Wedding Party
Jack Silberman
Best Man
Jack and Mike first met in pre-school when they were three years old, and have been best friends ever since. They played on almost every sports team together growing up, many of which were coached by both of their dads. 27 years later, Mike, Jack, and their families remain incredibly close. Jack lives in Chicago with his wife Jasmin, who Mike loves practicing his German with!
Brian Frey
Groomsman
Brian and Mike met in college at Marquette University is Milwaukee, WI. Brian was one of Mike's first friends in college and lived next door to Mike their freshman year. The two lived together their junior year and coincidentally both moved to DC after graduation. Even now, they still live just two blocks away from one another in Navy Yard. Mike and Brian share a love of music and video games which keeps them close to this day.
David Luepke
Groomsman
David and Mike met in high school during their freshman year in Deerfield, IL. They quickly bonded over their mutual love and passion for cars. Their friendship continued through college where they both attended Marquette University. Dave remains one of Mike’s oldest friends. Dave and his wife Kristen live in Chicago and just welcomed their first child, Addi!
Ryan Mandel
Groomsman
Ryan and Mike first met at Kipling Elementary in Deerfield, IL. They lived in the same neighborhood and played on many of the same sports teams growing up. They have been close friends since middle school and share a mutual love of music and sports. Ryan and his wife Marlo live in Chicago and are the best dog parents to the good boy, Charlie Beans.
Joey Miller
Groomsman
Joey and Mike first met in Kindergarten in Mrs. Axelrod's class. The two played travel baseball together for most of their lives and grew up in nearby neighborhoods. Even in adulthood, they have continued to live in proximity to one another as they now live in the same apartment building in DC, just 5 floors apart. They have always shared a love of music and sports which keeps them close to this day.
Steve Rebeiro
Groomsman
Steve and Mike met during their freshman year of college. Steve was one of Mike's first friends at Marquette University and they lived across the hall from each other in their freshman dorm building. Steve and Mike remained best friends throughout college and now live just a few states apart on the east coast. Steve, now an employee at HBO, is perpetually trying to get Mike to expand his tv repertoire beyond The Office, to little success. Steve and his wife Juliana live in Connecticut and just welcomed their first baby boy, Leo.
Ben Steinhafel
Groomsman
Ben and Mike met in college at Marquette University. Though they shared several political science classes together and crossed paths on campus over the years, it wasn't until they both moved to DC that they became great friends. Their love of skiing, the outdoors, and politics continues to grow their friendship to this day. Ben and his wife Kelly live in Alexandria, VA.
Amanda Motley
Co-Maid of Honor
Amanda and Katie met at a bible study in 2018 shortly after moving to DC to begin their careers in politics. Both new to the city, they shared a mutual love of exploring on foot and quickly became walking buddies. Thanks to their Apple watches, they calculated that they have walked an estimated 2.2 million steps together over the course of their friendship! They share a mutual love of baking, shopping, Friday movie date nights, and exploring their beloved Capitol Hill neighborhood. Amanda is one of the most kind-hearted people in Katie's life and she couldn't imagine her life in DC without her!
Hannah Kunasek
Co-Maid of Honor
Hannah and Katie were seated next to each other at a brunch in 2017 and became fast friends. Hannah was one of Katie's first friends in DC and the two have “grown up” together in the city. While job opportunities (and now law school) have taken Hannah out of DC for periods of time, she never lets her friendships in DC suffer and always makes an effort to get back to the city as much as possible. Katie often remarks that it feels like Hannah never moves away, even when she does. The two share a mutual love of horses and take advantage of every opportunity to go riding together.
Hannah Colbeck
Bridesmaid
Hannah and Katie were destined to be friends forever after sharing a dorm room during their freshman year of college at TCU. They often joke that they "online dated" the summer before freshman year when they randomly stumbled across each other's profile on the "TCU Class of 2017" Facebook group. They lived together for two years at TCU and had one of the best decorated freshman dorm rooms (in their opinion). They share a love of horses, country music, travel, and California pinots. Hannah is a hilarious, smart, and deeply loyal friend. She and Katie share over a decade of memories together and look forward to going on more couples trips with Mike and Hannah's husband, Alex (just no skiing this time, ok??).
Jake Larson
Bridesmaid
Katie and Jake met in 2015 while on a trip to DC as part of a student leadership program. Always drawn to the world of politics, they were reunited in DC when they both interned there one summer in college. While Katie moved to DC after graduation, Jake pursued graduate degrees (plural!) but often found herself back in DC for internships over the summer. Finally in 2023, Jake moved to DC permanently and the two have been inseparable ever since! Jake is the kind of friend who is always thinking of ways to love and celebrate others. She also became fast friends with Mike and could be considered an honorable Groomsman as well!
Emily Oswald
Bridesmaid
Emily and Katie met in college and are both proud TCU graduates (go Frogs)! They bonded over their love of TCU and were active in student organizations together. While their friendship has been long distance since graduation, Emily always makes an effort to get together at least twice a year, often organizing TCU friend group reunions or making the 7 hour drive down to DC to visit for a weekend. She is immensely kind, generous, and talented - in fact, she was the one who designed the Save the Dates for Mike and Katie's wedding! Emily is also a fellow Francophile and shares Katie's love of wine tasting, cooking, and watching re-runs of Emily in Paris.
Sonja Paige Simank
Bridesmaid
Sonja Paige, Paige, or "Silks" as Katie calls her (she has many nicknames), is one of Katie's oldest and dearest friends. Paige's dad was in the military, and the two met in high school in Pacific Grove, CA when Paige moved there during her sophomore year. They were best friends almost instantly. They spent almost every moment of high school together, running together on the track and cross country teams, participating in student government, and taking the same AP classes. When it was time to head off to college, they even remained in the same state as Katie went to TCU in Fort Worth and Paige went to UT in Austin, TX. Paige now lives in Santa Monica, but the two remain close despite their bi-coastal friendship. They share a mutual love of ice cream, Gilmore Girls, and long walks.
Mickey Sundermann
Bridesmaid
Mickey and Katie met briefly in college through a Big XII Conference (Katie went to TCU, Mickey went to ISU), and the two were reunited in DC in 2018. They were in a Bible study together for many years and became even closer during the pandemic when they would work together from a coffee shop while their offices were closed (honorable mention to Buffalo & Bergen and Union Kitchen). Mickey is the kind of friend who makes everyone feel special and celebrated, often taking the lead in planning birthday parties, holiday gatherings, and weekly Sunday dinners for the friend group. Katie and Mickey also share a love of Paris, and even got to travel there together in 2023.