Sydney & Colby
Wedding Party
Cindy Palmer
Maid of Honor
Sydney and Cindy have been the best of friends since elementary school. Even though they almost seem so very opposite, they share a hatred for calculus and love shopping at their favorite store, Kohl's. "Sisters from other misters" is how they describe themselves and love the time they get to spend together on the Mississippi River, at ice-cream parlors, or walking around downtown Chicago. Thousands of inside jokes and memories exist between the two. Try not to get their two names confused... like every single teacher in elementary school and high school.
Jake Iiams
Best Man
Jake and Colby met during college at the University of North Dakota in the basement of a fraternity party during the first weeks of school. They grew close as they progressed through the Air Force ROTC program together. Jake and Colby have grown close because of their love for trying new and challenging things like hot yoga, Jiu-Jitsu, weight lifting, and swimming. Jake has been a teacher, mentor, and "go-to guy" throughout college for Colby. Jake is currently a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force serving as a Network Operations Officer at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Emma Deutsch
Bridesmaid
Sydney and Emma have been best friends since kindergarten. Both sharing the same teacher in every grade in elementary school, they became close. Their friendship included making videos of the two singing random Mamma Mia songs, playing basketball together, watching their favorite horror series, Halloween, and running off to get ice cream during very stressful paper writing sessions in college. Emma and Sydney love to have their political debates, especially if one of them starts a debate just to get the other all riled up. The two look forward to making more memories in their future, post-college lives.
Christian Luecke
Groomsman
Christian - more commonly known as "Bopper" - has been one of Colby's closest friends since elementary school. Their friendship began by riding their bicycles around Freeport, Illinois in elementary school and junior high. They have grown close by their enjoyment of exploring new places, meeting new people, and not taking life too seriously. Christian is an Account Executive at Home Advisor, Inc. in Chicago, IL.
Brigid Flaherty
Bridesmaid
Sydney and Brigid met at college. Starting as two young women who lived on the same floor, to Brigid being Sydney's RA, working together at the Center for Dubuque History, and struggling and empathizing with one another in classes, the two became great friends. Their mutual love of history, and all things old-fashioned, created an amazing bond. Sydney and Brigid's late nights in the library are where the best memories were made, while "working" on writing their senior theses. Two Irish-American women drinking Guinness and eating pie at 3am outside of the library is a memory they will cherish for the rest of their lives.
Gabe Benson
Groomsman
Gabe and Colby met at the University of North Dakota in the Air Force ROTC program. In the past 5 years, they have bonded over the mutual enjoyment for learning, traveling, investing, and dark jokes. They share many common interests - everything from books to beer and even have common pet names! Gabe has a cat named Olive, and Colby has a dog named Olive.
Sedona Smith
Bridesmaid
Future sisters-in-law is not the only thing Sydney and Sedona have shared. Amazing basketball players is not something they are both known for, but they can admit to cheering and hyping one another up during games. Sydney and Sedona both share a realistic and sarcastic outlook on life, which helps them understand one another and annoy Colby at the same time. Although their mutual love of sarcasm bonds them, perhaps their most amusing memory together was during their performance in the play, "Rosie the Riveter." A very short Sydney had to comfort a grief-stricken woman, played by a much taller Sedona, while standing. It may not sound odd, but think of someone the height of a child, trying to comfort someone the height of an actual adult, by letting the adult cry on their shoulder. Awkward.
Dennis Neary
Groomsman
Dennis and Colby have been friends for as long as they have been skating! Bonding over their love for hockey at the Read Park outdoor rink, or "ODR", they would spend hours after school at the rink until fingers were frozen or the lights went out. Their love for hockey and Baumgartner's cheese lead them to be teammates on the Monroe Avalanche hockey team, in addition to the Aquin baseball and football teams. Dennis is a soon-to-be graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Chloe Smith
Bridesmaid
Sydney's first memory of Chloe is her thinking that Chloe is the cute little sister to Colby. Their experience and memories have grown since. The two share something that irritates Colby... their shared overthinking of LITERALLY every situation. They understand one another because they both deal with an anxiety that makes them think of every possible thing that may go wrong, and then proceed to not want to do something because of the possibility of that happening. Sydney and Chloe also identify with one another because of their shared ideals about the world... and also their shared experiences of others personally confronting them for their enjoyment of our irritation. Sydney looks forward to gaining a sister in Chloe, and to continue making memories and judging Colby for the way he chews.
Simon Diemer
Groomsman
Simon and Colby have been friends for as long as either can remember. They have been in school together since kindergarten and have been on the same football, basketball, and baseball teams all throughout high school - Some of the best nights were spent at the Diemer house! Now, they have continued to bond over their similar passions for aviation, space, and the military. Simon is a soon-to-be graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in Aerospace Engineering and will attend Combat Systems Officer school in Pensacola, FL.
Sarah Blount
Bridesmaid
Sydney and Sarah and future sisters-in-law that first met on the Xbox. Sydney and Sarah bonded over judging how long Jake takes on getting ready for anything. They also bonded over packing and moving from dorms, to apartments, to houses, in the time they have known each other. They both love watching Scooby Doo, Golden Girls, and every other old tv show and movie. They both cannot wait to finally be sisters and make more memories together, probably, but hopefully not limited, to just packing and moving to new homes.
Jake Reilly
Groomsman
Jake is Sydney's brother and long time friend of Colby's. Jake and Colby were regular altar boys together at St. Mary's Church serving Fr. Burt during Mass on Sundays. Many years later it has come full circle and Fr. Burt will be the celebrant of Colby and Sydney's wedding in St. Mary's Church with Jake close by. Jake is currently an Assistant Manager at Enterprise Holdings in St. Louis, MO.