Wedding Party

Cat Bellak

Maid of Honor

When Shona brought Mike to Illinois to visit for the first time, naturally one of the must-dos on the list was try all the foods for which Chicago is famous. This is when Mike discovered giardiniera - a spicy pickled vegetable mix Chicagoans put on our Italian beef sandwiches. He was so taken with the food that he vowed to eat some with every single meal we had the rest of their visit. It took some doing, but between the three of us we managed to fulfill his vow! And of course Shona and Mike took a bottle home with them, too - a spicy bit of Chicago to remind them how much we love them out here.

Joshua Gearheart

Groomsman

Rose Fong

Matron of Honor

The moment Rose met Shona in high school would have made them bitter rivals in any young adult romance novel. But it didn't. Instead, the girls got rid of the boy and became forever friends. Every summer together, they shared all the young adult novels, and then the moderately adult novels, and then the racy adult novels until they couldn't remember who owned which books. Mike's books have tripled the collection in a way that fits perfectly. Here's to the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one! Congrats, Shona & Mike!

Jeff Cadwell

Groomsman

Emily Senter

Bridesmaid

The unexpected introduction to Shona: Shona, doing a very very nice and very cute gesture by bringing sick Michael some soup at his house before any of us (family) had ever met or known or heard of this romantic interest of his turned into a VERY unexpected "meet the whole family" event for everybody involved. Michael gave zero party any notice! Poor Shona! I think everybody was a deer in headlights for a brief moment. It was the best!

David Dombraskos

Groomsman

I have known that Mike and Shona would probably marry for years. This is not due to me being some modern Nostradamus. This is because, shortly after they started dating, and I still didn't know how to feel about Shona, I saw her interact with Denise Senter. Let me preface this by saying that Denise is one of the most wonderful and warm people I have ever known. But when I saw Shona interacting with a woman I considered to be a surrogate mother, I knew; Shona was family. And I could not be more grateful that such a wonderful person and my brother have chosen to spend their lives together.

Faith Waddell

Bridesmaid

I’ve always loved Shona and Mike together, but I really knew that he was the one for my sister when they adopted their kitten. When he said that he wanted to name the cat Starfire, I knew that he was the perfect nerd for Shona, who I’ve always known to be a nerd. They compliment each other perfectly and you can see it in their niche hobbies, the way they raise their pets, and even the way that they look at each other. I love them both and I am so excited to watch their future unfold, as they grow together and build a family.

Andrew Quina

Groomsman