Sawyer is David's darling five year old son who is finishing up kindergarten in a spanish immersion classroom. We get a kick out of all new words creeping into his vocabulary...even though he insists that he has learned "nothing" at the end of most school days.Sawyer and his daddy are quite a pair. Sawyer reports that his favorite activities to do with his dad are "fishing, wrestling, playing video games, making music, and eating..a lot."Megan can't believe her luck and has to pinch herself from time to time. She never guessed that she would get such a sweet and loving "freebie" out of the deal.

Madeline, or Mads as she prefers to be called these days, is the lively and lovely youngest child of Ryan and Theresa. She may be the youngest and the smallest, but she keeps that house running smoothly. On Valentine's Day, she informed her teenage brother Luke that he would be helping her make cookies... "but I'm the boss." We have had lots of fun with Mads since she came into our lives a few short years ago. One very special moment occurred when this independent young lady first tried on her flower girl dress. Once those puffy layers fell into place, she couldn't stop twirling...and the girl we thought we would have to bribe to get into the dress didn't want to take it off. Hopefully, it will be even more fun at the wedding. After all, we all know it is really the flower girl's day!

Caitlin is Megan's long long long awaited little sister...it took eleven years of wishing before another girl was added to the Browning bunch of boys. Caitlin was the best present a girl could ask for! Megan proudly wore a button with Caitlin's baby picture on it through most of middle school, and the two rocked matching outfits during the majority of Caitlin's young life. Their adorable homemade dresses won the 4-H fashion review (still have the tiara to prove it). Though it's hard for Megan to believe, that sweet little girl has grown up and now takes amazing care of elderly residents as the Director of Nursing at the Riverview Care Center in Crookston, MN.Caitlin proved to be a terrific "wing-woman" on a serendipitous bluegrass night at Sir Bens in Duluth. Without Caitlin's encouragement, Megan would most likely have decided to just stay home that night. The two gals happened to find themselves seated next to two gentlemen bantering about everything from basketball to fractals. It turns out, with her sister by her side, a good man wasn't too hard to find!

John is a beloved 5th grade teacher at North Shore Community School. He is father to the amazing toddler Sammy and husband of the ever-patient and kind Katie.He has been David's best friend since their early days in Two Harbors. Whether it was ping pong and pizza at John's house in high school, playing in the "prestigious" BHL (boot hockey league), cracking jokes at the golf course on their summer breaks, or these days listening to vinyl records, they have an uncanny bond that results in rapid fire conversations ranging from bawdy to sublime and back again. These conversations have been known to throw most reasonable humans off base, but on a night at Sir Ben's, Megan happened to overhear and found them strangely intriguing.

Sarah is David's younger sister who is an outstanding mother to Ethan (one of our junior ushers). She is currently working hard (an understatement, if ever there was one) to get her nursing degree!Despite the many hats she wears, she throws herself wholeheartedly into everything she touches. In her work as a nursing assistant, she shows endless patience, love, and respect for all of "her residents." She also is devoted to her family and has the uncanny ability to create festive gatherings on a moment's notice. David can attest that under Sarah's culinary influence, the quality of Megan's cooking has grown exponentially!Simply put, Sarah is a wonderful woman who welcomed Megan in to the Baldes family with a great big bear hug!

Evan is the youngest of the Browning bunch. He is a high school senior, and systematically has been surpassing each of us academically, musically, and socially. He was voted Homecoming King earlier this year and his current list of instruments includes the oboe, cello, piano, organ, drums, saxophone, and the accordion. Both Mom and Dad are pretty sure they saved the best for last, and David, Sawyer, and I are all giddy that he is moving to Duluth next fall to attend college!It's hard to believe he is growing up. I still remember the day he was born. I was finishing up my first year at Smith. Colin borrowed a digital camera from the high school library and emailed me a picture of this beautiful little guy. A friend looked at the picture, did the math, and said, "you guys aren't the Brady bunch anymore...with 7 kids, you are the Von Trapp family singers."Those words were more prescient than she knew. We love to play music together, and Evan has been a driving force in bringing together the sibling musical ensemble for the wedding.

Teresa is married to Megan's younger brother Nathan and is a phenomenal mother to 2 bubbly & inquisitive little boys (Aiden and Ian). We are all waiting on pins and needles to find out who the newest Browning family addition will be when their 3rd child arrives this August!Teresa's never failing grace and kindness have been a blessing since she joined our family. She does an amazing job taking care of her boys (all 3 of them). It is a joy to visit such a happy household, and to learn that a car ride to get groceries might suddenly become a construction vehicle scouting trip or a diversion to visit the goats at the petting zoo. Teresa has also been there from those first early text messages between David and Megan. She listened as the words of each text were pondered and offered quiet encouragement that "this David fellow might just be your 'Mr. Rochester and Mr. Darcy all rolled into one.'" Turns out she was right!

Ryan, or "#1 son" as he prefers to be called, is the firstborn Browning sibling. The only true Minnesota Gopher among us, he is married to Theresa and is a fantastic Dad to Blake, Luke (our ushers), and little Madeline (our flower girl). He is a true computer wizard. He solves all manner of computer problems for the city of Edina and singlehandedly has kept the family computers running.As the eldest sibling, Ryan paved the way for all of us and continues to be the one we look to for advice and a good laugh. We all agree, it's not really a party until Ryan arrives and drops one of his classic one-liners (who can forget his simple but profound comment after using the toilet dad repaired with superglue..."Oh the toilet? You can barely tell!." We are so happy to have him with us on this special day, and can't wait to hear his unique take on the events as they unfold!

Colin is Megan's younger brother (#3 to her #2 birth order). He is married to Amanda and a proud new father of our "flower bud" Vivian. Colin has always been driven to push himself (perhaps attributable to prolonged exposure to such a demanding older sister). He graduated from the Naval Academy, served as an officer in the Marine Corps, and now teaches chemistry at St. George's School (a private high school in Middletown, RI).Colin welcomed David into the Browning clan with open arms and an open house this summer when we visited Newport. He also served as the best tour guide money couldn't buy--navigating the haphazard parking at the Newport Folk Fest and executing a fantastic tour of local breweries. We are looking forward to many more trips together! Colin also has kindly agreed to dust off his string plucking and bowing abilities to play the double bass at the wedding ceremony; we are thrilled!

Amanda is married to Megan's younger brother Colin, and they are the proud parents of our honorary "flower bud" Vivian. Amanda is a naval officer currently serving as an instructor at the surface warfare officer school in Newport, RI. Whether at home, in class, or on a huge warship, she navigates her many roles and responsibilities with flair (and her ability to accessorize for these varied situations is a wonder to behold)! Amanda has been a dear friend to Megan since they met in Colin's truck at the Naval Academy. She looked after her during those first long months as a tired pediatric intern (even cooked the first postcall meal) and provided a welcome relief from the nonstop world of residency and fellowship during visits to Monterey and Oahu...ooh the memories from the Gilroy outlets and the Kailua Whole Foods! Thier connection has grown even closer in this spree of wedding planning for Megan and new motherhood for Amanda...what a special year!

Nathan is 4th in the Browning lineup and was the second brother to attend a service academy--he graduated from West Point. This trend led Megan to wonder if her sisterly influence was a little too tough--she left home and they joined the academies...hmmmm.He served as a tank commander, married his lovely bride Teresa, became the father to two sparkling sons (our junior ushers Aiden & Ian), and now works with Nucor steel. We are all happy that American steel is on the rise.Nathan has always been a great partner in crime with a fantastic sense of fun. It takes a special guy to assist in kiddie pool productions of "the Little Mermaid" and re-enactments of the bayonet charge at Little Roundtop. Nathan can always be counted on to tackle a project with a smile and makes the experience unforgettable! He graciously agreed to play his cello on our big day, and then he proceeded to find the faded crumbling sheet music to our recessional (Thee I Love) while he was leafing through old music at his in-laws earlier this year. That song comes from one of our favorite classic movies "Friendly Persuasion," starring Gary Cooper. We can't wait to hear it played!!

Theresa is a remarkable woman who most are convinced has figured out the secret to cloning herself, since she is somehow able to thrive in all domains and flourish in the roles of talented radiation therapist, loving wife, and dedicatedmmother. (Has anyone actually seen her sleep)?Megan thanks her lucky stars that her big brother Ryan had the sense to marry this amazing woman and bring her into the family! Theresa has always been in Megan's corner...from bandaging up rollerblading wounds, traveling cross country in the tiniest convertible (stopping, of course, at EVERY Lincoln historical marker), to encouraging Megan to follow her instincts and move back to Minnesota at the end of her long training process. Her support continued after Megan met a nice fellow named David and had to share his wonderful qualities with a very patient Theresa; and despite all of that, she is still supporting Megan, as she helps her prepare for the big day.