Wedding Party
Njyhalo Pavati
Groom
Njyhalo is the kind of person who makes everyone feel like they’ve known him forever. Funny, charming, and genuinely kind, he never meets a stranger, and always finds a way to bring out the best in the people around him. He has an effortless ability to make others feel seen, supported, and celebrated. We have a "Bluetooth connection", no one really gets me like he does. He is truly my best friend, travel buddy and the hot, long haired, tattooed bartender. To me he makes the ordinary days seem special. Being by his side feels like being part of something strong, steady, and full of purpose. We work as a team in the truest sense, and I’ve never felt more proud to have built something like this. Njyhalo brings out a softer, more open version of me — someone who loves harder, laughs louder, and grows with every step we take together. He’s the reason I now follow football and can "talk ball". He’s got strong opinions on beer, apples, and grocery stores (Wegmans forever). He’s an EDM enthusiast & master of the perfect snack haul. He’s also taken on the unofficial title of my life “manager,” and honestly? He’s crushing it. Njyhalo is my safe place. He was all in when I wanted to foster kittens, didn’t blink at becoming a step dog and cat dad, or any other random hobby I pick up. His steady love and constant encouragement have changed my life — and I can’t wait to build the rest of our lives together. Hopefully with few more four legged friends along the way.
Madi Gillespie
Bride
I think I started to fall for Madi as early as our first date when I first saw her face. Her captivating smile pulled me in and never let go. Madi is one of the kindest people I've ever met. One of her many positive attributes that stand out to me is the way she treats others. Whether you're a close friend or a total stranger, Madi is warm and authentic with everyone she interacts with. She has excellent taste in music spanning multiple genres from rap to EDM to indie and more. Madi also has an incredibly tender heart that is reflected in her love for animals and fostering kittens. Talking with Madi has always been natural and easy. From the very start, she's given me the space to be my authentic self around her which has allowed us to get to know each other on a deeper level. Seeing her name pop up on my phone still makes me smile every time and I think we've texted every single day since the day I got her number over seven years ago. Madi is incredibly smart and is always working to be her best self. We've grown so much over the years and I am so grateful for the intentionality she pours into our relationship. She is my best friend, my number one fan, my calm in a storm, my wild night out. I am genuinely so excited to continue to explore, grow, and love one another. Somehow spending the rest of our lives together still doesn't seem like enough time with her. I'll love you in this life and the next and the next and the next. My love bug forever.
Colby Gerth
Man of Honor
Colby and I met during my freshman year at Eastern Illinois University, when fate (and Greek Week pairings) brought my sorority and his fraternity together. That was the beginning of a friendship that's lasted over a decade. By day, Colby is a talented dentist; by night, he’s a part-time model and the life of every party. He has an uncanny ability to read any situation (or person) like a book and is always the first to bring the fun. Some of my favorite memories include his visits to Nashville to hang out with “mom and dad,” Jeep cruises that turned into adventures, and those late-night study sessions at our favorite college desk, where we were more likely to laugh than actually study. I’m so grateful to have him by my side today—not just as my Man of Honor, but as one of my best friends.
Kat Burke
Matron of Honor
Kat and I met during my freshman year at Eastern Illinois University, thanks to Greek Week and a little bit of luck—she was already friends with Colby, and I was lucky enough to get adopted into their circle. It didn’t take long before we were friends. In the early days of our friendship, Kat would color my hair (bless her), and we’d take endless drives through Charleston’s backroads—windows down, music up, and not a care in the world. The summer of 2015? Pure magic. Endless laughs, late nights, and memories I’ll never forget. Kat is the realest of the real—my hype woman, my sounding board, and the one person I know will always give it to me straight. She’s a phenomenal mom, a hairstylist, and one of the most driven people I know. If she sets her mind to something, it’s happening. Having her by my side means everything—because no one knows me (or hypes me) quite like Kat does.
Madeline Brennan-Levine
Bridesmaid
We met within the first few days of living in Nashville—at our apartment pool. Njyhalo and I noticed a group with cool tattoos and colorful hair, and we instantly agreed, “Yep, those are our people.” After a few beers, we decided to introduce ourselves, and before we knew it, we were heading to dinner with what were basically drunk strangers. One of the best decisions Njyhalo and I made. Since then, Maddie’s been an essential part of our “throuple”—from road trips to music festivals, countless shared meals, tons of movie nights, and our late-night hangs at the house. What I love most about Maddie is how she’s always down for anything—whether it's gossiping about Bravo shows, sharing laughs over a glass of wine, or just spending time together. She’s the most loyal, generous friend you could ask for and has never once made me question our friendship. She goes above and beyond to show both me and Njyhalo how much she cares—and we love her for it. Maddie’s an avid reader, an amazing cook, and a proud dog mom. I feel so lucky to have her by my side today—and every day.
Angus Stewart
Best Man
Angus and I met in middle school in Southern Oregon and quickly became close friends. Most weekends you could find us riding our bikes around town, playing in Lithia Park, enjoying all nighter sleepovers playing video games, and causing general chaos throughout the town of Ashland. Angus is one of my oldest friends and is an outstanding chef, an absolute demon in FIFA, and (like myself) is also a degenerate sports gambler. Even though I moved from the west coast to the east coast in 2007, we've still maintained our friendship through frequent conversations about sports (specifically the Oregon Ducks) and fantasy football. As we've both grown older, we have grown closer in friendship despite living in different time zones. Angus is one of the funniest people I've ever met and a genuine friend. I'm so grateful to have kept our friendship going strong after I left Oregon and am thrilled to have him by my side on my wedding day.
Brett Stokoe
Groomsman
Brett and I met during the first month of college as freshman at Nazareth during an intramural flag football tournament. We ran in similar circles but didn't really become close until senior year where our friendship really took off. We bonded over a love of sports (both watching and playing), Halo, and our ability to absolutely gas beers. After graduation, Brett and I (along with some other friends) moved in together and started creating life-long memories throwing parties, going on trips, and elaborately decorating our home for the holidays. One of my favorite memories with Brett was working out together at the Nazareth gym to get, "as big as the ocean and as hot as the sand". We've taken trips together to many locations like NYC, Boston, Cleveland, and our infamous spring break trip to Daytona Beach. Brett has an absolutely infectious laugh and is always fun to be around. "LET'S GO!"
Chase Cooper
Groomsman
I met Chase about 48 hours after moving to Nashville. After spending all weekend moving and unpacking, Madi and I decided to spend our Memorial Day at the apartment pool. While sitting on opposite ends of the pool, we noticed their group full of cool tattoos and dyed hair and thought, "we gotta go make friends with those people". We worked up the courage to go introduce ourselves which led to a very drunken dinner together that night at a nearby burger joint. Since then we've created fun memories together watching sports, playing video games, becoming season ticket holders for Nashville SC, sky-diving in Florida, and many many nights at concerts and stand-up comedy shows in Nashville. Chase is an incredible friend who is always down to clown. I still can't believe my luck that I was able to make such an awesome friend so quickly after moving to a new city. Making friends as an adult can be a huge challenge and Chase quickly welcomed us into their friend group with open arms and I will be forever grateful for that.
Nick Gilbert
Groomsman
Nick and I met each other while we were working for Enterprise and happened to get placed in the same office. I had just graduated college and Nick was completing a summer internship before returning to Buffalo for his senior year of school. We quickly discovered we were both Broncos fans and our friendship was off and running. After Nick graduated, he ended up moving in with some of my close friends from college and easily integrated into our friend group. We shared great memories together enjoying parties at our house on Barrington, watching Game of Thrones, and absolutely sending it during the summers on Seneca Lake. After I moved from Rochester to Knoxville in September 2017, Nick made a trip down to visit me the following February as I tried to persuade him to move south. Lucky for me, Nick decided to take the leap and we moved in together in in the Spring of 2018. While I had prepared myself to move to a place where I knew nobody, having a friend to share the experience with was incredible. We were SEC season ticket holders and even "sail-gated" with the Vol Navy (though Nick was cheering on the Gators); explored cities throughout the south like Nashville, Atlanta, and Charlotte. I'm so lucky to share this special day with my "grand pal"!