Lauren & Christian
Wedding Party
Alina Pangle
Maid of Honor
Alina and I go all the way back. She is my oldest friend except Kristen of course. We met in the 4th grade when Mrs. Hillary asked me to show around the new girl. Little did we know, we were also neighbors that turned in to best friends and now partners in crime for life. We were inseparable all the way through high school. Alina, my dad and I went on every spring break together except for one. Alina and Christian get a long really well and share the love of a good vodka based beverage. Usually if the three of us are somewhere, they will be together at the bar. This photo is us our senior year of high school when we were linebackers for our powderpuff team.
Kristen Voyvodich
Bridesmaid
"Baby Cousin" as I like to call Kristen is actually taller than me, which is unusual for me. When we were little we spent a lot of time on our grandparents farm dressing and making up plays or dances. I think we even tried to have a sale once to sell things from the barn. Kristen and I became very close after she moved in with Christian and I for some time while she adjusted to moving to DC. We spent a lot of time drinking wine on the couch and alternating who fell asleep first. We are still trying to convince her to move to Arizona. Christian misses his TV show buddy especially when I am out of town.
Ashley Martin
Bridesmaid
I will never forget the day that I met Ashley. We were both in HR at the Hilton New York. She was transferring from a property in Miami and I was staring my first day of my first job out of college. We started chatting and it and I knew I wanted to be friends. We ended up working in the same department and we had so many amazing New York nights and we could write a novel with all of our wild stories. Years later I followed her to DC and we were also roommates. We were roomies during her first date with her now husband Tim and she with Christian and I. We love Ashley so much and are so thrilled she will be a part of our wedding! We LOVE to wear themed somewhat hand made costumes for Halloween! This photo of us was one year in Baltimore: Bunny/Carrot.
Mary Czaplewski
Bridesmaid
Mary and I met in middle school. Mary was a part of a group of girls that "adopted" Alina and I. We all had so many fun and times together. I remember being devastated when she had to move to Northern Michigan with her mom, but she came back for one year and we were able to go see her too. We remained the best of friends and is someone that I always count on and call when I need advice. Mary is the kind of friend that will drive to the airport to meet you for coffee on a layover. Mary and Christian have not met yet because usually when I am in Chicago to visit I am alone or there for work but they have virtually bonded over teaching struggles during a pandemic! This photo was on her wedding day where we did a bridesmaids album cover. We had so much fun that weekend!
Lisa Fishman
Bridesman
Lisa and I met at AIPAC in DC. We started around the same time and bonded about being new and clueless about a new city and workplace. We shared a cubicle wall and bonded quickly. We became roommates for a year in DC and she was the most thoughtful roommate. During late nights when she knew I would work until 2am with no stopping for food she would bring me an amazing dinner in bed because she knew I was too stressed. On vacation, we managed to survive Cuba together with no cell phones! Lisa is one of my only friends on the West Coast, so its fun to go back between LA and Phoenix or whatever national park we decide to meet in! Lisa and Christian and I have many Zion meet ups in our future with our dogs! This photo is of us in our DC Apt with 2 of our three cats Charlotte and Samantha.
Daniel Allen
Best Man
Daniel is my little brother and childhood best frenemy. On any given day we were best friends having a great time playing in the yard, hosting stuffed animal basketball games, or controlling an epic warzone of He-Man vs. Transformers. We were also great at beating the heck out of each other and torturing one-another in inventive ways. Holding stuffed animals’ hostage, bedroom football, and Gremlin noises once the lights went out in our room are just a few that I can remember off the top of my head. As adults we have rarely lived in the same area of the country, but his move to Colorado excitingly put him within driving distance for visits. The picture you see of us is from a hike we did in Colorado last year. That week we summited three “fourteeners”. Looking forward to the next one!
Brandon LoMonaco
Groomsman
Brandon (LoMo) and I became co-workers in 2014, bonding over our shared passion of yelling at children and hanging out in locker rooms. Over the next 4 years we worked side-by-side, went back to school together, and attended numerous sporting events. LoMo recently relocated to California. He says it was for a job, but I am pretty sure he just wanted to be closer to me. Either way, I am glad to have him close-ish so we can explore the west coast together. The picture is from our adventure into the Grand Canyon. Easily one of my favorite weekends of all-time.