Nicole & Kyle
Wedding Party
Christina Cardy
Matron of Honor
Christina and Nicole met in kindergarten and have been inseparable ever since. Often mistaken as sisters or cousins, they share many similar interests including cooking and baking, athletics, travel, healthcare, and cute fluffy animals. Christina facilitated and chaperoned one of NiKyle’s first official hangouts, carefully assessing his personal character, professional potential, and chiseled jawline to ensure that he was a suitable match for her best friend. Nicole was Christina’s Maid of Honor in 2017 and Christina is so excited and honored to be able to return the favor. Christina and her husband, Jeff, live in Tampa, Florida with their cat, Princess Charlotte.
Sam McGrath
Best Man
Sam met Kyle freshman year at Brown during the struggle of pre-season football. They discovered that they were separated in age by one day (Sam is older and thus wiser) and partook in many shenanigans (trip to Cornell, parade in Newport, and several visits to a small town in Nevada). They lived together and continued to create inside jokes (you had to be there). Their fathers played each other in football, and Sam's father recruited Kyle to Brown. Kyle was Sam's honorary best man and is the Godfather (not like the movie) to his daughter, Rosie. Sam lives in Durham, NC with his wife, Abby, daughters, Rosemary and Elaine, and their dog, Mookie. Sam met Nicole at Brown as well and was thrilled to discover the two had begun dating after college, knowing how great of a fit this match would be.
Juliana van Hoeven
Bridesmaid
When Juli first met Greg's sister, Nicole, the meeting confirmed that, somehow, everyone in the Abdo family truly is kind, brilliant, and personable, to boot. Kyle fits in with the bunch perfectly. Between Kyle and Nicole, there is nothing the two can’t do. They make for a couple that can offer up delectable smoked meats (Kyle) and incomparable desserts (Nicole); inflict bodily harm by way of jiu jitsu (Kyle – in an entirely safe and controlled environment, of course) and put you right back together (Nicole); and recommend extreme travel adventures but also a good book for a quiet afternoon. It’s been a joy to watch them fall in love and grow their relationship, and Juli is so looking forward to celebrating at their wedding!
Gregory Abdo
Groomsman
As Nicole’s older brother, Greg is taking his imagined role of “Wedding Emperor” extremely seriously, having dedicated himself to his only tasks of showing up to the wedding and writing this bio. This is his third appearance on the internet, and he is excited about adding another Google search result to his name. While Greg has, thus far, declined to fight Kyle in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu battle, it is not because Kyle is 6’4” and well-trained, but mostly just out of love. Greg resides in Philadelphia where he is tolerated by his amazing fiancé, Juli.
Jessica Hedden
Bridesmaid
Jess is Kyle's older sister and biggest cheerleader. She likes to think she paved the way for Kyle in his earlier years, starting with their days together in Catholic school all the way to his stint living in Colorado and his travels abroad. She knew Kyle had found someone truly special when, while on a liveaboard scuba trip at the Great Barrier Reef, he uncharacteristically insisted on borrowing her mobile phone to keep in touch with Nicole, who he had just started dating. She has since been lucky enough to spend lots of time traveling with Kyle and Nicole as a couple, and she not so secretly hopes that they someday move out to Denver, where she currently lives with her husband, Steve, their two cats, Beverly and Fizzgig, and their dog, Ruthie.
Stephen Hedden
Groomsman
When his brother is killed in a robbery, Steve takes his place in a mission in the distant world of Pandora. There, he learns of greedy, corporate Parker Selfridge's intentions of driving off the native humanoid "Na'vi" in order to mine for the precious material scattered throughout their rich woodland. In exchange for spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Steve learns about the indigenous culture, the military cooperation spearheaded by gung-ho Colonel Quaritch, and infiltrates the Na'vi people with the use of an "avatar" identity. While Steve bonds with the native tribe and falls in love with the beautiful alien, Neytiri, the restless Colonel proceeds with his ruthless extermination tactics, forcing the soldier to take a stand and retaliate in an epic battle for the fate of Pandora.