As Ben's younger brother, lifelong best friend, and troublemaker extraordinaire, Ben couldn't think of anyone more fit to be his best man. Ben and Caleb have been inseparable from birth. Years of memories from road trips, home run derby's in the street with a tennis ball, hours of video games & computer games, nerf gun battles, food eating challenges, pranks, baseball, soccer and every other basic brother thing you can think of, have created an unbreakable bond between these two.

I had no idea I needed a Sal in my life until I met her. When mom told me Ev was bringing a girl home to meet us, I had no idea what to expect. I certainly didn’t expect he would be introducing me to someone that would immediately become one of my lifelong best friends. Sally is one of the funniest, most talented, and most thoughtful people I have ever met in my life.

Matt and Ben's relationship is the most recent of the squad. As a brand new brother-in-law, Matt became a part of the Darling family and fits in perfectly. His respectfulness, kindness, humor & life of the party, unconditional love for Kirsten are but a few traits that let Ben know Matt was a perfect husband for his sister. Ben and Matt have bonded over Passion Conference trip to ATL, conversations about sports (college b-ball, specifically), teaching Ben about trucking and farming, and most importantly, faith and love for Jesus.

Brittany became a part of the family when I was in 8th grade. I was so excited to have a girl around, finally starting to even out the boy-girl ratio in the fam. Brit was willing to become the big-sister and role model I’d always dreamed of. Now I’ve been able to count on her for 10 years for school, boy, and life advice. To this day, one of the best moments in my life was when she officially became my big sister, something I’d dreamed and prayed for since I was a kid. I’m so blessed to have such a beautiful person inside and out to look up to.

What to say about Steven. Ben & Steven met freshman year of college. The extrovert Steven & introvert Ben became a power couple, quickly hitting it off and solidifying a lifelong bromance. The years of friendship and memories including intermural sports, weight-lifting, many late night deep talks, long car rides to Kenosha and back in one day, new restaurants, traveling to Seattle, and many more. Steven has been one of Ben's best friends through the craziest years of their lives.

Being the only two girl cousins on the Ireland side and just over a year apart, Rae and I have been inseparable since I was born. Most holidays growing up you couldn't find one of us without the other... likely wearing matching knitted pink and purple ponchos (fashion icons am I right??). And there's never a moment of silence when we're together ;) I'm blessed to have a cousin who is more like a sister, and eternally grateful that my face wasn't permanently scarred after Rachel drove the golf cart at Grandma and Papa's too close to a tree so I got whacked in the face.

Cale's the best, dude. Ben & Cale met in college and immediately created a lifelong friendship. One of the best things about Cale is his passion and zest for life. Cale is the first one to jump and get the party going. He's loyal, encouraging, fun and an absolute DAWG. Ben and Cale have bonded over disc golf, tennis, football, food & booze and every other basic guy shit. One of Ben's best friends, Ben is so honored to have him next to his side.

Now without Kirsten, this day wouldn't be happening at all. Kirsten and I became friends when she joined the golf team my sophomore and her freshman year of college. Almost instantly, I knew I was going to have a friend for life and in our first season golfing together we began calling ourselves the "Blonde Twisted Sisters". From ordering the same thing at every restaurant we visited as a team, to driving our friends on the guys team nuts, to accidentally wearing the same outfit who knows how many times, Kirsten has been my partner in crime for years now. I thank God that Kirsten decided she wanted to scheme and set Ben and I up, making my twisted sister become my real sister-in-law.

The longest of the friendships, Ben & Tyler have been close pals since the days of yore. Creating a lifelong friendship in 7th grade, Tyler has been a loyal, kind, sarcastic and encouraging friend all these years. When Tyler moved to public school in 9th grade, Ben & Tyler maintained a strong friendship through Constance Free Church & Wednesday night youth group. Both men ended up at UNW for college and were able to maintain the friendship & bond over basketball, IM sports, fantasy football, gaming & faith/life conversations. So thankful for this friendship.

When I started hanging around the Darling family, Maddie and I bonded over making fun of Ben (pretty easy thing to do what can I say). As we spent more time together, I got to see just how quick-witted, funny, and competitive Maddie is. I’m grateful for Maddie bringing the competitive edge to games and helping me keep this crazy darling family in line. She has such a kind heart and I am so blessed to have her as a sister-in-law.

Best friends. Roommates. Basically sisters, lets be real. I met Jos a few weeks after moving to Clear Lake and we became fast friends. In high school we we became inseparable, basically living at each other's houses we spent so much time together. It is rare to have a friendship so close that their family truly feels like an extension of yours. Joslyn has been my closest confidant and other half since we met. We may go long periods without seeing each other, but as soon as we're reunited, it's like no time has passed. I am so grateful for the laughs, the coffees, vacations, girls nights, and of course, the hours and hours of girl talk.

Being a grade younger than me in school, I didn’t meet Kennedy until a little bit into high school. I remember seeing her social media and seeing her around school and thinking “wow I wish I could be friends with her” because Ken is just the gorgeous, bubbly, bright, loving person that brings life to everyone around her. Eventually, youth group and choir brought us together and nothing has been able to separate us since. Despite distance and literally not seeing each other in person for over a year, Ken has always been one of my best friends and someone I’ve always known to be there for me whenever I need her, always ready with the bestest hugs ever. It has been so sweet going through this stage of engagement at the same time as her (both marrying Ben’s lol)! I don’t know where I would be without my Ken.

Macy and I developed the sweetest friendship while in high school. We kept in touch after graduation, and encouraged each other from afar as we went through the grueling Med School application process. I cannot describe how excited I was when we found out we would be at DMU together. Mace has been my rock as we've navigated the first year of medical school through study dates, girls nights, and many coffees consumed. Earning my white coat has been so much more special getting to do it all with a lifelong friend like Mace. And I am so blessed to have her by my side as I wear my white dress and become Mrs. Darling!

Though I wouldn’t have admitted it as a kid, I am so glad I grew up with three brothers. When we were younger, we got along as well as any siblings can, but once I got older and we had more in common (basically once I started golfing) I realized it was possible to actually be friends. I remember texts from Lane & Lo after they’d gone to college, checking in and seeing how basketball or golf was going, and those little moments meant the world to me. Poor Evan had to drive me to school for a year, but those times together were when we finally started to talk and build a friendship. Now Lane, Logan, and Evan are three of my best friends, and I’m so glad they’re a part of our wedding day.