Wedding Party
Kerrigan Swartz
Matron of Honor
Kerrigan is my older sister and with only being 2 1/2 years apart in age, we were inseparable growing up (we even went to nursing school together!!) We could have been glued together and it wouldn’t have made a difference in our daily lives lol. Kerrigan is one of the few people who share the same sense of humor as me so it’s safe to say there’s never a dull moment when I’m with her. Shes truly the person I needed growing up. I could go on and on about all the great memories she’s given me but this would quickly turn into a book. The trait I admire most about kerrigan is her creativeness and attentiveness to detail with literally any problem or project you throw her way. She’s been my right hand man throughout this planning process and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Payge Villanueva
Bridesmaid
Payge is another one of my older sisters and someone I look up to very much. I find us similar in a lot of ways, especially as we’ve gotten older. We bond over our obsession with fall out boy and our hate for nick jonas. She took me to my very first fall out boy concert at the house of blues which is still to this day my favorite concert I’ve been to. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing, I always have so much fun whenever I’m with payge. Payge has always been a welcoming presence whether you’re a friend or a complete stranger. She’s always been one of my biggest supporters and someone I can go to with anything. Payge is a PICU nurse and an incredible mom to my second nephew Myles!
Teagan Emme
Bridesmaid
I met Teagan a few years ago through a mutual friend. Our two older sisters are best friends so we had known of eachother for a while before we actually crossed paths! Teagan and I clicked instantly and have been close friends ever since. Something I love about Teagan is her sense of style and how she’s always down for anything. If I want to have a good time, Teagan is one of the first people I’m calling. We share love for espresso martinis and listening to live music which is probably our favorite thing to do together. If you’re looking for her on the night of the wedding she’ll most likely be on the dance floor or off taking pictures with her digital camera! Teagan is one of the most funny, loyal, and caring people you will meet.
Rachel Johnson
Bridesmaid
Rachel and I met through a mutual friend and hit it off right away. Rachel is the type of person to always be there if you need someone to talk to. Her bubbly and fun personality can cheer up anyone she crosses paths with; she’s been such a bright light in my life since knowing her. Since she’s started nursing school at KCC this past year we’ve gotten much closer; bonding over how awful nursing school is haha. What I love most about Rachel is how she can bring lightheartedness to any situation and how she can talk to pretty much anyone. Rachel is definitely the voice of reason in our friend group. She always has the best advice and knows exactly what to do. Rachel is such a beautiful person inside and out.
Ryleigh Engler
Bridesmaid
Ryleigh is my youngest but sassiest sibling. I was definitely her favorite when she was younger even though she won’t admit that now hahah. Ryleigh is quiet but when she does say something it’s almost always humorous. I love Ryleigh for her sense of humor, artistic capabilities, and her love for animals. Ryleigh is an incredible artist, if you’ve seen anything Ryleigh has drawn you’d know how talented she is. She also plays violin and gets better every time I hear her play! She just recently played the ceremony music at Payge and Gabe’s wedding. The older Ryleigh gets the more I’m told she looks like me and I agree! Ryleigh is only 13 but she’s already growing up to be such an incredible individual. I’m proud to call her my little sister.
Delaney Wragg
Bridesmaid
Delaney is my oldest sister and another person I feel I can go to with anything. If you’ve met Delaney you know how easy of a person she is to talk to. She made my teen years so much more fun and I’ll forever be grateful for that. My favorite memory with delaney so far is when we went on a family cruise together! We spent most of our trip together and have plenty of funny stories to tell just from that trip alone. Delaney is another person who shares the same sense of humor as me and I find her to be one of the funniest people I’ve ever met although we always joke that nobody else finds our humor funny lol. Delaney is a nurse at a neurosurgery clinic and is the best mama to my oldest nephew Oliver, and another on the way!
Kayla d’Autremont
Bridesmaid
Kayla and I have been friends for a few years now and only grow closer with time. She has such a big heart when it comes to both people and animals. Kayla has 4 cats and is in school to be a teacher which just confirms my prior statement. She’s the type of friend to always check in on everyone and make sure they’re okay which is a hard quality to find in a person. I had the honor of standing next to kayla when she got married last May so I’m very grateful she said yes to standing next to me! Kayla has such a silly personality that makes spending time with her so much fun. She has a wide array of hobbies and interests such as thrifting, reading, crafts, cooking, music and so much more. If country girl shake it for me or any old dad rock comes on you’ll see her running to the dance floor hahah.
Aaliyah Mancilla
Bridesmaid
From the moment Aaliyah and I met, she welcomed me with open arms and made me feel like I had known her for years. Aaliyah is not just my biggest hype woman, but everyone’s that she comes in contact with. She has such an outgoing and spunky personality that makes her a super fun person. I’ve never seen someone with SEVERAL jobs at once and somehow manage them all until I met aaliyah. She is quite literally a jack of all trades and seems to be good at anything she puts her mind to. Aaliyah is currently a hairstylist and a bartender and is a rockstar at both! Every time I see her she always has a new story to tell and plenty of new tiktok ideas lol. I love how aaliyah sticks up for her loved ones no matter what regardless of if you’re super close or not.
Dixie Lanoue
Bridesmaid
Dixie and I met through a mutual friend and have been friends ever since! Throughout the past few years we’ve grown closer and made so many memories together. Dixie is such a kind, thoughtful, and fun loving person. My favorite memory with her is when we went down near garden of the gods to camp in her parents camper. We couldn’t get the gas to turn on to the oven and only had gotten cinnamon rolls for breakfast so we attempted to cook them on the grill…..as you could imagine they didn’t come out too well hahah. Dixie is such a hard worker yet so easy going at the same time. She’s always down for anything no matter what it is and I love that about her! A fun fact about Dixie is that she does trapshooting and is GOOD. Also if you see her walking around ask her about how she’s forklift certified;)
Natalie Gardner
Bridesmaid
Natalie is the “mutual friend” i mentioned in most of my other bridesmaids bios lol. I met Natalie through a homeschool group and we’ve now been friends for about 7 years. Natalie is probably one of the most outgoing individuals you will ever meet. She can talk to anyone about anything and that’s a quality I’ve always admired about her. Throughout the past several years we’ve been through many phases together and have grown in so many ways yet have remained just as close. Natalie recently spent a year in New York for school and is now living over in Rockville so I don’t get to see her as often as I once did but when we get together it’s like nothing ever changed. Natalie loves to debate about anything and everything, so be sure to find her on the day if you’re up for a good conversation (that’s if you can keep up!)
Mariah Sumowski
Bridesmaid
Mariah and I have been friends through several different chapters in our lives and she’s remained very close to me through each one. We have a lot of the same music taste, style, and hobbies. We went through a period of our friendship where we hung out probably 4 times a week if not more. During this time we had lots of nights out, went on a cruise, went on a snowboarding trip in galena and were gym partners. Throughout the past year I’ve had the opportunity to watch Mariah turn into the BEST foster momma to two perfect little boys. Mariah is such an independent, determined, and strong person and I aspire to be more like her every day. We’ve had so many fun times together and I know we’ll be making a lifetime of more incredible memories together. I’m so grateful to call her one of my close friends.
Jenna Engler
Bridesmaid
Jenna is my second to youngest sister. Jenna is 15 years old and loves anything to do with animals, hanging out with friends and family, and singing. She recently got into competitive riding with her two horses. She’s already gotten several ribbons, even first place! She’s always the first person to step up whenever we have a foster animal in the house; she has such a caring heart. Jenna is also a great singer and sings for our church a lot of Sundays. Jenna has always been a very mature and intelligent individual. When we were all younger if we needed to know where someone was or what the plans for the day were, we would ask Jenna because she always had tabs on everything and everyone lol. I’m so blessed to have a little sister as great as Jenna and I’m excited to watch all the amazing things she accomplishes in life.
Jake Ross
Best Man
I met Jake 24 years ago when I was brought home from the hospital. And he’s been my best friend ever since. Jake is such a loving father, husband, and brother. He’s the most easy going guy you’ll ever meet and makes any situation better. I really feel like we’re two halves of the same person. We share all the same interests, emotions, and behaviors. He’s the first guy I go to whether I have a new song recommendation or to share a random thought or story. There’s just some things I will never get tired of with Jake. Like going for a night drive to listen to a new album or having a movie night. I want to do those things for the rest of my life. I’m endlessly grateful that he’s in this world.
Ehren Fear
Groomsman
If I could switch lives with any of my friends, it would be Ehren. I mean how cool would it be to be a wizardly looking, fish-catching master musician. Ehren never has a dull thing to say and his life is constantly interesting. He's also just one of the best people l've known. He's the funniest guy ever but can also be one of the most sincere. He can make you laugh till you cry with his ever creative outlook on life but will drop everything and listen the moment you need a friend. I hope he always stays himself and I hope I'll always have the privilege of being his friend.
Austin Gifford
Groomsman
We all need that friend who will tell us how it is but lets us feel comfortable telling them everything. Austin’s that guy. He’s always game for long late night conversations and spontaneous shenanigans. He’s tough love but deep down he cares a lot. Austin is also a walking encyclopedia of movie knowledge. That’s how we bonded. He’s seen just about everything and can tell you who won best cinematography at the 1994 Oscar’s, or any such movie trivia question. Some of my favorite nights have been just with him and my brother, Jake, watching movies. Him and I are on the same wavelength of humor and I’m eternally grateful to have the guy. He’s a real SOB but I gotta admit, he’s a great friend.
Tanner Swartz
Groomsman
The amount of things Tanner has done for me in the short time I’ve known him is unprecedented. He’s about to be my Brother In Law and in a lot of ways it’s felt like he already is. Tanner is strong willed, adventurous, social, and generous. He knows what he’s doing with just about anything in life, or is at least ready to learn. I can always count on him for a fun night or to tow my car in single digit weather. We took a liking to eachother right away. We’re different but similar in all the best ways.
Jacob Mulvihill
Groomsman
Jacob Michael Mulvihill. He’s a friend that will grow with you but will never not know how to have a good time. We’ve been close since high school and I’ve always seen real kinship with him. We go through a lot of the same paths in life and I look up to him in a lot of ways. He can be a goofball and is absolutely hilarious. He makes us all laugh, even if some of it is at his own expense. He never takes himself too serious though. I’m glad he’s here and I’m thankful for the memories we’ve made, and especially for the ones we’ve yet to make.
Brandon Davis
Groomsman
Brandon is the mystery of the friend group. He’s kind of a hipster but likes cars, he watches anime but loves fishing. I think that’s what makes him interesting: his wide variety of interests and styles. You can never pin him as one thing and I honestly admire that. I’ve known Brandon since 5th grade but really got to know him in high school, especially working together at the movie theater. Slinging popcorn together and hanging out into the night after our shift; those were great times. He’s goofy, sincere, and an enigma. You gotta love him.
Conner Engler
Groomsman
Conner is always cool, calm and collected. He never comes across like he’s worked up about anything, just always in his own zone. He’s got a sense of humor that is right on my wavelength too, I.E. he has an impeccable taste in memes. Just like his brother Matthew, he can fix just about anything too. I always enjoy seeing him and I know he’ll do nothing but good things in life.
Matthew Engler
Groomsman
Matthew is a brother in law I’m extremely lucky to have. He’s got strong values rooted in a moral home. He’s smart as can be and along with his brother Conner, brings a confident capability to every task he faces. He’s brutally honest but always nice, as he’s willing to help and answer any home improvement questions I have. I can’t wait to know him more through the years.
Alex Whittington
Groomsman
Alex is an always reliable friend. He has his own unique, hilarious brand of humor and an honestly fantastic sense of style that I’m quite jealous of. My earliest memories with Alex range from making our own homemade horror movies on early iPods to staying out at the park till the street lights came on. Since those days we bonded over our mutual love for Batman, pop punk, the outdoors, and a common love for adventure. I reminisce a lot about the get togethers at his house, where all of us were together, and the trips to visit him down in Springfield once he moved. He’s a friend I have deep history with and one I’m proud to know till this day.
Jarod Borem
Groomsman
There’s a feature length, amateur movie floating somewhere out there that contains a scene where a man clad only in a purple vest and underwear holds another man down to prevent him from escaping his home, after feeding him poisonous macaroni of course. That’d be me and Jarod. We met around the same time I met Austin and like Austin and I, we bonded over an intense passion for movies. Which is kind of what bonds us three together in a way. Jarod and I have had so much fun over the years making our silly projects and forming a genuine friendship. He’s an incredibly sweet, intelligent and fun loving guy who appreciates art in all its forms. I have a blast every time I get to see him and I hope he never loses sight off who he is.