Emily is Amanda's little sister, Maid of Honor, and favorite Leo. Amanda has been Emily's best friend and number one fan since the day Emily was born. Throughout their lives, Amanda and Emily have created the most beautiful memories together. From waiting outside for Amanda to get home from school, to navigating high school and college together, they were always inseparable. Since Amanda moved to New York, Emily can't imagine anyone better to be Amanda's new partner in crime than Kellen. Emily truly sees Kellen as a big brother, and while no one is good enough for Amanda in her eyes, Kellen is about as close as it gets. Emily can't wait to celebrate Amanda and Kellen next year, and every year after that. This photo is from Amanda and Emily's road trip to Salem, Massachusetts and is one of Emily's favorite photos.

Isabelle has been Amanda’s cousin and comrade since the day she was born. She got to know Kellen when Amanda began bringing him to family events with the Gaglione clan, where he quickly became a beloved fixture. From the start, Isabelle appreciated Kellen's sense of humor and how much Amanda lit up when he was around. Witnessing their love grow and flourish over time has brought her immense happiness. Over the years, she has seen how well they work together, complement each other’s strengths, and share plenty of laughter. Amanda has always been a cherished role model and an invaluable friend to Isabelle. Her light and kindness have always been an inspiration, and seeing her find happiness with Kellen has been a true joy. Isabelle is beyond excited to officially welcome Kellen into the family and is overjoyed to be a part of their special day.

Despite also being an Ohioan, Courtney didn’t meet Amanda and Kellen until they were all living in Brooklyn. Because of this, Courtney was first introduced to the couple, “Kellen and Amanda.” And though she cherishes her individual friendships with both the bride and groom, there is something truly special in always knowing them as a unit. That’s what they’ve always been to her, a team of two who offer each other unending support, huge laughs, deep understanding, and a whole lot of love. Being in Amanda's party means the world to Courtney, as she gets to celebrate this special time with one of the very best people she's ever met. Courtney has known Amanda to be present and caring, generous with a kind word, always down for a spooky movie night, and just ridiculously fun. And as someone who has had the pleasure of going to a lot of themed Amanda parties, she also knows this party is going to rock. She’s got a lot of stories about the bride and groom (some not fit for print), and she promises to regale you with them at the reception. To find her, just look for the woman in the bridesmaid’s dress crying big happy tears!

Many, many moons ago, in August of 2013 to be exact, the delicate hands of fate brought two Ohio University freshmen together in the infamous James Hall: Marissa Donovan and Kellen Becoats. They liked each other instantly, but neither realized the significance at the time. They simply just cracked some jokes, played frisbee on West Green, met up for Sunday brunch, and partook in educational tours on Court Street. But it was kismet, really. What started as two kids making each other laugh has turned into a decade-long (and counting!) friendship. They met on the first day of college and walked across the stage together on their last. Their friendship has expanded past Athens, Ohio to New York City where the fun adventures continue. How Marissa met Amanda is a slightly different story. Way back when, Kellen had told Amanda she would like Marissa because they “both love movies.” Reader: they share a lot more in common than that. But it was definitely a start! Having moved to New York City at the same time, a friendship started to bloom, specifically at Wednesday night trivia in Union Square. For the last 7 years, that friendship has been filled with sleepovers, coffee dates, questionable brunches, Galentine’s Day traditions, book club meetings, tarot card readings, laughter, unconditional love and support, and, of course, lots and lots of movies (Kellen was right!).

Jade met Kellen back in college when she went to visit one of our other lovely bridesmaids, Marissa! They bonded immediately over their love of good music and even better food— knowing even then, a lifelong friendship was written in the stars. Not long after, Jade was introduced to Amanda in the big apple. The pair quickly decided that not only would they be best friends in this life, but they probably were best friends in all of their other lives as well (it’s all that made sense!). Whether they’re talking about their current writing projects, waxing poetic about their love of all things mushroom, rock, or bone related, or embracing a rainy day full of couch-rotting, they’re always having the best time. Jade is so honored to be a small part of the lovely couple’s special day and can’t wait to celebrate them both!

Nathan met Kellen in 2013 on their first day at Ohio University. They instantly became best friends and went on to room with each other their remaining years at OU. During their time at OU, Kellen and Nathan participated in the same journalism groups, intramural sports and enjoyed summer trips to Solon and Cleveland for concerts and sporting events. Nathan got to know Amanda during her weekend visits to Athens and summer trips to Cleveland and Columbus for rock concerts. Nathan has known Kellen and Amanda for over 10 years! He’s incredibly proud of them and can’t wait to be there for their special day.

Truthfully, Kaelen doesn't remember meeting Kellen for the first time, but there's a good chance their first interaction involved someone at Sports Illustrated confusing their names. Kaelen might not remember meeting Kellen simply because he’s just one of those people in your life who you feel like you've always known. He’s someone Kaelen looks up to (literally and figuratively) and is part of a trio he considers to be his older brothers. It is rare to come across someone whose presence is effortlessly so calming and engaging. He makes you feel understood. Don’t be fooled, though: his sarcasm and wittiness are part of his charm. When you’re around him, jokes are guaranteed to be made and he will laugh with you and he will laugh at you. (The latter of which is wild, considering he’s an Arsenal fan, but whatever.) Still, at the end of the day, he’s got one of the biggest hearts of any dude Kaelen has ever met. Kaelen grateful for his friendship in this lifetime.

After moving to New York City in June 2019, Joe met Kellen & Amanda while living with his sister Marissa. During that summer, Joe quickly befriended with the couple. By the fall, a core group of friends had formed that genuinely cared for each other, sharing experiences in a city where it’s easy to feel lonely. Safe to say this friendship had blossomed into something very special and lifelong. Together there has been countless laughs, trips upstate, movie nights, holidays, late night deli runs, and, of course, celebrations. Knowing this pair, there is sure to be many more!

Khadrice met Kellen right after they both moved to New York in 2017 while working together at Sports Illustrated. They quickly became good work friends thanks to a shared love of basketball and laughing at the ridiculous things that happened on the job, like all the times they were confused for each other despite having different positions and looking nothing alike. The casual workplace racism helped accelerate the transition for work friends into just actual friends, with Khadrice getting to meet Amanda and Kellen’s friends from college and home. Once fellow groomsmen Kaelen joined the staff, the trio would frequently have weekly hangouts, forming a close bond they still share now despite living in three different places. The relationship is a lot more texting nowadays, but still contains just as many laughs and even more love.

Hannah and Kellen met during the summer of 2016 at a birthday dinner that neither of them could afford. They bonded over their thrifty attitude and their perseverance to keep the party going no matter what. Their friendship was able to flourish thanks to Cheyenne—the aforementioned friend— consistently canceling plans last minute and the trust based on Kellen’s absolute love and dedication to Amanda. Eight years later they can still be found as the last people standing at the party or gossiping and giggling in the back of the function. Some of their favorite hangout spots include but are not limited to: Hannah’s couch, one of their roofs, Prospect Park hill, and all available patios. Some of their favorite conversation topics include but are not limited to: girl bands, food, who said what about who, and how much Kellen loves Amanda. Hannah can’t wait to see her best friend on the happiest day of his life! Find them at the reception until they turn off the lights.

Josh heard Kellen before he met him. The paper-thin walls of James Hall were no match for that loud voice. From their first weekend as Bobcats, they bonded over their mutual love of sports, questionable eating habits, and even worse sleep. Those midnight walks up the hill to Dominos while debating the Top-5 shooting guards in the NBA have stayed with Josh over the years. The bond formed over nearly puking in some girl’s curls freshman year will live on forever. For Josh, it was obvious from Amanda’s first visit that she and Kellen were something special. Kellen always had a big smile and an infectious laugh, but both were made all the brighter whenever they were together. It didn’t hurt that she has great taste in music and books, either. It’s safe to say that sentiment hasn’t changed one bit over the years. Seeing how strong the love between Kellen and Amanda stayed through those college years spent apart has truly been an inspiration for Josh. And now, seeing how much stronger that love has grown, Josh cannot think of a more perfect pairing of humans. He can’t wait to help them celebrate the love they share.

Patrick’s first memory with Kellen will always be one of his most cherished; the night they ran from the Athens Police Department during their first college house party. From that moment, Patrick knew this friendship would be electric. And so it has been. Depending on how you look at it, Patrick and Kellen’s late nights (or early mornings) in Athens were the start of something good. Perhaps most notably, when Patrick was introduced to Amanda. He could tell immediately that she was the person for Kellen. While Amanda had always been lovely during her visits to Athens, her most impressive gift was how happy she made Kellen. Together, Patrick had never seen such a perfect pair! Although they are now separated by nearly 600 miles, Patrick remains one of Kellen and Amanda’s biggest cheerleaders. Once they tie the knot, Patrick’s support will only grow louder. They are the best!

Hello! I’m Kellen and Amanda’s officiant, unofficial wedding comic, personal non-religious Reverend—however you wish to address me, I’m happy with all titles. As we gear up for the wedding of the decade next October, I want to kick off the hype with a very patchy story about how I met these two crazy cats in bobcat territory, aka, at Ohio U. Kellen and I were in the same learning community freshman year. We also sat next to each other in speech class our first semester. We formed an inseparable bond in this stuffy classroom out of sheer fear of having to deliver our respective speeches in front of a class full of equally sweaty, anxiety-ridden peers. Oh the memories! A few weeks into the fall semester I finally got to meet Amanda, who was visiting from THE Ohio State University for the weekend. I’d been hearing about her in great detail between classes and study sessions, so needless to say I was eager to be introduced. Mind you, this was 11 years ago so the details are hazy at best, but I do remember being drawn to her energy. She radiated warmth and was quick to get to know Kellen’s friends. I admired her for wanting to be our friend too. Fast forward to our New York era. I’ve had the pleasure of growing even closer to this incredible duo. Over the years, I’ve watched their bond strengthen, their apartments get increasingly more chic and decorative, and of course, their fur babies (Charlie and Mae) have somehow gotten even cuter. What I’m trying to say is, Amanda and Kellen elevate everyone and everything around them. Their partnership is one for the books, and I’m so honored to wed these two in 2025. Xo, Chey