Wedding Party
Erin Murphy
Officiant & Bridesmaid
Erin and I met circa 2003 on an Issaquah rec soccer team. Though I initially spent more time playing with her little sister Kerry in the sandbox at our brothers' baseball games than with Erin, we found our way back to each other and over the years we snowballed into a big, beautiful friend group. Early on, I knew that Erin was someone I wanted to be around because of her confidence to attack any budding interest, her unfaltering leadership, and the thoughtfulness she brings to every interaction which are all attributes that are even more strong today. Erin is the person I have called through every major (and minor) up and down in my life, and she has granted me understanding, love, and guidance every step of the way. The reason Erin is officiating our wedding is because she has been a champion of Dylan and my relationship since the very beginning, and we couldn't think of anyone who would approach the role with more passion, reverence, and sincerity. She shares in my pursuit to do all things with intention and meaning and deeply understands both Dylan and myself. We are thrilled to see to see her shine on September 27th!
Kathryn Steele
Bridesmaid
Kathryn and I met through our mutual group of childhood friends sometime in middle school. If you know Kathryn, you know that she is the sweetest person in the world. She is kind, graceful, nurturing, and has a gift of making you feel like the most important person in the room when she's listening to you. But the more time you spend with her, the more you get to witness not just her kindness but her quick wit, her surprisingly dark humor, and her infectious (and at times, beautifully chaotic) energy. Kathryn and her boyfriend Ben (hi groomsman Ben!) moved down to San Diego in 2022, and we have been so lucky to deepen our friendship as adults and spend this chapter of our lives with them both. Our favorite things to do are attempt to have existential conversations while getting pummeled by waves in the ocean, shop for a good deal, and chat in the car away from the boys. Kathryn has been a sounding board for me for so many years and I especially can't imagine going through the past couple of years or the years to come without her by my side!
Haley Smith
Bridesmaid
Haley and I met in 2005 playing on the same 5th grade select basketball team. We played basketball together all the way until senior year of high school and then our basketball careers eventually went in very different directions, but luckily our friendship did not! Hales is well regarded for her incredible academic and athletic achievements, but we know and love her best for her goofball energy. Haley laughs as much as she breathes and demands the same of you. Hales is the first person to point out something embarrassing you did, but also the first one to comfort you with a hug and puppy-dog eyes (often as a 1-2 punch). She is the poster child of work hard/play hard as she is a self-proclaimed "try hard" who just loves to find the limits of her physical and mental strength and squeeze the most out of this life. She influences everyone around her to be better, all while loving you just as you are. Everyone is lucky to have a little Hales in their life and couldn't be more blessed to have had her in mine all these years!
Kaity Benz
Bridesmaid
Kaity and I also met playing basketball in 5th grade, and played together through high school. Although I believe that I met Kaity's husband, Ryan, before her in 2nd or 3rd grade on the playground. Kaity and Ryan are high school sweethearts and my claim to fame is having gone to elementary school, middle school, high school AND college with them both, and now we live 30 minutes away from each other in San Diego! They couldn't get rid of this 3rd wheel if they tried and I'm so thankful. Kaity is one of a kind. She goes all in on the things that she loves. She reads on average more than 1 book per day, has watched Twilight more times than humanly possible, and is a master crafter. Kaity has a childlike energy that makes you feel free and will forever bring me back to being 13 years old. Probably because we still spend most of our time together doing the same things we loved at that age: watching Disney movies, listening to Taylor Swift, and talking about boys. It has been incredibly special to grow up in parallel for our whole lives, and there are many more years to come!
Haley Conklin
Bridesmaid
Haley and I met freshman year at Oregon State University when we both joined the same sorority. I hardly remember the evolution of our friendship, but next thing you know we were both living in the sorority house and snuggling on the couch together every night before bed listening to our favorite One Direction song. Haley and I lived in a house together with 3 of our friends senior year and shared a funky bedroom together that did not have a door between us. Because of this, Haley has gotten the closest view of me and all my oddities (other than Dylan and Jordan), and amazingly still loves me! Haley is the most generous person I know and will go to the ends of the earth to support a friend or family member. For example, instead of judging you for your weird food obsessions, she will throw you a surprise birthday party serving toast, white cheddar popcorn, and orange slices. She will belt songs in the car with you, cry with you after a hard day, and make you laugh hysterically from a sassy comment. Haley also was the ultimate wing woman from day 1 with Dylan, helping me pick my outfits for all our first dates, and then was the first person I got to spill all the details to when I would come home. I couldn't have gotten through college without Haley and I'm so glad to have her for life!
Blakely Ehlers
Bridesmaid
Blakely is my brother Jordan's fiancee, which means she will soon be my sister-in-law! Blakely and I first met before they were dating and I still remember that I thought she was the cutest person I'd ever met because she had worn a sundress to school. On top of the fact that she loves and is loved by my brother (which is the highest seal of approval one can get), she happens to also be a pediatric Occupational Therapist and a lover of great music, a perfect beach day, and jungle of house plants. I'm a firm believer we would have found each other one way or another. Blake is one of the most passionate and energetic people I have ever met - she is the first person to toss her head back in laughter, tells the most enthusiastic stories in the world, and is always just bopping around in some way. The best thing is that Blakely is able to deeply relate to me in a way no on else can, having both survived the daily grind of our profession and of living life with Jordan Coutts. I'm so lucky that she will be officially stuck with me soon!
Brynn Olden
Bridesmaid & Best Woman
Brynn is Dylan's big sister and also my soon to be sister-in-law! I believe the first time I met Brynn was in July of 2016 when Dylan and his parents came up to Seattle to pay myself and Brynn and her husband Jeff a visit. All 6 of us took a ferry over to Bainbridge Island for the day to explore and get to know each other. I remember questioning how someone could be so mature and yet so youthful, both facts that remain true today. At the time Brynn was newly married, was a phD candidate, had a cute apartment, and knew her way around Seattle; she was a real adult! But Brynn immediately made me feel comfortable. She let me borrow her fleece on the cold ferry ride, and started chatting with me right away. Brynn has often been described as 'bubbly' and I would add poised, intentional, and thoughtful. Brynn stays extremely busy with 2 kids at home, but regardless of what is going on in her life she will still greet you with a tight hug and bright smile and want to know what is new with you. She has the patience of a saint and is a lover of the simple pleasures of life (like good wine and cheese), which make her so easy to be with and to love. She has always been someone that Dyl admires and I count myself so lucky to now also have a big sister like her to look up to!
Brandon Poundstone
Groomsman
I met Brandon freshman year at Oregon State when we both lived on the 5th floor of Poling Hall. My first interaction with Brandon was early on in fall term when him and Kyle (see below) stopped by my room to ask if I wanted to throw a frisbee on the IM fields. Although I "maybe some other time"-ed them on that occasion, I soon spent extended time with him watching Blazer games in the dorms and rounding up fellas for pickup basketball games ate Dixon. Brandon is 1/6 of "The Beca Boys" and continuously filled the house with music as he bumped his ever-evolving playlists and improvised songs on his guitar. Brandon is now a Physical Therapist in the Portland area where he works with injured athletes and just recently passed an exam to become a Certified Hand Therapist. Brandon continues to root for his favorite sports teams (Steelers and Blazers) and fills his free time exercising/running, playing golf, and mixing songs on his DJ setup.
John King
Groomsman
John and I met in the dorms at OSU while living on the 5th floor of Poling Hall. Like myself, John was an engineering student at OSU, so our friendship developed as we spent long days and nights studying for a varying degree of engineering courses. Our friendship continued to blossom throughout college as John and I were "door mates" in the Beca house and he continually showed me new movies and gave me advice on which bikes I should buy on Craigslist. Whether you are meeting John for the first time or have been a friend of him for a long time, he will always greet you with a big smile and bear hug. You will never meet a more accepting person than ole Johnny. Professionally, John is an engineer at Daimler Trucks, but his most important job is being a dad to a couple little cuties. When John is not working on house projects, he and his little family of four like getting out for camping adventures and exploring the PNW!
Mason Shaw
Groomsman
Mason and I met Freshman year in the dorms at OSU where we lived on opposite ends of the 5th floor in Poling. Like many others, Mason and my relationship stemmed from our love of sports, activities, and quoting TV and movies. If we weren't playing ultimate frisbee, disc golf, or basketball, you could catch us sitting and having conversations that consisted of Spongebob or Anchorman quotes, Trail Blazers basketball, and funny YouTube videos. I could always count on Mason being awake late at night for an evenly matched ping pong match in the basement or giggle-filled conversation in the kitchen while he polished off a jar of peanut butter. Mason is now a Physical Therapist in Scottsdale where he tries to beat the Arizona heat in the mornings with long runs outside or workout classes. He also just loves the outdoors and would rather be out camping or hiking with friends than doing about anything else.
Kyle Helm
Groomsman
Kyle is attributed in being the orchestrator of "the big question". While living in Poling our Freshman year at OSU, Kyle and the other Gresham boys (Brandon, John, and Nathan) were looking for a 5th roommate for Sophomore year and had decided I (Dylan) was the man for the job. One day, Kyle pulled me over to John and Nathan's dorm room where the lights were dimmed and a fireplace video was playing on the TV. Kyle then proceeded to butter me up and eventually they all asked if I would want to live with them next year (spoiler: I said "yes"). While in college, Kyle was all about adventures. He would find hikes to go on, initiate friend trips for us, and always be the 5th guy for any pickup basketball games we were planning. Kyle still loves a good adventure, but he is now settling into fatherhood as he and his wife welcomed a little boy into the world last year. Always a busy body, Kyle is balancing fatherhood with a full time job while also working on a masters degree in real estate. In his little free time Kyle enjoys trips to the beach and working on his golf game!
Nathan Smith
Groomsman
Nathan and I also met freshman year in the dorms at OSU. Although Nathan and I bonded through our love of sports, we also bonded over being super nerds. Freshman year we quickly learned that our childhoods were filled with playing video games for hours and collecting pokemon cards. After joining the OSU basketball team my sophomore year, I had another thing in common with Nathan: being an OSU student athlete. Nathan loved pushing himself to the physical limit and quenched that thirst by being on the OSU Rowing team for 4 years. Although always tired, Nathan and I would finding ways to be silly around the house and continued to reminisce on our childhood interests, even sparking the desire to pick them back up from time to time. Nathan is also a new-ish dad as their first born just crossed over the year mark. With his free time, he loves working out in his new workshop and fine-tuning his "Grambler" car.
Jordan Coutts
Groomsman & Man of Honor
Jordan is Lindsay's big brother and my future brother-in-law! I just missed Jordan at OSU, but began spending more time with him as I made the trek up to Issaquah to visit Lindsay throughout the years. Jordan is the sportiest guy I know. Whether it be playing sports, going for hikes, or tuning into any big sporting event, Jordan is always the first guy to call if you need a buddy as he will always be down. Since moving to San Diego, Jordan and I have grown a lot closer through our love of OSU sports and the outdoors, but also through our love of San Diego itself! Jordan always has his finger on the pulse of San Diego and is excited to share any fun things to do or places to visit in San Diego County. By day, Dr. Jordan is a clinical director at a physical therapy clinic in San Diego. By night, Jordan is also an amateur gardener with his fiancé (see Blakely) where they are growing tomatoes, kale, and bunch of other fresh produce on their back porch!
Ben Schetterer
Groomsman
I met Ben through Kathryn (see bridesmaid above) sometime when I paid Lindsay a visit up in Issaquah over the years. Since then, Ben moved down to San Diego with Kathryn a few years back and we have grown close through our love of sports and obsession with sending each other weird, but funny YouTube videos. Ben and I play on a slow pitch softball team along with Jordan and fill our down time together talking through ideal lineups and positions for our rag tag team. Along with softball, Ben and I have been playing a bunch of golf recently and he is standing in as my golf coach when a tip is needed. With summer on the horizon, Ben will be say dreaming thinking of the beach. Whether it be throwing the frisbee, boogie boarding, jumping in the waves, or just having a little "lizard time", being a short walk from the beach is ideal for Ben so he can be in on the sand and in the water as much as possible.