Leah & Brad
Wedding Party
Emi Passini
Maid of Honor
Emi and Leah met in middle school when Leah moved to Wisconsin. Being alphabetically close, they became locker buddies- to later learn they lived in the same neighborhood! They remained friends throughout high school- watching Say Yes to the Dress together on weekends, college (Emi playing soccer for University of South Alabama and Leah at University of Wisconsin), law school (at UW) for Emi and med school (in Kentucky) for Leah, and a brief time together in Milwaukee before both moving away.
Jill Theobald (aka JT)
Bridesmaid
JT and Leah technically first met when Leah was a med student on an away rotation at MCW, but actually met as attending and resident. They realized they ran a similar pace and distance so when they got put on COVID quarantine together at the beginning of the pandemic, they decided to go for a run together. Things went well and they've been running together since (though less now that Leah moved out of Madison, to everyones displeasure), including a half marathon a month since October 2020!
Melodie Blackmon
Bridesmaid
Mel and Leah met on their KYCOM class of 2018 Facebook page prior to the start of med school, having excessively ridiculous conversations about which iPad stylus was best. Mel was, in fact, the first classmate Leah talked to. They became great friends during med school, sharing a love of candy and flashcards. They would spend their days together second year studying at Leah's apartment, and watching lectures (the ones that didn't really matter) Chromecasted on to the TV while drinking adult beverages to celebrate the weekend. (Thankfully, they made it through those dark days.)
Ally Esch
Bridesmaid
Ally and Leah met as coresidents at MCW in summer 2018 and quickly became friends as two of the only three girls in their class. Ally and Leah shared their Trauma rotation in June 2019 and, if you don't know anything about trauma, the saying "suns out, guns out" has quite a bit of truth behind it. Together, they made it through what felt like endless hours at the hospital. After graduation, Ally and Leah shared long commutes to their new jobs, but got to talk on the phone quite a bit (even sometimes at the ungodly hour of 4:30 AM.) Fortunately, Ally is done with her long commute!
Kristin Lipanot
Bridesmaid
Kristin and Leah originally met at an away rotation in Peoria, IL in July 2017 when they both stayed in the same house. Their time got a bit more personal when they later discovered a bedbug infestation and they moved into a never-quite-dry hotel room together (along with Leah's bike trainer.) They became great friends as coresidents after they were both fortunate enough to match at MCW. Kristin, Ally, and Leah stay in touch with a nearly constant text thread and occasional three-way FaceTime dates.
Paul Umnus
Best Man
Paul and Brad met in high school.
Carl Nelson
Groomsman
Carl and Brad met in college.
Kevin Schell
Groomsman
Kevin and Brad met in college.
Matt Stearns
Groomsman
Matt and Brad met in college.
Nate Otto
Groomsman
Nate and Brad are brothers.