to fight. She is such a loyal friend, and I cannot imagine my time in China without her! We led Bible studies together, played basketball together, drove our scooters all over Chengdu, treated ourselves to western food after long China days, and explored the world together (including but not limited to the Philippines, Cambodia, China and Thailand!). I am so thankful for Rhetta's loyal friendship, and have learned so much from her over the years!!
Christina Ko
Bridesmaid
When I first moved back from China I was desperate for a friend who I could be myself around, and Christina quickly became that person! Christina and I teach at the same school, but since we met, we have also been to China together, Canada together, held worship nights together and now share the same classroom! My favorite story about Christina is when I convinced her to play in the teacher student basketball game even though she had never played basketball on a team before. She proved her worth when she chased after a ball with all of her energy and ended up colliding with a trash can! I cannot imagine the last two years without Christina- she is faithful, loyal, always willing to give a listening ear and willing to give of her time to help me do whatever crazy thing I may be doing.
Janae Driggs
Bridesmaid
Janae and I started teaching at Trinity together at the same time, and I knew as soon as I met her that we needed to be friends! I knew our friendship had reached the next level when she agreed to go to China with me last summer! My favorite story about Janae is when she decided to jump into a ball pit in China, and then found out the ball pit was only about an inch deep. Even though she ended up spraining her ankle, she was such a great sport and made us all smile and laugh despite being injured. Janae is a great friend and has gone on many long walks and talked through so many deep things with me. She has taught me so much!
Karyn Sykes
Bridesmaid
Karyn and I have known each other since high school when we were on the same basketball team! Karyn and I have been to basketball camps together, China together and pray together every Tuesday after school. Her sweet and gentle spirit always bring peace to my chaotic days, and her encouragement is priceless. My favorite thing about Karyn is hearing the stories she has to share from her classroom- she is an amazing teacher, and I have applied so much of what I have learned from her to my classroom!
Lindsey Martin
Bridesmaid
Lindsey is my only girl cousin on my mom's side of the family, and thus has felt like a sister to me over the years! Our favorite thing to do as kids was to create performances for friends and family and charge admission. Our most epic "play" was the "Prince of Egypt" complete with songs and dancing. On top of that we would sell rocks to neighbors to try and make money, and we have a great video when we were about 5 years old where I was giving her a haircut (much to her dislike). Lindsey is a beautiful soul, and carries joy with her everywhere she goes! I am so thankful for her, and love having her in my life!
Matt McCrory
Groomsman
Matt and I met in Spanish class at Lake Braddock Secondary School. We weren't super close until we reconnected in college at James Madison University. Matt and I had both recently begun following Jesus, so Matt ended up joining my Small Group through InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Since then, I was a groomsmen in Matt's wedding a few years ago and am going to be moving into his neighborhood within the next few months!
Andy Mount
Best Man
Andy, or lovingly known to many in our family as "Monk," and I connect on so many levels! I have such fun memories of us driving around town with the windows down when Andy first got his driver's license, visiting our grandparents, aunts and uncles during the holidays & summers, and so much more. Andy is such a passionate man, and I respect him a lot for that. I know he always has my back in any and every circumstance. I'm so proud to have him as my brother!
Ryan Madden
Groomsman
Ryan has been my roommate for a combined 5 years! He has walked through so much of my life with me from college to the 6+ years after college. I can't even count the number of inside jokes we have and ridiculous things that we've done together, including going to a WWE Wrestling Match, making insane bets with highly embarrassing consequences, and getting Mohawks before travelling to Europe with friends.
Mike Chambers
Groomsman
Mikey and I first connected once we found out that in high school we were both OBSESSED with weight-lifting. Now, of course, nobody would really consider either of us "buff." Thankfully both of us grew out of that phase! Mike's the kind of guy who makes you want to take life a lot less seriously and just lighten up, take it easy, and enjoy the simple things in life. He's also such a bro!
Will Rodgers
Groomsman
I have known this man for almost 15 years now! You'll almost never hear me call him "Will" since he used to always go by "Billy" growing up. As teenagers, Billy and I bonded a lot over Beavis and Butthead episodes (yep, that's right). We've been tight for a long time and have seen each other through a lot of highs and lows. I can't imagine having my wedding without him as one of my groomsmen.
Jonathan Rodgers
Groomsman
Jonathan is Kirsten's brother. He went to China with us this summer and is always laughing or showing someone a funny video on his phone. He is so joyful and makes everyone around him laugh and feel at ease. Our favorite moment with him was when he pranked Kirsten in China by filling the laundry machine with giant fish and crayfish! We are so excited to have him join us in the wedding party, and look forward to making many more memories in the future together!
David Rodgers
Groomsman
David is Kirsten's brother and is currently studying architecture at UVA. His creativity showed from the moment we first met- he had just finished building a giant fort out of 2-L soda bottles and was trying to figure out when was the best time to sleep in it! While most people may have had a difficult time allowing another "David" into the family, he has been very gracious to share his name. He is always up for an adventure and loves to spend quality time with people. We are so excited to have him in the wedding!