Maureen & David
Wedding Party
Erin Smolskis
Maid of Honor
Erin is Mo's younger sister. She helped Dave pick out the ring and has been known to provide the happy couple with amazing baked goods to help them celebrate everything from birthdays to Christmas. Erin teaches kindergarten (via Zoom during COVID, God bless her) and, as an English major, is often appalled by Mo's grammar. The sisters love telling stories about growing up in Kensington, reliving amazing summers in Black Point, CT, and re-watching Gilmore Girls (the undisputed best show of the 2000s). There is no one else Mo would rather have next to her as she says "I do." Mo assumed Erin knew she'd be the maid of honor, so almost forgot to ask her! Thankfully, Erin picked up on this and took the job!
Sam Oleksak
Best Man
Dave can't remember a time before his younger brother arrived in his life. Playing wiffleball in the backyard and Turkey Bowls growing up, turned into a fun season coached by their dad in little league and eventually a memorable season together on the Winchester High Men's Varsity Swim Team. Those years morphed to fantasy leagues, and even more Turkey Bowls. Having both gone to school in the Carolinas, their visits brought them closer. Now rarely a day goes by without Sam calling Dave on his way to get coffee in the morning. On the night Mo and Dave got engaged, Sam began to text everyone they knew growing up. He implored them to "send Dave unsolicited congratulations on the getting engaged to his longtime girlfriend." Without a second thought, Dave asked Sam to be his best man.
Alison Lynch
Bridesmaid
Alison is Mo's oldest friend. They met in first grade when Alison's mom, who was Mo's first grade teacher, brought Alison to school with her when Alison's school had a teacher work day. The girls hit it off. While they never went to the same school, they both loved Irish Dance and spent years together dancing with the Culkin School. During hours of competition, rehearsal, and Glen Echo summer camp they formed a friendship that is still going strong over twenty years later.
Brian Magna
Groomsman
The naked roommate may seem like a cliché but for David, it was a very real situation he confronted with his roommate for the first two years at Elon. They would overcome that rocky start, and the fact that Brian only drank Mike's Hard Lemonades the first semester freshman year, to turn into inseparable friends. In fact, only Dave's semester in Shanghai during his junior year, a time spent literally a world apart, proved enough to split the pair up. Through their many shared fantasy football and baseball leagues, there is rarely a week that goes by where they don't catch up or talk trash.
Katie Bellamy Mitchell
Bridesmaid
When Mo started at National Cathedral School in sixth grade, she met Katie. The two spent the rest of middle and high school together running around the Cathedral Close, Katie writing and drawing and Mo dancing and singing. They played field hockey together, spending many hours on the bus talking about all the places they wanted to travel instead of doing homework. While they haven't lived in the same city since high school, they try to get together once a year back in the DC area to catch up on life.
Nick Rourke
Groomsman
Nick has been a steady presence in Dave's life since sophomore year when they were hired to Elon's Campus Recreation program as intramural referees. After three years spent working together in a division the Director of Campus Rec once called, "where critical thinking goes to die," Dave and Nick ended up as interns on Capitol Hill. There is a joke in there about going from one bastion of critical thinking to another but, that would be too easy! When they were interns, they got together with another group of Elon young alumni and started what would become "the Bar Crawl Crew." As people's lives changed and folks grew up, Nick was an invaluable sounding board to David as he navigated life in the city.
Becca Napolitano-Reinhart
Bridesmaid
Becca and Mo met at a field hockey camp at Connecticut College their sophomore year of high school. The two both played goalie and spent all week together talking about where they wanted to go to school (Mo's top choice was Conn and Becca's was Hamilton) while diving around the field and running drills. The girls kept in touch and the next year when recruiting season was in full swing, Becca let Mo know that she changed her mind and wanted to go to Conn too! A year later the two were at preseason together. While Mo only played one season, the goalie bond was strong and the two continued their friendship off the field. Becca also introduced Mo to the people who would become the Meerkat Club.
Kush Jadeja
Groomsman
The fun irony to Kush and Dave's friendship is that Kush and Mo have known each other much longer. They went to high school together, but were not terribly close back then, a point that was hilariously driven home at their five year reunion. Much to the surprise of many of their friends back in the day, they embraced as dear old friends that evening. The difference? Well, let's just call it the groom-effect. Dave and Kush met on the flag football field but, unfortunately for the both of them, their first game ended in a 70-7 loss in the playoffs. There was no way either one of them would have known about the adventures and championships to come. Kush became Dave's co-captain for eleven flag football titles in twelve seasons, and one of his closest friends.
Grace Medley
Bridesmaid
Grace was Becca's roommate freshman year of college. Mo met her while hanging out with Becca. The two bonded over their love of the water and the outdoors. Throughout college, Grace and Mo spent hours exploring the Arboretum and at the beaches around New London. Grace was also instrumental in Mo and Dave's engagement, getting Mo to the Popponesset Spit, taking some gorgeous pictures of the couple, and providing them with a post-engagement beer for their first engaged toast!
Brett Sahlberg
Groomsman
Ron Swanson once said that "the three most important people in a man's life are his barber, his butcher and his lover." In Swanson's eyes, those three are all trusted confidants, and once you trust them, they stick with you for life. A reliable drinking buddy is one such relationship. A drinking buddy, who is simultaneously a teammate, fellow Pats fan and great on the beer pong table is a triple threat. Brett is just such a friend. Even in the years since he left DC, there have been plenty of trips to New Hampshire for Akon Day, trips back to DC for flag football games and plenty of other misadventures. Being in the same city is nice but, once you watch the Patriots play in three straight Super Bowls together, you are bonded for life.
Sarah Giguere
Bridesmaid
Mo and Sarah traveled abroad to Peru together during their junior year of college. Though the girls had been in a class together before, they didn't really get to know each other until they left for Lima. After surviving altitude sickness in the Potato Park, seeing the sunrise over Machu Picchu, dancing weekends away at the clubs, and eating their weight in ceviche, they became fast friends. When they came back to Conn in the spring, they continued to build on their friendship. When Mo moved to Alaska, Sarah kept in touch through daily snapchats, a tradition that continues today.
Connor Hinebaugh
Groomsman
A defining early moment in Dave and Connor's friendship came at Connor's bachelor party. The first night of the festivities, the two spent the night sitting around a campfire splitting a bottle of bourbon and then one more for good measure, cracking jokes and swapping stories. Waking up hungover on a Saturday and doing something athletic was old hat to them by now. Usually, that meant running a few routes at football. This time the venue was a bit different. The sport was paintball and it was a 92 degree day in southern Virginia. The two had differing experiences. Connor took to it with gusto, mowing down friends from out of town with precision and ease. Dave almost died of heat stroke and may not have hit the side of the barn. They both laughed about it walking away, gotta stay humble.
CJ Juricic
Flower Woman
As with so many of the best things in Dave in Mo's relationship, their friendship with CJ stemmed from post-flag football pitchers at Grand Central, the dive bar in Adams Morgan. It didn't take long for CJ to become part of the burgeoning Schmoleksak family. She has been a close friend and trusted confidant to both Mo and Dave over the last few years. Whether winning flag football championships or hosting the couple in Michigan City and introducing them to they joys of Wisniowka, CJ has part of the family from day one. Some people ask how they they can help with the wedding, some people are thrust into service, CJ declared she would be our flower girl and we couldn't have asked for a better person for the role!
Dan Henke
Officiant
We all get through life with a bit of help from our friends. If you're lucky, you have a friend like Dan Henke who is capable of helping on many fronts. Years ago, Dave and Mo faced a difficult fork in the road decision, they chose the road less traveled, and split a bottle of tequila with Dan. For a while, Dan was the unofficial fifth roommate at the Dude Ranch on 5th St. Those years coincided with Mo's time in Alaska, and Dan was always diligent in keeping up with her despite the fact she was a universe away. When it came time to find an officiant, as luck should have it, they had a seasoned pro for a friend. The night they asked Dan, the three friends spent the night laughing about the shared adventures that brought them to that moment. We remain lucky to have Dan in our corner.