Luke & Ellen
Wedding Party
Mark Allsman
Best Man
Mark and Luke both lived in Breuninger Hall at Taylor University since their Freshmen year and quickly developed a lasting friendship. They decided to become roommates at Taylor and made countless memories with their mutual friend group nicknamed the "Spud Buds". They bonded over long conversations about their Christian faith, watching movies, playing games late at night, going on late night food runs, going to church together, playing racquetball, jamming out to music in their dorm room, and countless other activities. Mark and Luke continue their friendship after college through visiting each other and going on trips with their mutual friends.
Joanna Sokolowski
Maid of Honor
Joanna and Ellen are sisters, but more importantly friends. They have had many fun moments together, from traveling to Italy and Poland, to visiting each other at their colleges, and learning from each other along the way. They take sister trips to Florida together spending hours hunting for sea shells on the beach and tanning. They are very close, and can talk for hours and don’t even realize when it’s 1 am. Ellen will talk about the detailed process of making a cappuccino and roasting coffee, while Joanna has no clue what she is saying and continues to talk about her lawyer life. Even though they have many different interests they chat about, they both find common ground in many ways. They now work alongside each other at the same company, giving more opportunities to do life together.
Michael Josten
Groomsman
Michael and Luke are brothers. Michael is the middle brother of the Josten family. While growing up, Luke looked up to Michael and his involvement in church, work ethic, commitment towards friends, and decision to attend Taylor University. Michael and Luke both showed pigs at local county fairs and the Iowa State Fair. Luke also enjoyed watching Michael's cross country running meets, basketball games, and band in high school. Michael is married to his wife Christy and they have two sons, Calvin and Jude and a daughter on the way!
Lauren Dakich
Bridesmaid
Lauren and Ellen struck up a friendship while living in the same dorm at Taylor University. After their first camping trip, they quickly became close friends and started going on many more adventures. Lauren is a loyal, fun, and encouraging friend. From late night study sessions, to fun camping trips, they always have a great time together. They have continued their friendship post college and Ellen stood in Lauren’s bridal party at her wedding.
Matthew Josten
Groomsman
Matthew and Luke are brothers and Matthew is the oldest brother of the Josten family. Luke followed in Matthew's footsteps in attending Taylor University and being interested in new technology. Luke grew up watching Matthew show pigs and cattle and also being involved in youth group at church, 4-H, and FFA. Matthew lived on the West Coast for a number of years and Luke enjoyed several adventurous family vacations there. Matthew recently moved to Noblesville, Indiana where Luke has been privileged to live with Matthew.
Katherine Wolgemuth
Bridesmaid
Katherine and Ellen became friends their freshman year at Taylor University when they both played on the same lacrosse team. They quickly bonded as teammates and classmates, spending hours doing accounting homework as well as hours on the lacrosse field. They also traveled to Greece and Italy together, creating many memories to look back on. Some of their favorite moments were while playing as teammates and traveling to tournaments. As they ended their time on the lacrosse field, from year 1 to 4, Katherine sweetly stated “Let’s finish how we started…together.” And together they have continued their friendship, chatting long hours whenever they catch up.
Tommy Sokolowski
Groomsman
Tommy is Ellen's older brother. Luke and Tommy both go to the same church in Indiana and often drive together from Chicago to Indiana. They have become better friends during Luke's time dating Ellen and often help each other out since they live close by. Tommy and Ellen are siblings, but more than that they are close friends. Tommy and Ellen played sports a lot growing up, and both played lacrosse at rival colleges. Ellen often looked up to Tommy for help in school, and Tommy spent many dedicated hours teaching her physics and many other important classes. After all these years they both have many memories together - traveling, fishing, and sports. Even though they do a lot of activities together, they also can talk for hours and not even realize where the time went.
Rosalie Solak
Bridesmaid
Rosalie and Ellen struck up a friendship their freshman year of high school. They are coming up on their 11th year of friendship! They both took many classes together, went to church together, and bonded while sharing about Christ at Mancelona camp in Michigan. With so many years of adventures, traveling together, and living 3 minutes away from each other for many years, their friendship is long lasting. Some of their favorite memories are from camp in Michigan, traveling to Florida together their senior year of high school, as well as taking a fun trip to her family farm in Wisconsin. Ellen stood as Rosalie’s maid of honor in her wedding and she is excited for Rosalie to be in her wedding as well.
Taylor Dunlop
Groomsman
Taylor and Luke both lived on Breuninger Hall at Taylor University. They were both in the same friend group and bonded over the many computer science classes they took together. Taylor and Luke went a trip to Thailand together for a month for a computer science project and enjoyed many adventures - one of their favorites being the spicy Thai food they ate. They also went on a spring break road trip journey along with some mutual friends all the way from Indiana to Las Vegas and back. Taylor is a master story teller and always has something interesting up his sleeve, so there are many fun stories that have been told throughout their friendship.
Cristina Spear
Bridesmaid
Cristina and Ellen became friends their freshman year at Taylor University when they both played on the same lacrosse team. They became closer friends after moving into the same dorm together and being on the same leadership team. Cristina is an intentional friend, helping out others whenever there is a need. They have had many adventures together - traveling to Nashville, Michigan, Colorado, Chicago, and Poland. Some of their favorite memories and bonding moments were in Poland as well as in Colorado when they both spent a summer doing an internship there. They have enjoyed many spontaneous trips, coffee dates, meaningful talks, and encouraging moments. Cristina and Ellen have continued their friendship after college even though they live a long ways away from each other.
Noah Hamilton
Groomsman
Noah and Luke met in their first class at Taylor University, Introduction to Computational Problem Solving. Noah and Luke bonded over their similar personalities and took at least one class together at college every semester. Some of their highlights together included 2 AM study sessions, a Zedd concert in Chicago, a Memphis computer science trip, and countless other adventures. Noah also played a large role in bringing Luke and Ellen together as friends. Noah and Luke have continued to keep connected after college and cherish the moments when they get to hang out.
Mackenzie Taylor
Bridesmaid
Mackenzie and Ellen became friends while living in the same dorm at Taylor University. They bonded over both eating gluten free and have enjoyed many fun meals at cafes together. They both learned a lot and bonded as friends while working together on the same leadership team in their college dorm. Mackenzie is a sweet friend, always encouraging and listening during conversations. Ellen and Mackenzie both enjoyed spontaneous adventures and events at Taylor. Mackenzie actually played a big role in bringing Luke and Ellen together as friends when inviting them to go together to events. Mackenzie and Ellen have continued keeping each other updated in their friendship even while living far away.