Nick & Abbe
Wedding Party
Kate McCann
Matron of Honor
Kate is Abbe's first cousin, though she feels more like a sister. They dressed alike when they were little (thanks to their grandmother), made up choreographed dances with their American Girl dolls, shared cabins at camp, hiked most of the Adirondack Mountains, and celebrated becoming 46rs together. They are ringers at Thanksgiving scavenger hunts and love to sing – whether at family gatherings or at Kate's husband's band's live shows. Kate lives in Boston with her husband, Mike, and their three adorable kids.
Chris Houck
Best Man
Shortly after they first met at an Irish pub in Atlanta, Chris asked Nick if he wanted to go to a baseball game, which was a pretty good way to endear himself to Nick. Chris left shortly after to go back to Taiwan where he was living at the time, but once Chris returned to Atlanta for good, they eventually made it to a number of baseball games, comedy shows, and — most memorably — two trips to see Bruce Springsteen live. Chris lives in Atlanta with his wife, Natasha, and has one daughter, the most wonderful child in the world.
Jeffrey Wright
Man of Honor
Jeffrey is Abbe’s younger brother, co-conspirator, and best friend. Together, the two have celebrated New Year’s Eve along the Nile River, caroused with the locals in Barcelona, witnessed the Kite Festival above the National Mall in D.C., danced at Soda Pops nightclub in Bologna, Italy, and walked over 100 miles of the Camino de Santiago along the western coast of Spain with their mom, Anne. Jeff is an avid cyclist and a natty dresser. Jeff recently moved to New York City from Washington, D.C. and plans to attend a Master's program in History at NYU in the fall.
Morgan Eckley
Best Person
As siblings, Morgan and Nick's relationship dates back to Morgan's birth. While they spent a lot of their childhood disagreeing about where to go on vacation (Nick wanted to go to baseball games while Morgan was more into theme parks), the two now share a love of stand-up comedy and sneaking away from family Christmas celebrations to see a movie. Morgan is a huge reader and also has a passion for animals, as evidenced by their love for their rescue dog, Ricky. Morgan lives outside Chicago.
Alexa Lindley
Bridesmaid
Alexa and Abbe met during their freshman year at Denison University and bonded instantly, living together for the rest of their time at college. Together, Alexa and Abbe have been to the top of the Space Needle, watched a Mets/Phillies game from the team doctor's suite, and lied to the Girl Scouts of Central Ohio so they could buy sashes for a Halloween costume. Alexa is a physician in Seattle, where she lives with her husband, Kevin, and their two adorable boys.
Amanda Earl
Bridesmaid
Amanda and Abbe met when Amanda joined the 6th grade at Agnes Irwin School. They danced together for four years in high school (which thankfully counted as a sports requirement) and performed in the illustrious production, Dance Motion. They lived 2 blocks away from each other in Brooklyn for ten years and hiked up the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan together. Amanda is a doctoral candidate and is writing her dissertation, which she'll defend later this year to great acclaim.
Annie Daly
Bridesmaid
Annie and Abbe met on a press trip to Hawai'i in 2014. Abbe knew she'd found one of her people when Annie bounded down the jetty on Duke Kahanamoku Beach in Honolulu with her camera to capture the "heady sunset." They've danced to Phish at Madison Square Garden, paddled outrigger canoes alongside sea turtles, and celebrated Annie's wedding in Delhi, India in 2018. She is a freelance travel writer and lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Rahul. She published her first book in 2021 and her second hits shelves in October.
Austin Morgan
Groomsman
Austin is the person most responsible for Nick having a passport, as he talked Nick into studying abroad in China and Japan during their senior year of college in 2007. The travel didn't stop after climbing the Great Wall – they also hung out in Australia when Austin lived there for a year. Along the way, they started Doc Club, a club consisting of the two of them hanging out — either in person or over Zoom — and watching documentaries. They've watched more than 50 to date. Austin lives outside Chicago with his partner, Lynsey.
Bridget Hillery
Bridesmaid
Upon meeting at the end of sophomore year at Denison University, Abbe and Bridget were instantly inseparable, spending hours in Bridget's red Jeep driving around the cornfields of Ohio. Since living together senior year, the two have stayed in touch with yearly visits, often over Halloween. They both hate the movie "The Kissing Booth," have seen Ween in concert together at least four times, and have dined at the renowned restaurant, Charcoal Corral. Bridget is a mental health professional and lives in Buffalo, NY.
Erik
Groomsman
Erik has a unique place among Nick's friends as the person with whom Nick is most likely to seek out a local or historical oddity. The two have visited places such as Al Capone's grave, a full-size reconstruction of the set from the original "Star Trek" TV series, and the headquarters of the McDonald's corporation. Nick was in Erik's wedding in 2012, making Erik a grizzled veteran of the institution of marriage. Most recently, they reasserted their friendship by watching every movie in "The Fast & The Furious" franchise together over Zoom. Erik lives outside Chicago with his wife, Amanda.
Maria Braeckel
Bridesmaid
Maria and Abbe are book publishing colleagues. They instantly became friends in 2011 when they discovered they were both born on August 20, 1985 and they both lived in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. Since then, they've exchanged countless book recommendations, stayed up late at the National Book Awards after-party, walked circles around Brooklyn's Prospect Park, and marched in protest of George Floyd's murder. Maria lives with her husband, Conor, in the Bronx, and their adorable one-year-old son.
Mitch Stoermer
Groomsman
Nick met Mitch while working in minor league baseball, where their friendship was forged pulling the tarp onto the field during rain delays and arguing over whose turn it was to wear the raccoon mascot costume. Mitch hosted the groom and fellow groomsman Nick Selby for MLB All-Star Weekend in Cincinnati in 2015, where they saw Vlad Guerrero commit multiple crimes upon softballs during the celebrity slowpitch game. Mitch lives outside Cincinnati with his wife, Michelle, and their four girls, the four most wonderful children in the world.
Nick Ogawa
Groomsman
The groom's most talented friend (sorry, Rihanna), Nick is an accomplished musician, cork whittler, and clay thrower. After growing up in Vermont and living in New York and Vancouver, he and the groom met in Atlanta, enjoying many trips together to the greatest bar in America, the Midway Pub in East Atlanta Village. The two Nicks share an enthusiasm for the most remarkable athlete of the last century, Shohei Ohtani. Nick lives in Atlanta with his wife, Kathryn.
Nick Selby
Groomsman
Nick and Nick met each other, as well as fellow groomsman Mitch Stoermer, in 2009 while toiling away as interns with the Quad Cities River Bandits. The team was a Cardinals affiliate, which Selby, a Cardinals fan, found to be a perk of the job, while the groom, a Cubs fan, did not. The two would eventually go on to co-host a podcast about the Cubs and Cardinals that, at times, had as many as four listeners. Nick now lives in Eldridge, Iowa, with his wife, Britt, and has one daughter, the most wonderful child in the world.
Nick Shepkowski
Groomsman
Nick and the groom were roommates at North Central College, once leaving the light on all night because both were too stubborn to get up and turn it off. Despite arriving at college with plans to teach, Nick S. — or Shep — joined the campus radio station along with the groom so others could hear them complain about the Cubs. Shep found his calling in radio, eventually spending 15 years at Chicago's top sports radio station. Nick lives outside Chicago with his wife, Ashley, and has one daughter, the most wonderful child in the world.
Winnie Most
Bridesmaid
Abbe met Winnie when she started at the Agnes Irwin School in 5th grade. After college, Abbe joined Winnie in New York, where they both lived for over a decade, including a year sharing an apartment. Together, they've traveled to Amsterdam, sailed on Long Island Sound, and cheered on runners during New York City Marathons. Born only two weeks apart, they've had more joint birthday parties than they can count. Winnie lives in South Orange, NJ with her husband, Colin, and their adorable two-year-old daughter.