Jon and Laura
Sarah Berg |
(Bridesmaid) |
Sarah and Laura first met in 2005, when (a rather hungover) Laura interviewed Sarah for a job. Sarah was expecting someone older and perhaps a bit more professional to be interviewing her, but instead, she got Laura, who had been taking jaeger bombs at a lovely Champaign establishment called "Joe's" until the wee hours of the morning. Luckily, Sarah went on to accept the job, and they have been friends ever since. Sarah currently lives in Chicago and still works at the company that sends immature 23-year-olds to interview potential employees.
Lindsay Bukiet |
(Bridesmaid) |
Laura met Lindsay in June of 1988. To welcome Lindsay into their lives, Laura and her grandmother constructed a banner that said "Welcome home, Lindsey!" Lindsay has never forgiven Laura for this egregious error. Laura ignored her disdain (likely because now she had a real-life baby doll to dress up) and subsequently told her first-grade teacher that she wanted "a hundred brothers and sisters." Many years later, Laura and Lindsay lived together in Laura's Chicago condo, where they constantly watched cat videos on YouTube. Lindsay currently lives in Melbourne, Australia.
Bridget Gibson |
(Bridesmaid) |
Bridget and Laura became friends in 1996, when they were assigned to be doubles partners on the Schaumburg High School JV tennis team. At first, they did not get along. Bridget complained that Laura "made too many faces" while playing tennis. After the season ended, Bridget became accustomed to these faces, and they became great friends. Years later, Bridget and Laura lived together in Chicago for a long time; in fact, they were only two years shy of being able to claim a common-law marriage. Bridget currently works for Boys and Girls Clubs of America and resides in Chicago.
Rita McCusker |
(Bridesmaid) |
Laura and Rita met in college at Tulane. However, they didn't become good friends until senior year, when they had a horrible Managerial Accounting professor who still haunts each of their dreams. Like in any traumatic situation, the "victims" formed a lifelong bond. Rita hails from the great city of Boston, which Laura enjoys visiting, if only so she can imitate the locals' funny accents. Rita has spent the last year living in London, where she works for Cambridge Associates.
Nicole Strass |
(Bridesmaid) |
Laura became friends with Nicole in sophomore year chemistry class in high school. They wrote a song about the periodic table to the tune of a Spice Girls song, which is not an easy feat. After spending four years living abroad in London, Nicole recently returned to the U.S. (although she still talks like a Brit sometimes). Starting in the fall, Nicole will be working as a high school teacher at a school in a northern suburb of Chicago.
Lisa Sweat |
(Bridesmaid) |
Lisa and Laura attended both high school and college together. Because of that, there are probably too many crazy stories to give Lisa an adequate bio. Lisa and Laura first forged a friendship in World History class, where instead of paying attention, they spent their time forming conspiracy theories about Mr. Porter's secret lives. They were also tennis partners for three years and successfully advanced to the state championship tournament (where they proceeded to lose in the first round). Lisa works for a construction company in New Orleans, where she lives with her husband, Chance.
Cary Bland |
(Groomsman) |
Cary and Jon met in college at the University of Illinois - probably at a party while acting like fools - and have carried on that friendship by still acting like fools to this day. After graduating from U of I, both Cary and Jon got jobs in Chicago and decided to rent a town house together. Little did they know that they would end up living together for 5 years. Cary currently works as a Senior Financial Analyst for Hillshire Brands and resides in Brookfield, IL with his wife Elsa.
Dave Bukiet |
(Groomsman) |
In retrospect, it is shocking that the Bukiets decided to have any more children after Laura was born (she has been hearing stories for years about how she was... a lot to handle... as a child). Luckily, they ended up with Dave, who was considerably more mild-mannered than his older sister. Laura's first memory is visiting the hospital when Dave was born (her relatives also gave her a lot of unexpected toys/gifts that week, so you be the judge of the reason this is her first memory). Dave currently lives in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood and works at Cleversafe.
Brian Hibner |
(Groomsman) |
Brian and Jon met in their dorm (Blaisdell Hall) at the University of Illinois in the fall of 2000 and have remained great friends ever since. The defining moment of their friendship is when Jon decided to dress up as Brian for Halloween one year and went to great lengths to make it authentic by stealing / borrowing Brian's own clothes and sandals. Safe to say the costume was a hit - if you can remain friends through that, you can remain friends through anything. Brian currently works as a Senior Manager at Deloitte and resides in Chicago, IL with his wife Elizabeth.
Rob Knisley |
(Groomsman) |
Rob met Jon in September of 1979, which Rob has often referred to as the best day of his life (he will probably claim that this is not accurate at all). The two have been through a lot together and have somehow remained close even though Jon took great pleasure as a kid in trying to upset and embarrass Rob - most of which resulted in Jon getting beaten up by his older brother. Rob currently works as a Financial Analyst for Riverside Medical Center and lives in Bourbonnais, IL with his wife Valerie and their two kids, Cadence and Gavin.
Michael Robinson |
(Groomsman) |
Jon and Michael met in college at the University of Illinois, where Michael first taught Jon the ways of gambling by convincing Jon to go to Par-A-Dice casino in Peoria, IL with him during a summer in Champaign. It was there that Jon learned to perfect the "bird call" and "spirit fingers" while trying to bring good luck to the craps table. After 11 trips to Vegas and countless trips to the Horseshoe in Hammond, IN, Jon isn't so sure if he should thank Michael or despise him for his teachings. The two have remained great friends throughout the years and look forward to many gambling adventures in the future - assuming their wives are okay with it. Michael currently works as Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller at Westchester Group Investment Management and lives in Monticello, IL with his wife, Cati, and their three kids.
Zach Scrima |
(Usher) |
Jon and Zach met in college at the University of Illinois through mutual friends and have remained great friends ever since. Jon and Zach have played together on numerous softball teams in Chicago (most of which they dominated - at least that's how Jon remembers it); however, those days are long gone as Zach decided to leave his friends (probably because he was sick of them) and moved to Washington, D.C. to become an Auditor for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sorry ladies, Zach is currently off the market!
Pascal Souvenir |
(Best Man) |
Jon and Pascal met in their dorm (Blaisdell Hall) at the University of Illinois in the fall of 2000, and the rest is history. While it's safe to say the two have been involved in some idiotic stunts over the years, they both turned out fairly normal - Pascal may not agree with this statement, though. Like Jon, Pascal was also brainwashed by Mr. Robinson and learned the ways of the craps table at an early age. Jon and Pascal and have shared in a number of adventures that have revolved around gambling - one such adventure was the infamous 18hr trip to Vegas in 2009 where they went with nothing but the clothes on their backs and returned home with some amazing stories. Also, if it weren't for Pascal, Jon and Laura would never have met - so Jon and Laura thank him! Pascal currently works as an Assistant Vice President at Heitman and resides in Chicago, IL with his wife Candice.
Wei Zheng |
(Usher) |
Jon and Wei met in college at the University of Illinois and have remained great friends ever since. Jon and Wei often get together during Illini basketball season to cheer on their team and dream of the days when they're actually good again. However, this bonding time usually comes to an end when Wei begins to talk about his hero (and former Illini player) Richard McBride. Wei currently works as a Captain for SkyWest Airlines and lives in Chicago, IL. Sorry ladies, Wei is currently off the market!
Gavin and Cadence Knisley |
(Ring Bearer and Flower Girl) |
Cadence and Gavin are Jon's adorable niece and nephew. Cadence and Gavin are not currently employed, even though it's about time they start pulling their weight. Both reside with their parents in Bourbonnais, IL.
Thomas and Elizabeth Molinets |
(Ring Bearer and Flower Girl) |
Thomas and Elizabeth are Laura's cousins / godchildren. Hopefully, they don't do this at the wedding: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gEiKl8JD3Y