Katie & Ryan
Wedding Party
Ellen Johnson
Maid of Honor
I may be taller, but Ellen never lets me forget that she’s the older (and in her opinion, wiser) sister. When we weren’t being mistaken for twins, we were busy finding new ways to torture each other. We always found ways to band together for the common good, though, like when we made a kickass PowerPoint (WordArt and animations included) to convince our parents that we NEEDED a dog. Yes it worked - no we did not help take care of him like we promised. We both should’ve become lawyers with those negotiation skills but she went on to become a doctor and therefore officially secured my place as the underachiever of the family.
Scott Michener
Best Man
Scott lived on my hall freshman year and was one of the first friends I made at Villanova. Throughout our time there we made lots of good memories (even had a roommate photoshoot... see above). We went to as many Nova basketball games as possible and have continued to go after college. We played a lot of intramural sports in college and now play kickball together.
Amy McCarthy
Bridesmaid
Amy and I met on the first day of freshman year at Villanova because my mom couldn’t get the TV in my room to work and Amy’s mom could (so shout out to my mom for being technologically challenged). Ever since then, we've been inseparable. We lived together for the next 3 years at Villanova and while she was busy moving around the world after graduation (even to Singapore!!), I was patiently waiting for her to move back to the Philly area. She finally did and although she’ll tell you it was to be with her fiancé, I like to pretend it was because of me. When they say you meet lifelong friends in college, they weren't kidding. Amy is the first person I call when I have exciting news or if I want to vent, and I couldn't imagine my wedding day (or my life!) without her by my side.
Chris Walker
Groomsman
My first memory of Chris is from freshman year. I was walking into our dorm and he was walking out. The door was closing as he exited, and instead of holding the door for me, he slipped out right as it locked. Nice. Despite the rough start, we were roommates junior and senior year at Villanova. He even taught me how to buy flowers for Katie before we were dating (who knew they came with a bag to catch the water?). During our time at Villanova, we went to as many basketball games as possible and played intramural sports together.
Haley Jauregui
Bridesmaid
Haley and I are the rare freshman year roommates that don’t want to kill each other. Haley grew up in California and during our first interaction over Facebook messenger, she asked me if people from NJ were really like the Jersey Shore cast. Then on the first day of classes, she was amazed that it was raining when it was warm out and took pictures to send to all her high school friends. And at that point, I was like what type of alien is Villanova forcing me to live with? But over that year and our entire 4 years at Villanova, we bonded over our sarcastic sense of humor and shared interest in making fun of each other every chance we get. Despite my efforts to convince her that the Main Line is where she belongs, she fulfilled her Elle Woods dreams and is currently a lawyer in Chicago.
Derik Velasco
Groomsman
Derik and I met on the Campus Activities Team. When I was in charge of planning trips off-campus to places like Hershey Park or NYC, Derik would always tag along so I had a friend. Exhibit A: the picture above is from a trip to Dave & Busters when we helped the random little kid in the middle win 2 stuffed animals out of the claw machine. After college, we've taken up a shared interest in kickball and joined a league in the area (with Scott and Katie). Don't ask us our record - we don't want to talk about it. When we're not playing kickball, we're eating at our favorite Mexican restaurant in town (and ordering the same thing every time).
Shannon Bauman
Bridesmaid
Shannon is Ryan's younger sister and, in my opinion, the cooler Bauman. I met Shannon back when she was a sophomore in high school and have gotten to watch her transition from an (unfairly not awkward) teenager to a real adult. Her only flaws are that she went to Syracuse instead of Villanova and she won’t gang up on Ryan with me (siblings that are nice to each other? weird). I was always jealous of Ellen that she got to have a cool younger sister like me (she’s definitely rolling her eyes right now) so I feel so lucky that I’m going to have an even cooler younger sister-in-law!
Win Su
Groomsman
Win and I met through the Campus Activities Team and were co-directors of the Marketing committee (which consisted of only us...). We became great friends during our time at Villanova and I can always count on him to talk about nerdy finance and economics topics with me since Katie refuses. We wish he lived closer, but he's currently working for the UN in Africa so FaceTime will have to do. One common disagreement Katie and I have is who Win likes better, me or her. Since he'll be standing on my side of the aisle, I guess I won. Sorry Katie.
Matt Gramcko
Groomsman
Matt and I have been friends since Kindergarten. While growing up, we played soccer and tennis together and were in the same Boy Scouts troop. We used to spend our summers kayaking together at Lake Lenape and our winters skiing. After college, we haven't lived near each other, but still meet-up for the occasional round a golf.