Wedding Party

Talbot Hook

Best Man

Talbot is Spencer’s older brother, and has known him quite literally since birth. His favorite memories of Spencer are playing old video games together and seeing Spencer interact with his kitties. He also enjoys how Spencer always sneaks away from the dinner table to lay down (and avoid cleaning up). Spencer can always make anyone laugh, and his sense of humor is legendary. Talbot really appreciates this about him.

Isabelle Withers

Matron of Honor

Elle is Steph’s older sister. The two have a 5-year age gap, which has led to them being in different stages of life for most of their lives. Even so, they’ve remained close due to their shared love of reality dating shows, video games, and plants. When Steph graduated college, she wanted to move back to Des Moines to be close to her parents and sister, especially since she knew it wouldn’t be long before she would be an aunt (which she now is to an adorable niece and charming nephew). Soon Steph will be closer than she thought she’d be to Elle, when she and Spencer move into their new house in Norwalk in late 2026!

Asic Helberg

Groomsman

Allie Martinez

Bridesmaid

Allie and Steph got to know each other in the Civil Engineering program at the University of Iowa. They both ended up gravitating towards water resources and transportation classes, so ended up in a lot of the same classes. Outside of class they both loved art and reading, and would have creative nights at Steph’s apartment to watch a movie and do one of their many hobbies. Post-college, Allie moved back to Dallas, TX but the two stayed in touch through text, calls, virtual game nights, and heartfelt gifts every birthday and Christmas. Steph finally succeeded in getting Allie to ditch the South for the Midwest…but still failed as Allie moved to Milwaukee instead of Des Moines.

Eric Henning

Groomsman

Eric is from Waterloo, IA. He met Spencer at Diamond Animal Health. His favorite memory of Spencer is helping Spencer with the never ending move.

Rachel Zingg

Bridesmaid

Rachel and Steph lived across the hall from each other freshmen year of college at the University of Iowa. Once they no longer lived in the same dorm, they made a point to grab Z’Mariks or Molly’s Cupcakes at least once a month for the next 3 years. Post-undergrad, Rachel stayed at UIowa to attend law school, and they would take turns visiting each other (including Rachel staying with Steph for a summer while she interned in Des Moines). When Rachel graduated law school they took a celebratory trip to South Korea, which was truly a trip of a lifetime! Now that Rachel’s in Chicago, they stay in touch with a virtual weekly show night and twice annual girl’s weekends in Chicago or Des Moines.

McKinley Brown

Groomsman

McKinley currently lives in Des Moines, Iowa with his wife Tenea and their dog Niecy. He grew up in Newton and met Spencer in high school. His earliest memories of Spencer involve playing Smash Bros in some large group settings and playing doubles in tennis. After high school, he didn’t see him much until around 2018 where they reconnected, once again, over Smash Bros and tennis and have had a good number of small adventures and quests ever since. He came up with the name Polk County Pulls.

Sara Stickney

Bridesmaid

Sara and Steph met sophomore year of undergrad at the University of Iowa in their first true Civil Engineering class, Intro to Transportation. All the girls in the program ended up gravitating towards sitting together and quickly formed a study group, through which the two grew close. Their friendship grew more when they decided (in the middle of a Fluid Dynamics class) to take a spring break trip to Boston, with the excuse of touring universities for potential graduate schools. On this trip they got robbed in Chicago the night before their flight, and unknowingly visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum on the anniversary of the biggest unsolved art heist in history. They also were pandemic buddies, being two of the only people left in Iowa City after spring break of 2020. Sara now lives out in Hoboken, NJ after graduating architecture grad school in Brooklyn, and Steph loves going out to visit for a long weekend on the very rare occasion their schedules align!

Briles Christensen

Groomsman

Briles has known Spencer since his freshman year at Simpson College. Spencer was his Big in their KTP fraternity and immediately made him feel welcome. They really bonded in their difficult science classes, cellular biology and physics, and had their fair share of fun in labs…Spencer is a man who will hold up your pants while you cut through a fetal pig. After college, the two spent a lot of time together, going on many fun and wacky adventures. Briles appreciates Spencer’s quick quips that always make him laugh and counts him as one of his best friends.

Lindsey Hook

Bridesmaid

Lindsey is Spencer’s older sister. Over the last couple of years, the two have grown closer as they discovered their shared interests of crafting, books, and coffee. They’ve gotten to know each other more over coffeeshop chats and bargain shopping, and Steph is excited to continue growing her relationship with her new sister-in-law!

Kyle Rankin

Groomsman

Kyle is from Ankeny Iowa. He met Spencer for the first time when he was interviewing for his first big boy job after he graduated college. Unfortunately, he was not on the hiring committee to warn him about the fine print in the job description known commonly as the “all duties as assigned”. They became good friends after realizing that they would have to work together. They have built a lot of great memories, although that didn’t stop them from complaining about how hard our lives were. In all seriousness, Kyle thinks it’s always been a friendly competition between him and Spencer to argue for who deserves more pity. Don’t kid yourself, it’s still Spencer even though he is marrying his best friend.

Anna Ruble

Bridesmaid

Anna and Steph met in 6th grade, where they bonded over a shared love of Harry Potter. They stayed in touch through college, and reconnected over Taylor Swift, books, plants, and traveling. Since then they have traveled to Quebec City with Steph’s parents, which Anna’s team at work was very confused to hear she was taking a trip with her coworker’s family….without her coworker (Steph’s sister). They also took a bucket list trip to England to attend the Jane Austen Festival in Bath together. They love to host dinner parties and happy hours, try new coffee shops around Des Moines together, and will go above and beyond for a good themed party!