Sara & Brian
Wedding Party
Damien
Bridesman
Damien met Sara in high school in France. There, they bonded over their common passion for discipline and being very attentive in class. Damien and Sara continued as close friends in prep school and college together and even did an internship in San Francisco together. Eventually, Damien moved to French Canada because France wasn't cold enough and America wasn't French enough. Damien and Sara share a love of good food, strenuous hikes, and travel. P.S. Damien taught Sara everything she knows about driving, so if you have any comments about Sara's efficient and exciting driving methods, you can address them to him.
Thomas
Bridesman
Thomas and Sara met in Berkeley when Sara was doing her very successful internship with Damien. Sara and Thomas were living in the same house at the time, but it took a couple of weeks for Sara to realize Thomas was French. Despite Sara's disturbing discovery, they became good friends. Since then, Thomas became friends with Sara's Mom. They went on a road trip together and discovered that it is indeed possible (though maybe not recommended) to drive a Mustang through a snowstorm. After surviving that adventure, Sara and Thomas both ended up living in San Francisco. They often meet for dinner in San Francisco or travel down to LA to see their friend Rob.
Antoine
Bridesman
Antoine and Sara could have met at Polytechnique or Ginette where they had the same teachers, unfortunately they missed each other by only six years. Instead, Sara met Antoine in San Francisco, where it took them a year to discover they had a common passion for windsurfing. Since then, Sara and Antoine have traveled to the windiest places on earth to attempt to windsurf for the one week a year when there is no wind at all. Sara and Antoine worked for three years together at Box. Antoine recently moved back to SF after a brief hiatus in NYC. Now that he's back in the Bay Area, Sara, Antoine, and Francois often get together to debate American politics, privacy (Antoine doesn't think it's very important), or the future of technology.
Francois
Bridesman
Sara found out that Francois existed when she looked at the Polytechnique alumni directory in 2013. They met in person at Google, where Francois used to work. Within half an hour Francois taught Sara and Damien enough computer science for them to become software engineers. Thanks to this accelerated program, Sara was able to work at Box. Since then Francois and Sara have travelled around the world in search of every Din Tai Fung restaurant. Francois went to Ginette and Polytechnique with Antoine. Francois and Sara rarely agree, often Antoine and Sara team up to contradict Francois. However there are rare moments when Francois sides with Sara, but he would never admit it. Francois lives in SF and he and Sara enjoy cooking and eating together.
Kassem
Bridesman
Kassem met Sara in preparatory classes in Versailles. There, Kassem and Sara would escape the delicious cauliflower-based menu of their school and enjoy non-veggie-based meals at Bistro du Boucher. At some point, Sara became the unofficial adopted fourth sibling in Kaseem's family. Even after moving 5,000 miles away, she would manage to meet with him conveniently in the middle of the ocean or in the jungle. Since then, they've explored Morocco and California together.
Lelio
Bridesman
Lelio and Sara met at Polytechnique. They did their army training together in the ground forces and experienced the joy of being cold, and wet, and outside for days on end. There, they had to obey many thoughtful and genius superiors. They learned the importance of mindlessly obeying authority. Returning to campus, Sara and Lelio attempted to apply their army training to bravely rescue two very large hedgehogs. Unfortunately the mission failed in dramatic fashion. Later, they lived together in Mountain View. Soon they fled the crazy nightlife of the South Bay for the calm sedate Mission District of SF. Despite Sara's best efforts to get Lelio to stay in SF and Lelio's best efforts to get Sara to move back to Paris, Lelio remains in Paris and Sara remains in SF.
Marc
Bridesman
Marc met Sara in high school. But it wasn't until they were reunited in San Francisco six years later that their friendship really took off. Marc and Sara like to do very reasonable, safe, and logical activities together, like: driving through a snowstorm for twelve hours to ski for one day, flying to Singapore for a weekend, or jumping out of planes. Sara has slowed down in some respects (she doesn't jump out of planes anymore), but Marc hasn't. Around the city, they enjoy only the finest chocolate by the milligram and cooking sous vide.
Sean Conlon
Best Man
Sean met Brian before he was born. Brian doesn’t remember that but was told that Sean didn’t really care for him then. As full brothers—no matter what Sean tries to tell you—Sean and Brian grew up in Spencerport playing sports and music together. When they were young, Brian would make Sean play a game called “Cubs lineup,” vintage to the 1-game under .500 ‘91-93 teams. They rarely played Mets lineup (the Mets were 69 games under .500 during the same time). Brian and Sean later co-managed the Tome softball team in Rochester. When Brian ran the team, their record was more like the Mets (and they ate and drank like the 2011 Red Sox). When Sean ran the team, it was more like the Cubs (and at least once, with their Dad Russ turning in a vintage MVP performance, like the 2016 Cubs).
Kurtis Archer
Groomsman
Kurt and Brian met as enemies at Spencerport High School. Kurt was a charismatic class clown, seemingly adored by the popular kids and talked about by the smart kids. Brian was known, if at all, for wearing a Cubs hat every day. The two first clashed in 9th Grade History. Brian played sports in 9th grade, and was forced to wear a shirt and tie on gamedays. Kurt, believing that baseball managers also wear shirts and ties and baseball hats when they coach (they don’t), ridiculed Brian as “the Cubs manager.” They overcame this tumultuous beginning to become close friends, making and watching movies together of questionable quality, playing cards, and engaging in (or egging on) weird performance art projects to the enjoyment of some and bewilderment of others.
Ben Blakely
Groomsman
Ben and Brian met as rivals on the hollowed grounds of Terry A. Taylor Elementary School. Ben was part of the advanced class of students. Brian was not. Brian and his ilk, such as they were, were hell-bent on beating Ben and the Smart Kids (a later-rejected name for someone’s Christian rock band, not Ben's) at tackle football (back when that was still a thing little kids did). After a cooling-off period in which the two crossed paths here and there on the CYO basketball court and at least one Halloween, the two became great friends in high school, bonding over their shared affinity for the Bills and making fun of other people. Ben and Brian continued to hang out together and were roommates for Brian’s favorite living situation (before he met Sara of course) at Vick Park A.
Anthony Iacchetta
Groomsman
Brian met Anthony or “Cheese” as his brother Sean’s best friend in high school. Despite some early, good-natured, national-origin animus, Brian and Cheese became great friends over their shared interest in tennis, history, and making fun of Sean. Brian followed Cheese to University of Rochester. There, he introduced Brian to college life through frat parties which drove young Brian to study Dostoevsky harder and play more beer pong. Cheese and Brian traveled together to Potsdam, often with Ben, to visit Sean and learn new variations on beer pong (flip pong!) and feel what Dostoevsky felt when he was exiled to Siberia. Since then, Brian and Cheese both made the fateful (or faithless) decision to become attorneys. Cheese is a partner at his firm, but Brian still calls him Cheese.
Jovilisi Killa
Groomsman
Brian met Jo on the beach volleyball courts of San Francisco. Brian immediately understood that Jo was very good at volleyball and thus his unspoken rival. Then Brian and Jo met to play tennis. Brian realized that Jo was great at tennis—way better than Brian—and incredibly kind. Brian then understood that any rivalry would be fruitless and that perhaps it would be better to be Jo’s friend. Jo and Brian share an appreciation for a good IPA, good company, and a good set of tennis from Mirka Federer. One is rarer than the others. Brian and Jo have attended many Cubs/Giants games together, with Jo leading the series even though the Cubs have been far superior to the Giants since they met. One weekend in Chicago, they ate more deep-dish pizza than a thoughtful nutritionist would advise.
Brian Abbamonte
Groomsman
Brian or “Abbo” met Brian of “Conlo” in early high school. Brian quickly discovered that Brian was the man behind the Kurt myth which had been propagated at Spencerport High School. He also quickly learned that Brian was incredibly smart and incredibly emotionally detached. At the time Brian liked to think he was both but quickly learned that, compared to Brian, he wasn’t either. Whereas everyone else who Brian asked to be in the wedding party responded that “It would be an honor,” when Brian asked Brian, Brian responded “Is it a lot of work?” Brian and Brian are good friends because Brian wants to be Brian’s good friend. But if Brian didn’t, Brian wouldn’t. But that’s just Brian.
Neal Burns
Groomsman
Brian met Neal on the first night at the University of Rochester, as the guy in dorm meetings who made inappropriate jokes. This made Brian uneasy. A watershed moment in their friendship was Neal introducing Brian to the UK Office. Brian was then convinced that Neal’s taste in comedy was not all bad. Neal helped Brian realize that there were people at U of R who did not attend his high school and who were, somehow, also fun to hang out with. At U of R, Brian and Neal argued about whether Andruw Jones or Jim Edmonds was the better center fielder, played in Wind Symphony, were roommates, played poker, Euchre, and had some epic runs as road underdogs on the Scud table. If you don’t understand any of this, that’s okay. Neal will explain it to you. Brian won’t.