OUR BRIDAL PARTY
We’re so lucky to be surrounded by amazing friends and family, and our bridal party is no exception. Get to know a little bit more about them and what makes them so special.
Ladies, you’re welcome. Boys, you’re super welcome.
BRIDESMAIDS
LAURA Hirschler, Matron of Honor
Best friends since 5th grade, Laura and I met when we were elementary school patrols keeping an eye on the younger kids at Woodbrook. We have over 20 years of friendship under our belts and I couldn’t imagine not having Laura by my side on my wedding day. She knows me inside and out, and despite growing up in different places through our 20’s, we are still incredibly close. She also has a killer eye for interior design, and loves plants and cooking as much as I do. She lives in Richmond, VA, with her husband Sutton and two poodles, Redford and Banjo.
MEGAN WALD, Maid of Honor
I met Megan on my first day of work at Huge, and since then, we have been inseparable. She is my work wife (we have worked together at two different places!), my travel partner (we have been on more than one romantic getaway with one another) and my voice of reason for everything life throws my way. I feel like she has really gotten me through my 20’s in NYC and has been there for me through every up and down. She lives in Ft. Greene, Brooklyn with her boyfriend, Joe, and a few houseplants that are still alive.
HERAN HAILE, Bridesmaid
Heran and I met in high school and we have been incredibly close ever since. We spent a lot of our senior year at Applebee’s after 10 pm (1/2 price appetizers, of course), when our metabolisms were much speedier. She makes me laugh so hard all the time, and has such boundless energy, much of which is being put to good use in the daily pilates classes she’s now teaching in NYC. Heran splits her time between NYC and Hoboken, and is married to Jeremy. They have a very sweet, large-headed pitbull named Ace.
NICOLE CUMELLA, Bridesmaid
Friends since our senior year of college, Nicole and I spent our first 5 years in NYC as roommates. We have grown so close during our time in 3 apartments and learned a lot of life lessons as well (including the fact that you should definitely pack the night before a move instead of going out). We’ve been to countless oyster happy hours and I’m so proud of Nicole for keeping NYC’s eyes in good health. Nicole is an optometrist in the East Village and lives on the UES with her husband, Frank.
CLAIRE MAIKOWSKI, Bridesmaid
Claire and I met at Cornell through our sorority, and little did we know, we had grown up in neighboring towns our whole lives. Once in NYC, Claire and I lived together (with Nicole) in an East Village apartment where we had quite a few rowdy roof parties - but the FDNY only came once. And I only got locked on the roof once. Needless to say, we made it out alive. Claire lives in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn with her husband, Howie, and can often be found curled up in a book or waking up from a nap.
ASHLEY LIN, Bridesmaid
Ashley and I met on our first day at Cornell, as we had transferred in together during the 2nd semester of freshman year. We were welcomed with snow and sub-zero temps. Ashley has always truly understood my need for naps and snacks — she is my go-to for a post-work drink or meal. Ashley and her boyfriend, Kyle, live two blocks away from Rob and I in Alphabet City, so we are often found at 7B Horseshoe Bar watching sports, or enjoying a new bottle of natural wine from our favorite neighborhood bottle shop.
MARISSA RICHARDS, Bridesmaid
I met Marissa while wearing a hideous banquet serving uniform since we were both working in catering during our freshman year at Cornell. We quickly became friends and bonded over our unfortunate luck of having to work over spring break. Marissa is such a genuine person and she always makes me smile. We have also had our moments of stupidity though, like that time Marissa got sun poisoning after our solo trip to the Bahamas and had to skip class for a week. Oops. Lesson learned. Marissa and her husband, Jonnie, live in sunny Santa Monica.
KRISTEN HICKS, Bridesmaid
Kristen and I are dating brothers. Enough said. She and I have put up with a lot of hockey games and yelling at the TV. Typically, we sneak away, pour ourselves a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and watch bad reality TV when that happens, while we let the boys drown their sorrows in bourbon. Kristen is the sweetest and most caring wife and friend. I couldn’t be more excited to have her as my future sister-in-law and be a part of my special day. Kristen is married to Steve, Rob’s brother, and is a speech language pathologist in NJ.
GROOMSMEN
STEVE HICKS, Best Man
Steve is my younger brother. His hobbies include screaming at the television during NY sporting events, riding his motorcycle, and getting thrown out of bars.
Fun fact: last time we walked to 7-11 from his house at 2am he fell into the creek in his backyard.
DAN WHITLEY, Groomsman
Whit has been my best friend since second grade (when I was pretty stupid because I didn’t understand how school worked yet). We lived together all four years of college, and I’m amazed we made it out alive.
Fun fact: first time I ever drank was with Whit (7th grade I think?). We got caught because it took me an hour to walk the 3 blocks home from his house. I woke up in a bush at one point on the journey back.
DAVID BEGY, Groomsman
Dave (or as he’s affectionately known, “Murder Cousin Dave”) is my only cousin on my Mom’s side. Him and Steve used to gang up on me when we were little, but now we mostly just drink together and shoot clays on his land upstate.
Fun fact: Dave is known as “The Red Santa” north of the border.
MATT HICKS, Groomsman
Matt is my cousin on my Dad’s side, and we spent a lot of time hanging out in our youth. Being a year older than me, he was the wheelman for a lot of stupid things we did in high school. I also used to use his ID to get into bars.
Fun fact: we’ve estimated that Matt ate 36 Oreos in 24 hours on Steve’s bachelor party.
MIKE CUNNINGHAM, Groomsman & Officiant
Cunningham and I met in high school when we were dating girls from the same friend group. I knew we were going to be lifelong friends when we tailgated a house party and never made it in.
Fun fact: Mike aligns his quitting of jobs with the release of Zelda games so he can spend weeks playing uninterrupted.
BRIAN ERICKSON, Groomsman
Erickson is one my oldest and best friends. In grade school we used to hang out and play games at his house like “fire the BB gun in the basement and see who the ricochet hits” and “tie the model rocket engine to the matchbox car and see what happens.” We also founded a startup together in college, where Cunningham eventually joined us.
Fun fact: Erickson will occasionally go into “Frankenstein mode” where he becomes uncontrollably clumsy and offensive and accidentally destroys everything in sight.
ALEX BAKER, Groomsman
Baker lived down the hall from me and Whit freshman year at GW. We quickly became friends, and Baker ended up being the resident bartender in our room (known as “The Jungle”) — pictured above. And yes, we did charge admission to our freshman year dorm room/Baker’s bar.
Fun fact: Baker’s 21st birthday was known as “Bakerpalooza,” during which we sailed his family’s sailboat to their cliffside beach house in Cape Cod for a 3-day rager.
ROJING RAJKARNIKAR, Groomsman
Ro, as he is commonly known, is Ranu’s only sibling. We’ve spent a lot of time traveling together with Ranu’s family, including spending 2 weeks going all over Nepal (which involved a 7-hour bus trip on unpaved roads through the mountains at one point).
Fun fact: On a Rajkarnikar family vacation to western Maryland two years ago, Roj and I stayed up until 3am finishing a bottle of whiskey together while I drunkenly gave him questionable life advice.