A few more wonderful people

Hey all! I just got to Finland a few days ago! I know, it is crazy. We have a little over 10 months until the wedding which is prime planning time and I am off gallivanting in Europe. What was I thinking!?!?! Good news, though... we almost have all of our wedding vendors booked. I got a lot of the big planning stuff done this summer before I left. I have much to tell you.

But, that must wait because I have an important message from the groom. Since I got to talk about my some of my wonderful family and friends so should Wes! So, without further ado here's Wes to tell you about some of the important people in his life standing up for him in the wedding:

Wes says....

"Before I go into specifics on the great guys that fill out my portion of the wedding party, I want to emphasize how truly blessed I feel to have so many very good friends and family members in my life.  I think that I could easily have picked 20 men and women to stand up next to me if it wouldn’t have made the wedding photos so unmanageable and probably single-handedly caused a run on the market in gray cloth (for the bridal party outfits) that may have succeeded in sending us into the back half of a double-dip recession.  Being the stalwart patriot that I am, I had to sacrifice for America, and identify only a few of the many people who I’ve been lucky to experience life with. I am incredibly grateful that they’ve agreed to come to Michigan from all over the country to stand with me on the most important day of my life.

BEST MAN: JOSH (Florida)

One of two Joshua Davids in the wedding party, Josh is my best and “longest-serving” friend (yeah, it is literally work sometimes to willingly deal with me regularly).  Like all the people on this list, he’s an all-around great guy.  Additionally, his and my personalities are particularly complimentary.  I can name countless times where we almost got into BIG trouble due to all the hilarious, reckless, and fun thoughts that reside within his brain, but where we narrowly avoided most of the negative consequences of our actions due to my quick-thinking and slightly greater threshold of risk-avoidance for situations causing severe injury, illness, or death.  I love the kid like another brother, and my high school years in particular would have suffered if we hadn’t met.  One of my few regrets over the last 10 years has been living too far away to be able to regularly hang out with him. Despite all the time removed though, when we are able to meet, whether in Miami, Orlando, Nassau, Grand Cayman, or Cozumel, it’s like nothing has changed.  It’s the way I expect it to be between him and I for the rest of our lives.

GROOMSMAN: JEFF (North Carolina)

“Dis how dey know you”!  It doesn’t matter whether you call him JDM21, Mill-town, or Millaire; everyone knows Jeff is rolling to his own beat (of course he’s doing what I can best describe as several rounded horizontal fist pumps during that time).  Jeff and I have been great friends since our freshman year at Duke.  He’s an incredibly thoughtful and welcoming person that I may never have gotten to know as well as I have had the honor to if not for the trajectory of one golden-winged, and subsequently tarnished and uneaten, french fry at Elmo’s in Durham.  He’s also one of the most competitive and imaginative friends I have, and we are sure to hold a ten-event competition we refer to as “The Decathlon” each time we meet up that includes some known and some lesser known (or altogether-made-up-on-the-spot) challenges to face off in mano-a-mano.  As one of Durham County’s finest, and one hell of a model American, I hope he knows that I’ll always hold the laces out for him, as I’m sure he’ll do for me.

GROOMSMAN: ECK (Utah)

There’s a reason why “Cinco de Ecko” has become one of my favorite days of the year.  For those of you who don’t know, it’s thought that the Germans who originally laid claim to this date named it “Cinco de Mayo” but now it’s mostly just remembered as Eck’s birthday- at least I think that’s why all the mexicanos and Parkers at Cosmic Cantina get so geeked up for it.  I’ve known Eck, like Jeff, since my freshman year at Duke.  Eck is a stand-up guy and one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. He is one of my favorite people to kick around ideas with. We spent a lot of time philosophizing through New England and the Canadian Maritimes, two weeks before our graduate school days began, as we made our first treks to Acadia National Park, the Bay of Fundy, and Cape Bretton, Nova Scotia.  While our thorough conversations almost never result in an accord, we did both pass on trying the McLobster sandwich in New Foundland.  I’m glad to call him one of my best friends.

GROOMSMAN: EGAN (Oregon)

Someone get this kid a mike at the reception! My boy “E” knows more lyrics to more songs than anyone- I guarantee it.  Feel free to challenge him at the DJ booth.  More than anything, I think Egan and I just get each other.  He’s a genuine, hard-working, family man who knows what he wants from life and is primed to take it.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the great times we’ve spent together from skiing Beaver Creek and Vail, to hanging out in his home state of New Jersey, or when he’s come down to MIA.  One of my all-time favorite nights took place with Egan and I living like high-rollers on South Beach, with courtside seats at the Triple A and VIP club tickets, becoming part of Dwyane Wade’s inner circle (literally), and staying at Nick Arison’s place overlooking Biscayne Bay.  I love this kid. 

GROOMSMAN: ZAC (New Jersey)

Zac has been my best friend at Rutgers since we lived on Jones Avenue as members of the same cohort in the Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution.  He’s one of the nicest and most accommodating people I’ve ever met.  I have always been able to rely on him to go with me to the Golden Rail or Corner Tavern, chat about our research, gossip about the goings-on in our department, or head to NYC or Atlantic City.  He and I had a tremendous ongoing beer pong series that got to well over 300 games that first year of grad school though I can’t quite recall our head-to-head record or much else really from umm... two-thousand and..?  I do, however, remember the Ice Bowl Series, a best-of-seven played in conditions that would make Lambeau shiver.  Our beers were freezing in the cups within minutes of being poured! (Don’t worry honey, I think I pulled out the series win in 6...) Since then we’ve seen a lot of people and fine drinking establishments come and go but I’m confident the scarlet bonds we’ve forged here in Central Jersey will always remain strong.   

USHER: BRIAN (Minnesota)

My older brother is flat-out an amazing guy.  He’s an accomplished businessman and an even more accomplished and loving father to my four beautiful (and loud) nieces and nephews.  I’ve always admired him- after all he was my big bro.  But he has always been a great example to me of integrity and courage.  Life may not always go as you’ve planned it, but if you charge ahead with dedication and hard work, you may well just land on a pretty special path anyway- I learned that through Brian.  Because of our age difference and the miles that have often physically separated us, we have not always been able to be as close as I would like, but I’m looking forward to making sure that the family Megan and I will soon start together is every bit as loving and hectic as his so that they’ll fit right in together during many anticipated visits and holidays.

USHER: LANDON (Florida)

My little brother is pretty special in his own right.  He’s super talented, and always ends up being good at nearly everything he decides to apply himself to- drumming, fishing, wrestling, track, pool, the list goes on and on.  I have always enjoyed our time together, whether it was playing basketball in the driveway, running routes with a football in the street, or going fishing and lobstering in the Keys. He’s also been really helpful with my research, whether it was his helping my plant surveying efforts at Deering Estate or Camp Owaissa Bauer, or serving as gator bait (just kidding!) while catching sunfish and spotted tilapia in Big Cypress. I’ve also always appreciated the fact that he looks up to me the same way I look up to Brian.  I am so excited to see the kind of man he grows up to be over the next 10 years. "