Sam & Kelsey
Wedding Party
Ashleigh Caison
Maid of Honor
Searching for the smartest person at the wedding? Look no further than the maid of honor. She may have taken time off from sending a rocket to Mars to be part of the wedding (she’s a propulsion engineer for Boeing, meaning yes, she is a rocket scientist). In her spare time, Ashleigh casually speed reads at roughly 2000 words a minute at 100 percent comprehension. Seriously, if you want to have your “mind blown” (joke combining her intelligence and a rocket taking off) have a talk with Ashleigh, you’ll be in for an “explosive” time (another rocket joke). Kelsey and Ashleigh have been best friends since the 3rd grade. Ashleigh went to The University of Texas at Austin where she graduated with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. She currently works for Boeing and lives in Mandeville, LA.
Jon Wilkins
Best Man
Jon has served as a second dad to Sam and all his friends growing up. There is a very good chance that Charles, Sam, and Brackin may not still be alive if it weren’t for Jon being the voice of reason/wisdom their whole life. Jon has earned him the nickname “Mr. Happy” for having to parent Sam and his friends over the years. Not only is he the voice of reason, Jon is the definition of a handyman who can fix or figure out any problem with ease. It’s actually amazing he and Sam are related because they are polar opposites in this field. Fun fact: if you yell “RAWR” when Jon is shooting a layup, he’ll miss that layup 100% of the time. Jon graduated from Clemson and now runs his own landscaping company in Hendersonville. POA Brush! He’s married to his wife Lucy, and they have a son named Bo.
Kimberly Miskow Stepney
Matron of Honor
Kelsey and Kimberly met in Mrs. Kamen’s 2nd grade class at Perry Harrison and have been best friends ever since. Whether they were changing the world as Girl Scouts, organizing riveting Key Club events in high school, or getting into shenanigans after way too much wine… Kelsey and Kim have always remained best of “boos”. Kelsey and Ashleigh were actually co-maid of honors in Kimberly’s wedding and the “KAK is back” together for this wedding as well. Kimberly graduated from ECU with a BS in Nursing. She currently works for Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, NC as a nurse and is in school once again to become a Nurse Practitioner. Kimberly and her husband Tray married in 2018, and now live in Farmville, NC with their cat Gray.
Jeff Wilkins
Groomsman
Seriously, will someone please remind Jeff that the wedding is on Saturday, June 26, 2021? It will be very much appreciated. If you are a hugger and want to be entertained, then you are going to want to find Sam’s oldest brother Jeff at the wedding. A friend to everyone, and a crowd pleaser, your time spent with Jeff will not be disappointing. He might end his conversation with you by saying “love you babe”, but regardless you will be glad you found Jeff and talked to him. Jeff graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill. He currently works at UNC-Asheville. He is married to his wife Sarah.
Sterling Logan
Bridesmaid
Without a doubt, ninth grade PE was the most important high school class for Sterling and Kelsey. Surprisingly, it's not because it led to athletic scholarships and careers for the two girls... quite the contrary. Instead, Kelsey and Sterling meeting in PE class the first day of high school led to a lifetime friendship (and made PE a whole lot less awkward for the two of them). Sterling’s fearlessness and unapologetic charisma have allowed her friendship with Kelsey to always remain an adventure. She has journeyed all across Europe, and actually spent a year teaching English in Thailand immediately following college. Sterling went to UNC-Chapel Hill where she graduated with bachelor degrees in Journalism and History, and is currently pursuing her law degree at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Charles Colhoun
Groomsman
Don’t tell Charles but he will be asked before dinner is served at the wedding to read a Bible verse from the book of Ecclesiastes. “I’m scared!” Charles and Sam have been best friends since Kindergarten. Whether they were riding his go-kart from the age of 5, running football routes in the yard, having free-throw competitions in their driveways, or rubber band wars in Charles’ Granddaddy’s basement, you could always count on these two being up to some sort of “Phineas and Ferb” type adventure. Charles has somewhere between 3-7 Bachelor Degrees, 1 from Sewanee, and most recently he received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Winston-Salem State. Charles has worked the past year as a hero in the ICU at Wake Forest Baptist Health, constantly working with COVID-19 patients.
Lydia Staub Luney
Bridesmaid
Kelsey and Lydia met each other in high school and became good friends during their junior year, where they bonded over the shenanigans of Key Club. Most notably, they filled up an entire auditorium with six people (including themselves) for a district-wide Key Club event! Needless to say, the Carolinas Key Club has never fully recovered from the loss of Kelsey and Lydia... In all seriousness, Lydia has always been an amazing friend to Kelsey throughout the years. You can always count on Lydia to say the most comforting and supportive thing at the perfect time. Lydia graduated from UNC-Charlotte with a degree in Engineering, and is now pursuing a new career in real estate. Lydia recently married her husband John in September 2020. She and John live in Charlotte, NC with their dog Moss.
Brackin Kirkland
Groomsman
The first day of 7th grade began with a “welcome back” ceremony. Sam remembers “a strange looking Icelandic kid” walking into the gym. Fast forward 13-14 years and that kid (Brackin), and Sam have become/remained best of friends. Brackin and Sam played basketball and tennis together and still love to play “42”, ping-pong, and “Wisest Wizard” whenever together. Even though Brackin is slightly superior in ping-pong, Sam has 3 confirmed victories in his lifetime over Brackin, and one that should have counted (thanks Crosswalk). Brackin graduated from Appalachian State with a BS in Chemistry and a minor in Feline Studies. He now lives with his best friend and favorite kitty Roger in Atlanta, Georgia, where he works for Southern Orthopedics as a sales representative. Brackin is a true BUD.