Marshall & Kate
Wedding Party
Caroline Wildman
Maid of Honor
I first met Caroline in 1994 and I had a really bad first impression of her, as I was only on board with the whole sister thing because she was billed as my playmate and I realized right away what a sham that was because she couldn't do anything but lay on the ground and cry. Over the next few years she made up for our bad meeting and quickly became the brunt of all of my jokes and the boys in every one of our games. She's one of the funniest people I know (our father would argue he is, but we know better) and is the first Wildman to ever be addressed on an envelope as "Dr." which basically makes me explode with pride. She and the next bridesmaid are going to duke it out in the arena for the title of maid of honor, but until one of them kills the other she is holding the title of co-maid.
Gage Nordlof
Best Man
Gage and I couldn't be more opposite in almost every way. It's improbable that we would have become friends, let alone roommates (twice), yet here we are. We became friends on our way to a fake party in College, where Gage made a joke from the movie "Hot Rod" and I was the only person in a group of strangers to laugh. From there, Gage has become a source of humor and grounding in my life. It's been amazing to see him change and grow over the last few years as he's gotten married and become a father, but never forget despite the newfound maturity he's still is the person I share the infamous "Sock Story" with.
Julia Wildman
Maid of Honor
I first met Julia in 1998 and I've been terrified of her ever since. I knew right away she would up the drama quotient in the family significantly, and since then she's been interrupting conversations to do animal impressions, crying in a pile of trophies because she isn't sure how to find self-worth outside annihilating competition in speech meets, and casually getting perfect test scores even though she forgot the test was happening. She's one of the smartest people I know (our father would argue he is, but we know better) and if grandma has her way she's going to own a bowling alley when she graduates next year. She and previous bridesmaid are going to duke it out in the arena for the title of maid of honor, but until one of them kills the other she is holding the title of co-maid.
Chas Baron
Groomsman
Chas has been a close friend of mine since high school when we were signed up as workout partners for a friend's school project. He's the one to go to for whiskey knowledge, movie quotes, and updates about the latest technology. We've been through a lot together: from camping for 8 hours in an alleyway for Nintendo Wiis to renting the most absurd movies we could from Blockbuster (in order to make fun of them, obviously), Chas is consistently one of the funniest people I know and best to be around.
Lauren Kelly
Bridesmaid
I resented Lauren for a while before I actually met her because her aunt is friends with my mom and I don't like to follow directions, so when I was told Lauren was going to be in my class at Wheaton and that I HAD to be her friend I immediately hated her. She redeemed herself by judging the physical prowess of the men's basketball team and quoting most of a Very Potter Musical to me, and we've been inseparable ever since. She's the most hospitable person ever and the one I'd go to both if I ever murdered someone and needed a level head to tell me what to do with the body, as well as if I ever had a mid-life crisis and needed a basement in which to crash. And she's the person I can best communicate with telepathically. Also I was in her wedding so I kind of had to make her a bridesmaid.
Alex Hildebrandt
Groomsman
Alex is the person I talk about when I need to impress other people, since he's one of the only two triathletes that I know (the other being his wife). Alex constantly impresses his friends with his athleticism and depresses everyone else when he talks about being a Vegan (I mean, come on. How healthy can you be?!) His sarcasm and wit are never-ending, and you can always rely on him to cut someone down if their ego gets too big. He's a great friend and confidant, and someone who is always up for the next adventure.
Elise Lindquist
Bridesmaid
I can't exactly remember how Elise and I met, but I think it was at a mutual friend's house and I'm pretty sure we bonded over a mutual love of Starbi, which was a term we used to pluralize Starbucks and that promptly made all of my friends immediately hate Elise (sorry Elise) (they came around soon after). We were camp counselors together for a summer, which essentially means we are family, and we were roommates until Andrew swept her away in marriage (not that I'm bitter). She is my car dancing partner, illicit activity buddy, voice of reason, and the person who both hates all the same things I do and the person who laughs at all of my stupid jokes the most (aka my favorite kind of person). Also I was in her wedding so I kind of had to make her a bridesmaid.
Taylor Cochran
Groomsman
Taylor and I met in Archaeology class in college and quickly became close friends after learning about our shared experience in YoungLife. Little did we know, we'd actually end up creating YoungLife at DePaul (without officially telling YoungLife we had done so) (ask for forgiveness, not permission) or that we'd end up living together, working together at Groupon, and remaining close through the crazy twists and turns of life. There are countless Youtube videos documenting our shenanigans and proving that Taylor has been a constant friend and brother to me. I'm thrilled to have him stand beside my at my wedding, especially since he'll be traveling from Uganda, where he currently works.
Lauren Gross
Bridesmaid
Lauren is the person who has had the privilege of living with me the longest, meaning that Lauren is the person who probably is going to be sainted when she gets to heaven. She has come a long way in terms of the foods she eats since I've known her (chocolate chips! bananas!) and is maybe the only person I know who can pull off a scarf as a shirt. She's always, always up for adventure (sometimes she says yes to things before I think she's actually heard what I've said), she's probably lifted you up in prayer before, and she's the most faithful communicator I've ever met in my life and calls me (and about 1,000 other of her friends) weekly or writes letters without fail.
Gyorgy Mandy
Groomsman
Gyorgy is another one of my high school friends. Even though he's from Hungary, and I'm from everywhere else, it's always felt like I've known him forever. He's got the pulse on all things video games, is always up for trying new things, and has more side projects than anyone I've ever met (seriously, ask him about the Starbucks gift card reseller market). He's kind, generous, and incredibly loyal - even when I don't know what he's working on (or if he disappears for 4 hours in the Bahamas). I can't even begin to count the number of stories that begin with "The one time Gyorgy did"....
Lauren Laughlin
Bridesmaid
Yes, it's true, I have three blonde Laurens in my wedding and clearly have a type when it comes to friends. This Lauren is the reason I stayed sane when I moved to Seattle, and watched my relationship with Marshall unfold from the beginning (she stalked him on Instagram and determined he was going to be a major bust before I met him, and she's also the one who determined he wasn't actually a bust after we met him and took our first picture together). When Marshall first met her, he said, "how did you two find each other?" She's my drinking buddy, workout partner, culture twin, therapist, and the person who feeds me on a regular basis. She's also probably the reason I didn't move back to Chicago after my first 6 months in Seattle, so she may be hated by the people I ruthlessly abandoned?
Elliott Laughlin
Groomsman
Kate was the first non-work person I met in Seattle, and Elliott was the second (well, I guess his wife might have been, but I like the way I described it better). He's high energy, faith-driven, and incredibly loyal. I spend countless hours with Elliott (and his dog) eating dinners, rolling eyes at our significant others' puns, and talking about the next best Jason Statham movie. Elliott has been a huge part of both Kate and my lives in Seattle, and continues to be a constant source of encouragement and humor for us and no doubt will continue to do so for years to come.
Brittany Houck
Bridesmaid
Brittany is Marshall's sister and, as tradition would tell you, is about to be mine as well. Her job is very hard to explain to grandparents, and from what I can gather she is a train conductor (in case it wasn't abundantly clear, that's not *entirely* accurate, but it's what I have determined is truth and, therefore, is). Regardless, she lives in Morocco (which every USPS worker has tried to tell me wasn't actually a thing) and puts the rest of the world to shame by having a better command of the six languages she learned in her free time between ultramarathons than you have over English. In sum, she's probably one of the most interesting people I've ever met, she's already annoyed by me (meaning we're well on our way to being sisters), and she's a Rollercoaster Tycoon.
Chris Houck
Groomsman
Chris is my brother from another mother (literally, he's my brother in law) . He's been a rock-steady source of confidence for my sister, is a globetrotting adventurer, and has been a great friend to me. I've known Chris for 12 years and have not met another person who is quite as skilled at all athletic feats. From golf (which he plays professionally) (you heard right) to yard games like Can Jam, Chris will beat me and everyone else at all of the sports (but, that being said - I can still beat him in Halo!)