Wedding Party
Marlena Ahn
Maid of Honor
Friend of the bride Marlena and the bride met in their Master of Genetic Counselor Studies program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They were roommates and quickly best friends! Marlena is from California and currently lives in San Francisco with her husband Nick and samoyed Jenna. When Marlena first came to the midwest, the bride had to explain that there is no such thing as a "rainy season" here --it's just stone cold winter! They spent many evenings walking back to their apartment on glare ice roads and sidewalks, clinging to each other for dear life. The bride wishes every day that Marlena would come back to the midwest!!
Caleb Troe
Best Man
Brother of the groom Although 8 years apart, Caleb and the groom are two peas in a pod. They have very similar and goofy senses of humor that leave their respective significant others shaking their heads 😉. They share a love of ice fishing, music, grilling out, and hitting up the local dive bar (Charlie’s) for cheap beer. Caleb is also a very talented runner who ran cross country for Concordia University, St. Paul. He now coaches cross country and track in nearby Byron! He also has a band called Hazy Waves. Check out "Conspiracy Song" on Spotify!! It's one of the bride's faves!
Margaret Yapp
Bridesmaid
Friend of the bride Margaret Yapp is a dear college friend of the bride. They met early on in freshman year after sitting next to each other in a welcome meeting and then realizing they lived 3 doors down from each other. Margaret was a swimmer with the other bridesmaid, Katie Storeywinkel, and they let the bride join in a lot of swim team shenanigans 😊. Margaret is now an esteemed poet after completing the Iowa Writer’s Workshop program and has a poetry book published called Green for Luck!
Eli Troe
Groomsman
Brother of the groom Eli, sometimes called "Skippy" by his family, is a senior at Albert Lea High School and the youngest of the Troe siblings. One would be remiss to call him the "baby" though, as he has surpassed them all in height! The groom is convinced he'll catch back up to Eli soon (he better not hold his breath). Eli enjoys performing tricks on his kendama (the bride tried to learn...it's hard) and is a rubik's cube whiz.
Katie Storeywinkel
Bridesmaid
Friend of the bride Katie Storeywinkel is another dear college friend of the bride who lived down the hall freshman year. They first bonded while working together in the Luther college cafeteria. Katie’s sense of humor was always a morale-booster and can be relied on to this day 😊. She is now an occupational therapist working in the twin cities.
Emily Djrouko
Groomswoman
Sister of the groom Emily is the fabulous only-sister of the groom. She is an accomplished blues dancer, singer, and makeup artist! If it sparkles, she loves it. The groom is excited that she and Phauly (see below) have made him an uncle for the first time!
Jason Kolbert
Bridesman
Brother of the bride Jason is the only sibling of the bride and is almost 7 years younger. That did not stop their bond from forming very early on in life! Their parents have often said they had a "language of their own" (which includes many movie quotes). The bride was very much The Boss of their shenanigans until his size began to surpass hers while she was in college. After graduating from University of Minnesota-Duluth, Jason is now in school to become a Physcian Assistant at Bethel University.
Grace Duncan
Junior Bridesmaid
Cousin of the bride; daughter of Officiant The bride considers Grace her little sister for all intents and purposes. They love spending time together, going on walks, dancing to good music, and giggling at different snapchat filters.
Breanna Troe
Personal attendant
Sister-in-law Breanna is the wife of the best man and dog mom to their sweet boy Finnegan (pictured). She and the bride have bonded over the hilarious similarities of their significant others and go on walks around the neighborhood together often. She is currently a nurse with Rochester Public Schools. If you're into card games, watch out-- Breanna plays a mean game of Swoop!
Kaitlin Sikkink-Brown
Personal attendant
Friend of the bride Kaitlin grew up in the same hometown as the bride and went to the same daycare (at different times). However, they did not really get to know each other until Kait came to work at Mayo as a genetic counselor in the same area as the bride! The bride quickly learned that not only is Kait an incredible and capable GC, but she also has a kindred spirit which forged an easy friendship. Kait's other talents include her skill in volleyball, coaching, and interior design.
Phauly Djrouko
Singer
Brother-in-law Phauly is the husband of the groom's sister. He is an exceptionally talented singer and was even on The Voice Afrique Francophone in Ivory Coast!
Brielle Jasken
Flower Girl
Cousin and goddaughter of the bride
Jeff Duncan
Officiant
Uncle of the bride The happy couple is thrilled that Jeff agreed to officiate the wedding. He has extensive experience with public speaking including as a magician, DJ, and motivational speaker at the Mayo nursing program. The brides early years were spent trying to learn some of the sacred magician knowledge. Jeff is known to bust a move or two to Michael Jackson on the dance floor--if we're lucky, we might spot him doing this on the big day!