Katie isn’t just one of our closest friends, she’s family. A tattooed badass with a heart of gold, she’s the loyal friend you want in your corner (and the one who would 100% fight someone to the death for the people she loves). She’s been with us through every stage of our relationship, from our dive bar days, to hauling moving boxes, and countless themed parties, so it only feels right that she’s the one standing with us at the altar. Equal parts hilarious and heartfelt, Katie will keep our ceremony real, joyful, and maybe just a little rowdy… exactly like her, and exactly how we like it.

The bride’s older sister, her lifelong protector, and occasionally mistaken for her twin (blame genetics, not copy-paste). As a mom of four, Zoe has mastered chaos management, so wrangling bridesmaids should be a walk in the park. She’s the bride’s built-in best friend, creative partner in crime, and self appointed, life long, bodyguard. Known for her goofy energy and big heart, she’s proof that you can be both the life of the party and a responsible adult… just not usually at the same time.

The bride’s best friend, chosen family, and quite literally the reason this whole wedding exists; because without her, Sadie would never have moved to Milwaukee and never have met her Karli. (So yes, you can thank, or blame, Stephanie for everything that follows.) She’s armed with razor-sharp sarcasm, a wicked sense of humor, and a heart so loyal and enormous it defies science. She’s kept the bride alive more times than she can count, which makes wrangling a wedding party look like child’s play. If you hear laughter larger than life, it’s probably her and Sadie cackling in a corner, like they have been since the dawn of their time.

Twelve years younger than the bride, Honor is equal parts baby sister and buddy. She’s been known to crack jokes faster than you can catch your breath, but don’t let her wit fool you, she’ll also be crying harder than anyone here (notoriously). At just 16, she’s balancing high school geometry with high-level bridesmaid duties, and hopefully passing both with flying colors. Consider her the youth of the party, as truly most of any bits of “cool” Sadie has left, are probably from being around Honor.

Ronnie is one of our absolute best friends, like “see her every week and would 100% start a commune with her somewhere in the woods in the middle of nowhere” levels of close. Meeting only ONE day into dating Karli, on St. Patrick’s Day 2023, and even though she’s many years wiser and I was basically a clueless little Milwaukee transplant, she was one of the very first people to be genuinely kind to me. Ronnie is the most loyal, wholesome, endlessly supportive human you’ll ever meet. Sometimes I’m half convinced she’s not even real . Ronnie is loyalty, kindness, and wholesomeness wrapped into one person, the type of friend who makes you wonder if she’s actually human or sent straight from the heavens. If you need something? Doesn’t matter what it is. Ronnie’s already on her way.

Meet Madeline, Sadie’s college partner-in-research-trauma and the girl who strutted into 8 a.m. classes dressed like a Vogue editorial while I looked like a cautionary tale in sweatpants. We were an unlikely friendship combo, but after surviving college research, spring break roadtrips across the country, and endless bottles of whatever we had bottles of at the time, she somehow still stands by my side eight years later still looking as flawless as ever.

Xander and I go way back (technically as ex step-siblings, because our parents were together for over a decade, but minor details). We didn’t start off as friends (being a gorgeous gay man and a sapphic queen with equally strong personalities tends to cause friction), but somehow adulthood turned us into each other’s person. I moved across the country to live with him for a year and a half, where we navigated early-twenties chaos together, partied too much, and caused chaos beyond belief. Now we live far apart again, but what we have isn’t defined by distance or even by the years we’ve shared. Our bond is something deeper, an energy that’s always been there and always will be.

Caitlin and I may technically be cousins, but as two only children we basically made ourselves sisters. She’s four years older, so she blazed the trail—and I followed her into gymnastics, theater, our favorite teachers, and plenty of her questionable ideas. Her hand-me-downs also had me strutting through middle school in a full “retired Abercrombie” wardrobe. Before I could even write cursive, we were “working” at Plaster of Paradise, collecting stories that should never be published. And when she was a senior and I was a tiny freshman, she welcomed me into her world like I belonged there. Now, as adults, nothing’s changed—we laugh until we cry, our two-person dive-bar crawls are legendary, and she still shows up with crystals and emergency chicken tenders like the chaotic angel she is. She’s my cousin, my built-in big sister, and the only person I trust to stand beside me on my wedding day.

Tracee is an only child too, so naturally we bonded over growing up with the confidence of someone who never had to share a single toy. She’s a full-blown Aries - fiery, fearless, and always three seconds away from doing something mildly dangerous but deeply entertaining. She’s the badass with a secret marshmallow center, the friend who can hype you up, talk you off a ledge, and threaten to slash someone’s tires all in the same conversation. She’s absolutely my big-sister energy source, even if our balance is basically “my panic” matched with “her feral enthusiasm.” She’s the first person I call when shit hits the fan, because she shows up like she’s been preparing for this moment her whole life. Having her by my side on my wedding day is a non-negotiable, otherwise who’s going to be my emotional support Aries?

Leah is my ultimate ride-or-die, which is ironic because when we first met, we couldn’t stand each other. Classic girl move- we were just secretly threatened by how cool the other one was. Once we dropped the egos, we became instant best friends and lifelong sidekicks. She’s the girly, sparkly one; I am… absolutely not. But somehow we balance each other out perfectly. Her family is just as incredible; they’ve welcomed me with open arms and lovingly bullied me like a true big family should. The community they share is unreal, and I’m lucky to be part of it. Even living miles apart, she’s still my safety blanket. She feels like home. And yet, we remain full-time chaos gremlins together. From she-shed shenanigans to crashing a bachelorette trolley with 100 pounds of luggage, we somehow always find the fun (and the wine). She’s seen every version of me- tears, freak outs, laughter, and questionable decisions—and she’s still here. I couldn’t imagine this day without her.

Alexa, play We Found Love in a Hopeless Place — because Yo and I literally met in the most beautiful disaster of a dive bar: Creed’s Foggy Dew. She walked in looking like queer Rosie the Riveter- bandana, tattoo sleeves, and a level of cool that sent me straight into gay panic. When she casually said wife to the bartender, I immediately scrambled to seem interesting enough that she’d want to have a double date or a new best friend. Somehow it worked, and I didn’t just get Yo—I got Ronnie too, who is basically a walking beam of angel energy. Yo is also the brilliant mastermind who will be building our graze tables at the wedding. Honestly, who else would we trust with that level of edible responsibility? Yo is a chef, a manager, a badass, and a person who will absolutely speak her mind…especially if Olive Garden dares to run out of breadsticks. She’s funny, adventurous, fearless, caring, generous, and has the kind of presence that makes every room better just by walking into it. She’s become one of my favorite humans of all time, and I am so beyond lucky to have her standing with me on my wedding day.

Jenna and I go back to the very beginning of freshman year at Iowa. She lived in the twin dorm across the street with the other female engineers. We became instant friends, then soon sisters (or Phisters) in Pi Phi, trauma-bonded through circuits, lab reports, and frat basements. Since then she’s been my sorority sister, roommate, best friend, power-plant coworker, and now my partner-in-crime in our careers at Schneider. Most of our best stories involve us enabling each other a little too easily, commonly with the phrase “twist my arm” somewhere as well… She’s a Whitefish Bay girly who just moved back, which means Milwaukee (and Lake Country) is no longer safe. More importantly, our company definitely shouldn’t send us anywhere with a bar scene unless they’ve updated the liability forms. It’s hard not to have fun anytime we go out, because everyone around us is always drawn to her. Jenna is brilliant, hilarious, steady, and the friend who shows up for everything. I’m so grateful she’ll be standing by me on my wedding day.

Kristin and I met during the very first week of college… and I swear I can still smell the Hawkeye bouncing off our bodies in our 8AM Friday lectures even 10 years later. From day one, she felt like my twin. If I ever need confirmation bias, she’s the one I call, no hesitation. We laugh so hard together that my stomach usually gives out before my voice does. She’s the most kind-hearted, light-spirited, lovable goober noodle I’ve ever met, and also somehow a total genius. She’s my biggest fan, and I am absolutely hers. Her smile, her energy, her whole presence- it’s all contagious in the best way. Kristin has been one of the greatest gifts college gave me, and I couldn’t imagine this day without her.