Hi! I’m Cassidy Ficker (for our birding friends reading this, you may recognize me better as “Tyler Ficker’s sister”), and I’m Mollie’s maid of honor and the sister of the groom. I’m in my second year of veterinary school at the Ohio State University, planning to specialize in companion animal and wildlife medicine. I actually can be accredited for Tyler and Mollie meeting, when I told Austin that he should bring his sister along to Ornithology Club events because I wanted another sibling pair in the club. The rest is history, and I’m so extremely thankful for the countless memories with Tyler and Mollie since then. My time with the couple is best viewed like a tricycle: the two are perfect on their own, but the third wheel makes everything a whole lot funnier.

Matthew Bell is the best man, and honorary older brother of the groom. A tour guide, his friendship with Tyler can be traced back to the very first Ornithology Club at Ohio State meeting, where they bonded over their shared love of photography and experiences in Costa Rica. He and Tyler have created many more memories since then, birding across the USA, Costa Rica, and a small part of Canada. After meeting Mollie in Cape May, all conversations since then have been full of back and forth sass, with neither side gaining the upper hand. There is never a dull moment when the three are together, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Hi! My name is Stephanie and I met Mollie and Tyler through OSU ornithology club. Originally, we would wake up at the crack of dawn to do Lights Out on campus together. Then, we really got close on a club trip to Minnesota! From there, more trips, game nights, and inside jokes ensued and the rest was history!

My name is Austin. I am Mollie’s older brother (we’re pretty similar, I’m just stronger, smarter, and better looking). More importantly, Tyler is like a [slightly younger] brother to me. We both like Star Wars, photography, birds, etc. And now Mollie does too which is great. Truly a match made in heaven. Mollie and Tyler are great together, also. Anyway, I’m so thrilled for my brother to be marrying my sister and can’t wait for what the future holds.

I’m Katie Russell and I have known Mollie since we were babies! Our moms taught 4th grade together at the same school, and we became the closest friends! We had an inseparable friend group and frequently kept up to date with all things One Direction and Taylor Swift, went to McDonald’s after Friday night football games, concert hopped, and had Fam hang outs most nights of the week. We used to talk and cry about boys and hope we would have our fairytale (even if it couldn’t be Harry Styles) Fast forward to college, Mollie met Tyler, and I had never seen her happier than when she talked about him! I’m so excited for the future Fickers. Truly couldn’t name more deserving people and I’m so excited to stand by Mollie’s side and watch the fairytale that we used to dream about come true!

My name is Kevin, and I am excited to be a groomsman and friend to the groom, Tyler Ficker! After graduating The Ohio State University, I traveled across the United States as a wildlife field technician before starting a Master of Science at Louisiana State University. I plan to study avian movement ecology, specifically how birds move from direct impacts by hurricanes. I am also particularly excited about a large-scale movement to Ohio this April, as we come together to celebrate Tyler and Mollie’s wedding. You never know how a simple choice, like what shirt you should wear, will impact your life so heavily. On my first night as an undergraduate in college, out of all the choices, I decided to wear a bird shirt. Tyler did what birders do best and picked me out of the crowd which sparked one of the most cherished friendships I could have ever asked for. From late night apartment shenanigans to early morning Dunkin runs, I would be hard-pressed to find a favorite college memory that Tyler wasn’t a part of. Tyler is one of those friends that you can be serious with one moment, laugh until you cry the next, and know that he always has your back. I truly believe he has positively impacted every life he has touched, and it makes me overjoyed knowing that Mollie can reciprocate that love back even stronger. There was a night I left them on a call in the evening and woke up to them still talking and laughing in the morning. That was the moment I knew they would be together forever and I’ve been looking forward to this day ever since!

Hey there! I’m Shelby, and Mollie & I have been friends since junior high! We had the best friend group throughout school, and I’m so thankful that Mollie was part of so many fun memories. Mollie and I were bus buddies for basketball cheer and I have so many memories of listening to One Direction and Ed Sheeran. I have always cherished Mollie’s friendship & I’m so excited to be a part of her big day!

After a serendipitous meeting over a hummingbird carcass one August afternoon, Tyler and Gautam shared a close friendship throughout and beyond their college years. Gautam met Mollie soon after and feels very lucky to have had both of them as good friends for the past five years. Most of the core memories of apartment cooking nights, Wii sports tournaments, sleep-deprived birding trips, and everything else that made these years so special involve Tyler and Mollie in some capacity. Gautam is grateful for the joy and laughter that these two bring to the lives of everyone around them, and is honored to stand beside them as they celebrate their love.

Hi! I’m Sidney, and I met Mollie in the 4th grade through our pewee cheer team. That was the start of our nearly 15 year friendship (wow, has it really been that long?!) During our sophomore year of college, Mollie invited me to join her on a walk with the ornithology club. That was where I first met Tyler (before he and Mollie were a couple!)

Jerald first met Tyler and Mollie in the fall of 2019, when they visited Cape May, NJ, where he was working as the Morning Flight Songbird Counter. Several good migration days and a pizza party/jackbox game night later, they already felt like old friends. Jerald moved to Columbus, OH after the end of his count season, and was quickly adopted into the dysfunctional family of young birders at OSU. Their friendship has endured through whirlwind trips to Florida and Minnesota, several more count seasons in Cape May, and many many Zoom calls during the early days of Covid. Four years after their initial meeting, Jerald is proud to still count Tyler and Mollie among his very best friends and can’t wait to celebrate their wedding with that same dysfunctional birding family.

Andrew doesn't go too far back with the happy couple, but after one fateful weekend in Cape May they felt like instant long-time friends. Standing at a lofty 6'6", Andrew serves as a small but pivotal reality check for the 6'4" Tyler as he lives the dream of being an international bird guide. He also keeps Mollie's competitive streak at bay by always having the upper hand in Word Hunt. Many zooms and game nights have ensued over the past few years with legendary in-person visits sprinkled in from Ohio and Cape May involving electric Wii Sports commentary and obligatory Jungle Jim's runs. Andrew is honored to be standing up there with two of his closest friends in addition to providing a little bit of tasteful music for the ceremony.