Sarah & Melissa
Wedding Party
Emily Farley
Matron of Honor
Emily and Melissa are both second grade teachers at Samantha Smith Elementary. When they met, Emily had just joined the Smith staff as a Kindergarten teacher. Melissa got to know Emily through being randomly assigned to be her Secret Pal at school. She had a whole list of Emily's favorite things right off the bat! It later turned out that Melissa was not such a secret pal, as she was spotted on one of her gift deliveries. No matter! One year after meeting, Emily moved into a second grade position and now teaches on the other side of the wall from Melissa! Emily is passionate about plants, painting, and instilling self-confidence and growth mindset in her students. Melissa greatly admires her patience and creativity.
Kristin Marhanka
Bridesmaid
Kristin is Melissa's younger sister. Growing up, while not at gymnastics practice, they could often be found playing with their Beanie Babies or playing 'dress-up' (including dressing up the dog once or twice!). They enjoyed many family fishing trips in Canada, 'camped' inside, and spent many sunny days exploring their family's property in Concrete, WA. As they grew older, they went to college in different states, but they ultimately both ended up back in Washington and it's so nice to live in the same area again! Melissa was honored to stand up at Kristin's wedding in 2019 and is so glad that Kristin will be standing up at hers.
Kelley Martinez
Bridesmaid
Kelley and Melissa met at Samantha Smith Elementary where Kelley was the English Language specialist supporting students whose first language is one other than English. Right away after meeting Kelley, Melissa could tell how warm Kelley is and how passionate she is about her students. In the last year of Kelley's tenure at Smith, Melissa had the privelege of co-teaching with Kelley, which allowed her to witness even further just how amazing Kelley is when working with kids. She is SO well-versed in best teaching practices and student engagement. Melissa finds Kelley to be an extraordinarily inspiring human being and looks up to her as a fellow educator.
Holly Pratt
Bridesmaid
Holly and Melissa met when they both started teaching second grade at Samantha Smith Elementary at the same time. Immediately, Melissa could see that Holly is driven, warmhearted, and kind. She is also a talented artist and is always thinking about the best interest of her students. Melissa frequently relies on Holly for assistance with utilizing technology in the classroom. After teaching second grade together for four years, Holly left the general education setting to become Smith's library teacher! While Melissa was sad to lose Holly as a teammate, she is relieved that they are still working in the same building together!
Rose Wright
Bridesmaid
Rose and Melissa met through mutual friends who had organized a group adventure to float the Clark Fork River. Melissa and Rose quickly bonded, which was easy since Rose is so cheerful and king! They discovered that they both LOVE to sing karaoke and have since performed numerous duets together. A few years after they met, Rose moved to Seattle. They maintained their friendship long-distance, but not for long! Two years later, Melissa moved back to the Seattle area to be closer to family after nine years in MT. Once in the same state again, they made sure to revive their regular karaoke outings and still continue to occasionally exercise their pipes together!
Colleen Wetherill
Maid of Honor
Colleen and Sarah are both from New Mexico. They attended New Mexico State at the same time and had some mutual friends, although they did not meet each other until two years later. Sarah moved to Seattle a few months after they met, and they maintained their new friendship from different states until Colleen joined her in Washington about a year later. She now is a kick-ass ambitious woman, and when life gives her lemons she makes more than lemonade. One of Sarah and Colleen's favorite things to do together is laugh.
Elijah Bryant
Bridesmate
Elijah is Sarah's older brother. He and Sarah are 4 years and 4 days apart (shoutout to all the Leos!). They have been super close since they were little. Sarah was always following Elijah eveywhere as they were growing up, including on the basketball court. He is a big reason why Sarah loves sports and has a strong work ethic. Elijah lives in Buffalo Gap, Texas with his wife Cassi and their three beautiful children, Lily, Jacelyn, and Ella.
Renee Anaya
Bridesmaid
Renee and Sarah have been in each other's lives since they were young, but didn't become close until they were adults. Sarah looked up to Renee in high school because Renee was the only 'out' LGBTQ+ person at a Catholic high school in Santa Fe. Her display of unabashed strength gave Sarah the courage to acknowledge who she was. After Sarah had been living in Seattle for three years, Renee was promoted and relocated to Seattle! This allowed Sarah and Renee to deepen their friendship and they've had a strong bond ever since.
Jennifer Crowley
Bridesmaid
Sarah met Jenn when Juliah invited them both to a group dinner before a concert. Sarah found Jenn to be full of warm and exuberant energy, so they continued to hang out. They discovered that they lived about ten minutes apart, which made it all the easier to spend time together and build a close friendship. About three years after they met, Sarah and Jenn began working for the same company and their friendship grew even stronger. They love to laugh together, discuss their favorite T.V. shows, and often do karaoke together. One of the things Sarah is most tickled by about Jenn is the way she treats and talks about her cats (read: sons), Bruce and Bud.
Juliah Mora
Bridesmaid
Believe it or not, Sarah and Juliah met on a plane! They happened to sit next to each other on a flight from Albuquerque home to Seattle. Before the plane even took off, Juliah started a conversation and they talked the whole way to Seattle. They chatted occasionally for a few months, then Sarah invited Juliah to a barbeque and they both discovered that they would make wonderful friends. It's crazy to think that if a family of four hadn't missed their connection allowing standby passengers to board the flight, Juliah and Sarah may never have met!