Amy & Travis
Wedding Party
Travis Kurtz
Groom
Travis is my betrothed. He has kind eyes and a soul to match. He knows much more about herpetology and basketball than the average human. He is often compared to Josh Groban and sometimes pretends that he doesn't like that, although we all know he does. He is passionate about the things he loves, especially supporting other people with their own passions. Since meeting me, he has greatly advanced his skills in the areas of cooking, making handmade cards, and movie trivia. A fun fact about Travis is that he may be Steve Irwin's biggest fan.
Amy Van Auker
Bride
Amy is my beloved. She is relentlessly kind, patient, and compassionate towards others. She loves doing things with her friends and in the community, from leading the kid's choir at our church to playing indoor soccer to taking part in a long-running book club. If I've become more patient and kind since we got together, it's because she encourages me to be so. Since she met me she has watched more nature documentaries and talked more about animals than she probably thought she would for the rest of her life. A fun fact about Amy is that she loves to create and grow things with her own two hands, including the signs and flowers for our wedding.
Trevor Herndon
Best Man
Trevor will be Travis' Best Man. These two have known each other since they were 12 years old, when they met on a youth basketball team. Although they no longer play basketball together they still enjoy friendly competition, including playing together at Hoopfest and a plan to compete in the Whatcom triathlon together before is was cancelled (womp, womp). A fun fact about Trevor is that he and Travis gave each other haircuts all throughout high school.
Annie Sorich
Maid of Honor
Annie is Amy’s sister. She is also Amy’s singing partner, sounding board, and gardening guru. Amy and Travis were very lucky to be living in the same town as Annie and her family for many years. They are a consistent source of support, fun adventures, and great dinners. A fun fact about Annie is that she may experience actual anxiety if she doesn't have drinking water at an arm's reach.
Reed Henderson
Groomsman
Reed and Travis have known each other since birth, Reed's birth at least! Reed is Travis' cousin, but is really more like a younger brother. Reed is an avid birder, and he loves nothing more than spending his days outdoors. When they're together Reed and Travis are likely to be looking in streams and flipping over logs to see what they find! A fun fact about Reed is that he contributes some of the most unpredictable D&D characters you could have in your campaign.
Renée Miller
Bridesmaid
Renée is one of Amy's best friends from graduate school. They lived together during that (sometimes grueling, sometimes delightful) time in their lives. Since then, Renée has played many roles for Amy including pneumonia nurse, international travel buddy, back massager, and just overall great friend. A fun fact about Renée is that, despite being very smart and capable, she has real trouble spelling the word "barely."
Trevin Todd
Groomsman
Trevin and Travis met while playing basketball at the YMCA, and since then their friendship has expanded to more than just basketball. These two, and Trevin's twin brother Kelby, have been meeting for coffee on Wednesday mornings for more than two years. A fun fact about Trevin is that he and his wife, Hannah, also had their wedding on a mountain top!
Blaine Cluskey
Bridesmaid
Blaine and Amy met while in grad school and solidified their friendship over Indian food and group projects. They were two very important members of what may be the coolest crew that UO's CDS program has ever seen. Blaine and Amy have enjoyed many travels, many trivia nights, and many beers together, with more to come! A fun fact about Blaine is that she knows almost nothing about well-known fantasy series and sometimes tells story mash-ups including characters from various different imaginary worlds (upsetting to many, funny to Amy).
Chris Lee
Groomsman
Chris and Travis met while playing basketball together for Southwestern University. They became fast friends and ended up living together for nearly three years after Chris moved into Travis' room his freshman year. Despite the distance, they stay in touch and still occasionally play in basketball tournaments together. A fun fact about Chris is that people used to say he looked a lot like Chad Michael Murray.
Lauren Kurtz
Bridesmaid
Lauren is Travis' sister, and Amy's source on what's young and hip. Lauren is always willing to help others however she can and you can bet she'll be fierce and fashionable while doing it. Lauren does her best to keep Travis and Amy from sitting at home and becoming boring. A fun fact about Lauren is that if she loans you her clothes, there's a pretty good chance she'll end up giving them to you.
Jason Curry
Officiant
Jason and Travis met by happenstance shortly before both of them moved down to the Tacoma area in 2016. In Tacoma, Jason and his family invited Travis over for weekly dinners and grew closer during this quality time. Even though they are separated by a few thousand miles, Jason and Travis remain as close as ever. A fun fact about Jason is that his picks for the best Beyoncé songs are very similar to Amy's while his picks for the best fruits are more similar to Travis'. On a related note, Jason will entertain almost anything as a discussion topic.
Marta Sorich
Flower Girl
Marta is Travis and Amy's niece. She enjoys looking at herself through snapchat filters but claims she doesn't like any of them. Right now, she prefers to wear her coat backward most days, because why be conventional? She likes reading books, doing yoga, and staying up past her bedtime. A fun fact about Marta is that she is an independent little lady and likes to do things her own way, (see coat example), so while we're expecting her to fulfill the duties of flower girl, she may re-imagine the term in a whole new way.