SaraJean & Christopher
Wedding Party & Family
Christopher Bartos
Groom
Often mistaken in college for the lead character in the Office (Jim), Christopher joined the Marine Corps just to shed all of his lovely locks of hair. Married to the United States Marine Corps, Major Bartos has moved half a dozen times in 10 years, all the while, growing and losing many friends which has made it all the more special that he can take his best friend, SaraJean, with him on his future travels. When Christopher is not Marine-ing, or working out (his second job), he can be found reading about news, stocks and real estate or talking with family. Christopher never passes up a good documentary, a fine glass of wine, a 5-star dining experience, or a night out with friends. He is most grateful for a Bride who could not imagine spending the rest of her life with anyone but him.
SaraJean Wright
Bride
Arguably one of the finest line dancers in the Indian Cove neighborhood of Twentynine Palms, SaraJean's passion for "bootin, scootin, and boogyin", is only matched by her love and devotion to her soon-to-be-husband Christopher. And we mean some serious devotion, because she has upped and moved her entire life to follow him to the wonderful, vibrant, and cultured community of California's High Desert. SaraJean loves the little things in life, such as cooking from scratch, knitting, drinking coffee, and slow dancing to sappy country love songs. But she also has a Machiavellian side. Her favorite movie: The Godfather. Her favorite pastime: Enforcing law and order on middle school students when she substitutes. The most important thing? She is deeply and wonderfully loved by her fiancé.
T.J. Bartos
Best Man
T.J. is Christopher's brother and best man for the wedding. Having grown up together, he knows every odd and funny thing about Christopher. Ask him for a story, and you will certainly be entertained. T.J. enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, and cooking great food. He learned well from his mother how to cook and now you can find him chopping, roasting, braising and grilling while jamming out to Dave Matthews Band or Yacht Rock, He lives in northern New Jersey with his wife Melissa (the Matron of Honor) and his son William.
Melissa Bartos
Matron of Honor
Melissa Bartos is T.J.'s wife and Christopher's sister-in-law. She has graciously agreed to serve as SaraJean's Matron of Honor. She is a teacher in northern New Jersey and loves spending time doing fun things with her husband, T.J., and son, William. Beneath her gentle and kind personality, however, lies a ferocious Mama Bear who will take you down if you even think about trying to date her son William.
William Bartos
Ring Bearer
Look out ladies for the best looking man in the entire wedding. T.J.'s son and Christopher's nephew, William, is five years old and loves to play soccer, baseball, and football in his backyard with his dad and when he visits his Uncle Christopher. He is still single but you will have to obtain permission from his mom Melissa to keep him up past his bedtime.
Victoria Wright
Flower Girl
Victoria, who goes by Tori, is SaraJean's niece. She currently lives with her brother, Gabriel, and parents, William and Cheryl, in Fort Collins, Colorado. She loves unicorns, puppies, and the band Disturbed. She is currently in the third grade and loves to rule the playground with a dictatorial presence. At home, she tends to be the mastermind of many evil plans, which her brother Gabriel dutifully executes to the dismay of her parents.
Billy Woodson
Groomsman
Billy is one of Christopher's very close friends from Oceanside, CA. Christopher met Billy at a church bible study. At the end, they started chatting and enjoyed hanging out so much, Billy's wife Georgia told Christopher "You two should go on a date together!" The rest is history.
Lauren Bartos
Bridesmaid
Lauren is Christopher's sister and bridesmaid for the wedding. She loves the outdoors and going on hikes with her new dog, Desmond. She works in marketing for an architecture firm and lives in Denver, Colorado.
Kyle Schumacher
Groomsman
Kyle Schumacher met Christopher when he moved to Oceanside, CA. Within a month of him being there, they hit it off so well that they both decided to become roommates. Kyle loves traveling and every sports team in San Francisco. He currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.
Freya Wilk
Bridesmaid
Freya is SaraJean's best friend from college. She got to know SaraJean and Christopher from their time at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. They met each other through christian fellowship on campus, but became an inseparable duo for some time. Freya and SaraJean were sleepover buddies, they ran a half marathon together, and they have even vouched for their significant others to keep them out of jail. Freya is a dear sister in Christ and we are very happy to have her join us. Freya is married to Jared Wilk and they reside in Durham, North Carolina with their five children.
Derek Smith
Groomsman
Derek Smith is one of Christopher's closest friends from his days in upstate New York. They both attended Shenendehowa High School together and spent nearly every weekend and summer hanging out, playing tennis, and working at the same place (the Hampton Inn in Clifton Park, NY--Christopher's first job!). Derek lives in Clifton Park, NY and shares his passion for music with the world with his job at the Albany Symphony Orchestra.
Bridget Ochs
Bridesmaid
Bridget Ochs is SaraJean's older sister and a close friend. Bridget and Jeff (her husband) have been together for 19 years. Bridget without Jeff is such a distant memory that it almost seems it never happened. They are the proud parents of two, Melissa (another Bridesmaid) and Justin. Being the mother of two teenagers, Bridget loves time to herself and she loves time spent with her kids. Bridget is one of the most gracious people SaraJean knows. This trip to the wedding will be Bridget's (and her family's) first time to the great state of Florida. Ask her how she's liking it when you see her. She can normally be found at home in Ault, Colorado.
Melissa Ochs
Bridesmaid
Melissa, SaraJean’s oldest niece, is a charismatic firecracker, who is never short of breath. She is a ferocious reader and an avid square dancer. As a junior in high school, Melissa enjoys school especially science, singing and drama. She aspires to go to a college with strong sciences and a strong collegiate drama program. She is very active in sports and in her youth group, and her newest acquired skill is driving (watch out if you are visiting Northern Colorado any time soon!). She was recently selected to be Jr. Royalty for Homecoming at her high school. Melissa still fondly calls her Aunt, Aunt G-Jean. She lives with her brother, Justin, and her parents, Jeff and Bridget (also a bridesmaid) in Ault, CO.
Diane Bartos
Mother of the Groom
Diane Bartos is the proud mother of Christopher. She cannot express in words how happy she is to finally be passing off her motherly duties to SaraJean, who will now have to remind Christopher to pick his clothes up off the floor. Diane is an accomplished nurse who recently attained the highest degree in her profession (DNP-Doctor of Nursing Practice) and works at a hospital in upstate New York. In her spare time, she loves to cook incredible food for her family, especially when her sons and daughters-in-law are helping out.
Timothy Bartos
Father of the Groom
Tim Bartos recently retired from over thirty years working as an administrator and executive of a healthcare organization in New York. His love of Florida's warm weather and shorts spurred him to purchase a home in New Smyrna Beach. That move is the reason we are holding the wedding in Florida, so everyone should feel free to thank him when you see him in sunny Florida in February! Tim has been an avid runner for many years and loves to go on runs in the sunshine while listening to oldies music. He has also secretly wished for years that he could play as a contestant on the game shows the Price is Right, Jeopardy, or Super Market Sweep.
Douglas Wright
Father of the Bride
Doug Wright is SaraJean's Dad. Being the son of an Air Force pilot, Doug has lived in several lesser known countries around the globe (fun fact: he was born in West Germany). Doug is retired and lives with his daughter, Bridget, and her family in Ault, Colorado. He especially enjoys time spent with one of his eight grandchildren. SaraJean has many memories of how much her dad loves to spend time outside, esp. camping or hunting. In his retirement, he recently decided to put his eagles scout skills to good use by becoming the director of the local district's Cub Scout day camp. Now he spends more time sharing his love of the outdoors with his grandchildren. When he is not with grandchildren, Doug can most often be found at the local square dance with his girlfriend, Kathy.
Denise Wright-Murray
Mother of the Bride
Denise is a Linguistics & English Language Lecturer at Jubail University College in Saudi Arabia. As February 29th is mid-semester, she will be unable to join us, but she hopes to meet all of you at some point in the future. While you will not meet Denise at the wedding, it is important to know you will meet many of her progeny. Denise met and married a fellow lecturer from Information Technology, Mark Murray. He is also from the States. Together they have a combined family of eight children. Which might explain why my mom's favorite food is breakfast food (the only time of day when it's quiet), and why Mark’s hidden talent is making amazing homemade bread. Almost all of their children will be at the wedding. Denise will be missed.
Dawn Kroeze
Mother of the Bride
Standing in for the Mother of the Bride will be Denise's sister, Dawn. Aunt Dawn, as SaraJean calls her, is not only her Aunt, but she is also a dear friend and mentor. She is a mother to four children and six adorable grandchildren. She loves early mornings, reading her bible, and spending time with family! If you want to see her competitive side, ask to join her in a game of cards, esp. hand-and-foot. Her favorite pastime is spending time with her husband of 34 years, Uncle Paul, who is often out on his truck for days at a time. They live in a cute little house at the foot of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, Colorado.