Wedding Party
Ariel Nissan
Bridesmaid
I could not have asked for a better little sister than this girl. She knew I was her big well before I had any idea she was my little but it was love from first Todaro's calzone. From empty movie theaters where they forgot to even start the film, to freezing our assess off for nearly every event I've ever been to Boston for, we are always down to see what kind of food we can sneak in in a purse. From 2008 until now it's been an amazing ride together, and I hope it never ends.
Vanessa Forero
Bridesmaid
It started as coworkers but it soon became friends. From keeping the lights on in the southeast to trying to tell the waitress I wanted toe fungus in my crepe it is never boring when we are together. There have been many shenanigans but there has also been groundbreaking change achieved together through the founding of Open Minds the Mental Health and Neurodiversity employee resource group at Duke Energy. I am sad to see our chapter as coworkers come to an end, but it is certainly not the end of our story together.
Tracy Kuhlkin
Bridesmaid
I always wanted to be one of the cool kids, and man was Tracy one of the cool kids in yoga teacher training. She encourages me to push boundaries, get outside my comfort zone, and never settle for less than I deserve. We have jumped off water falls together, survived a sweat lodge journey, and traveled far and wide. Tracy is the life of any party and one of my favorite traveling companions. May there be many more trips in our future.
Nicolette Shoop
Bridesmaid
I didn't know that I needed such a compassionate and kind soul in my life until I met Nicolette. She always shows me that I need to love myself first, to be kind and gentle to myself always, to never stop working on myself, and not to diminish my shine for anyone. Yoga teacher training brought us into each other's lives but the choice to stay has been one of the best I've made. The work of yoga is never done, and I hope we continue on that path together, Satsang.
Clayton Griswold
Flower Person
While we attended Clemson at the same time and ran in very similar circles we did not meet at Clemson and that is a shame. We did get to meet in Charlotte through one of Clay's coworkers playing on my house soccer team. Once we met we were Clemson friends for life. Clay is my best ride or die and always goes along with shenanigans I suggest, from doing yoga with giant inflatable bunnies, to partying in the Dominican Republic, to skiing around poised to take pictures of our proposal all day in icy conditions. I am so thankful to have such a kind and generous spirit in my life and I know the memories we have together are just the start to all the double date shenanigans in our future.
Alex Lebeau
Groomsman
I would never have guessed that being called out of class by my 4th grade teacher would lead to a better friendship than I could ever have hoped. Through years, multiple moves, college and at times thousands of miles, seeing each other always felt like not a day had passed since we last hung out. Always someone I could confide in and compete with and everything in between. It's been an amazing ride through all the highs and lows and long may it continue.
Matt O'Neal
Groomsman
The younger of my older brothers and for years the one I chased after in every sport or competition imaginable. The neighborhood had quite the crew of guys his age and he was the about the only one dealing with a much younger brother tagging along. While we definitely had our fights....okay a lot of fights....Matt was always the only person allowed to mess with me and he made sure everyone knew that part. A lot of what I became as an athlete and the work ethic behind it I can attribute largely to chasing a brother that seemed to be good at them all. As the years went by and I was able to become more of an equal the brotherly rivalry turned into a close friendship. Living together as kids was a challenge, but living and working together as adults was easy and fun. I look forward to many more years of finding my best clothes magically in your closet brother.
Charlie O'Neal
Groomsman
If Matt was the brother that messed with me, Charlie was the only protector I could find. Whether or not I brought it on myself (i usually had) I knew that making it to wherever Charlie was meant sanctuary. Music is also an ever constant thing when he is around, from years of marching band practices and all the instruments in it, to the electric guitar and all the bands. He was the major force behind shaping what my musical tastes became. Years went by and now getting to see each other means conversations about the physics and engineering of music, astrophysics, or whatever the cutting edge research has been showing recently. Seeing Charlie and the talks that come with it has become something to really look forward to on my trips home. Hopefully we can also finally work on a few of the many projects we have long been discussing.
Steven Dulin
Groomsman
Cousins doesn't begin to cover the relationship between Steven and I. He was one of my first real friends and who I looked forward to seeing on all the family trips as children. The years went by but I always looked forward to the chances we got to see each other and hang out. From growing up together, to living together in grad school with two chairs, a card table, and the worlds worst futon to our names, we always celebrated the small pleasures (like our shared rice cooker). All of the good and bad times from springmade mountain to UNC Charlotte are times I will never forget and helped me along my path to being the person I am today and I could not be happier to have him beside me on this occasion as well.