Ellen and Sandy met as prospective students on a tour of Grinnell College and spent the next four years bonding over campus hijinks and gas station snacks. Ellen lives in Iowa City, IA, where she teaches English as a second language.

Brandon and Joe (Joe E to Brandon) met during swim team tryouts in 2007. When Brandon wasn't good enough to make the swim team the second year, he joined Joe in mediocrity as a manager, cementing their friendship forever. They hung out in each other's basements for the rest of high school. They then left for college, but remained friends because of Joe's frequent visits to Radford University. After graduating, they moved in together with other Groomsman Adrian in Arlington, VA for 2 years. Currently they are living the furthest distance of their friendship, but the Chicago to DC flight doesn't stop these two from being best friends.

Sandy and Sarah met through the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) when Sandy moved back to Chicago in 2020 and was looking for a job as a housing paralegal. They worked together doing pro bono eviction defense serving low income Chicago tenants and launched a union drive with UAW together. Sarah lives in Bridgeport, Chicago now with her husband Michael and dog Duncan.

Brandon and Garrett met in 2017 and became fast friends when they realized they were the only DSA members who also liked college football. After years of laughs in DC, the two pals made their way to Chicago's South Side, now just a 10 minute walk away from each other. Garrett is thrilled to be Brandon's groomsman and looks forward to enjoying plenty of horrific White Sox baseball, beautiful sunsets at Promontory Point, and trips to Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Bar & Grill together in the years to come.

Sophia (they/them) lives in Lincoln Square and has been a resident of Chicago since 2014. They first met Sandy while supporting student organizers at Grinnell College and they have been friends and comrades ever since. You can probably find Sophia watching a weird art film at the Music Box Theatre, browsing the LGBTQ sale books at Unabridged Bookstore, or dancing at the Berlin, the best unionized nightclub in the country.

Jay first met Brandon in 2017 thanks to DSA, but it was not until the summer of 2019 that they perfected the art of going to bars and hanging out on the couch. Jay tearfully bid DC farewell to attend law school in the Midwest, but Brandon was not deterred and moved to Chicago to be with him (and for no other reason). Jay currently resides in Oakland, California, where he keeps a weather eye on the inbound flights from Chicago.

Ignacio (he/him) met Sandy back in middle school at Kenwood Academy. They were in Kenwood's drama club together, collaborating on plays on some days and being completely unproductive on others. After putting up with each other for over a decade, she invited him to her wedding. Ignacio and his partner Paloma moved back to Hyde Park with no plans to move. Ignacio spends most of his time watching pirate television shows and playing trading card games.

Adrian met Brandon in 8th grade Spanish class and they were friends throughout high school. Both went to Radford University, and to preserve their friendship, they opted against being freshman year roommates. By senior year, of course, they were living together, and continued living together through their early 20s while working their first jobs in the DC area. Although Brandon now lives in Chicago, together they enjoy talking DC sports, drinking beer, doing dumb bits, and making fun of Joe.