Wedding Party
Jackie Mahler
Maid of Honor
Jackie and I met the first day of grad school, during the school mandated "pick up trash along the National Mall to bond with your classmates" welcoming activity. It was clearly very effective. Once I learned that she had a dog I made it my mission to become her best friend. To my delight I discovered that in addition to having a dog she was also a really fun and amazing person. We quickly bonded over our love of Russian, dogs, and the two best band instruments by far (oboe and french horn).
Christy Brown
Bridesmaid
Christy and I met while working at CEPA and bonded when we were bored at work because our boss was on a business trip so decided to organize a storage closet for fun. During the shift to virtual work and the stresses that came with our jobs, we became close friends. We both left CEPA for different jobs but came back together when she brought me on (thank you!) to work at Booz Allen. Equally importantly, our dogs are also best friends.
Jenna McKellips
Bridesmaid
Jenna and I met during our first semester of college when we were both in the same (and best) Great Conversation cohort. After bonding over how similarly nerdy we were and realizing that we both (kind of) spoke German, we decided that maybe the German philosopher Heidegger would make more sense in his original language. He did not but after that we became fast friends and permanent English study partners.
James Mersol
Bridesman
James and I met in grad school and while we shared a few classes together, we didn't really become friends until Macroeconomics. Despite taking four different economic courses throughout our two years at SAIS, James and I both agree that the econ part is more of an honorary degree for us. Probably because I frequently distracted James by showing him excerpts from Bad Books Good Times during class.
Rafael Seltzer
Best Man
Rafi is my brother. Growing up, we physically fought each other, mercilessly insulted each other, and whenever our parents asked for anything, we said no. We've been through so many happy times and some difficult times too, always together when it matters. Rafi has always been ridiculously smart, and after seeing him work so hard for so long, it's amazing to see him enjoying business school so much (it seems like every time I talk to him he's in a different country or doing something awesome. Recently he texted me from a cow milking competition??!). He'll have to return to real life when he starts at Boston Consulting Group soon, so enjoy it while it lasts!
Brooke Hancock
Groomswoman
When I first met Brooke, I didn't realize that her husband had been my boss years earlier. When I finally put it together, it made perfect sense because they are both truly incredible people. From our first conversation, I immediately felt like I could talk to Brooke about anything and we have been friends ever since. From the ups and downs of our careers, to Fourth of July in Charlottesville, to board game nights, we've navigated a lot. Plus she has awesome cats.
Jason Feng
Groomsman
Jason and I met when our careers were first beginning, and have been friends ever since. Jason is Callie's favorite uncle by far (she loves staying over at his house so much that she doesn't seem to care when I leave). Jason and I share a passion for Democratic politics and campaigns, going to see dumb movies in theaters, and spending too much on fancy dinners. Plus he has patiently indulged my endless questions about ad buying this year, an area in which he is an expert and I am decidedly not.
Erik Anderson
Groomsman
Erik is the best brother in law I could ask for, but he's also a friend. We initially bonded over our shared interest in poking fun at Eleanor, a noble art that we continue to this day. It didn't hurt that Erik cooks restaurant-quality meals, owns my 2nd favorite dog in the world, and he can talk about pretty much anything. Erik has always made me feel so welcome in the family.