more wedding party

I had wanted to create a post about the guy half of the wedding party, but was waiting for Ryan to ask one of the groomsmen. Now that it's done, I can let the big secret out!

I obviously don't know these men as well as Ryan does, but I will try to capture a bit of why we love them based on my impressions....

Adam Babbitt: Best Man
I have never had a brother before, and I don't think I could ever have asked for a better brother than Adam! He is at the same time one of the most fun and most conscientious people that I've ever met. He remembers birthdays and always has the right thing to say to cheer me up, but he is never afraid to sass me as if I've been his sister forever!

Joe Pometto
Joe is like a brother to Ryan and I'm excited to be unofficially related to him as well! He met Ryan at a Steubenville summer conference and their friendship soon grew into one of the best bands I've ever heard! Joe is a talented drummer and a great friend! I also love the (often humorous) marital advice he gives Ryan, as he and Ruth Ann have been married the longest in our group. He's such a great guy!

Tony Pometto
Tony is the newest edition to Vow of Silence. (And what a genius decision!) He is one of the funniest people I've ever met. I don't know how he comes up with some of his crazy ideas, but they are always good. Not only is Tony funny, but he is a devoted friend and a great guy by whom I always feel very honored.

Sean Stanek
Sean! I must admit I am pretty fascinated by Sean...mostly because he leads such a mysterious life. Not only is he Ryan's cousin and roommate, but he is also a thoughtful, caring, loyal man. I really enjoy talking with him and smelling the delicious food me makes! I am also especially impressed by Sean's family values in the ways he looks out for and visits his family, especially his Grandma.

Steve Shaner
Steve and Ryan met in the very beginning of their journey at Iowa State University and are now both working on PhD's in computer science. I always enjoy hanging out with Steve because he is interesting, fun, knowledgeable, and has lots of good game ideas.

Dave Niedergeses
Dave was one of Ryan's roommates until he got married to Jordan last year. Dave is a genuinely nice and caring person and I've enjoyed getting to know him. He is getting his PhD in English at Iowa State, but if that falls through I know he has a guaranteed no-fail idea for a delicious eating establishment. But I'm sworn to secrecy so please don't pry.

Nate Sanderson
Nate is another one of Ryan's former roommates and probably one of Vow of Silence's biggest fans. I love it when Nate is able to make it to shows because his enthusiasm for the band makes the crowd rock even harder! He is a really devoted friend and I am always really touched by his heart-felt comments and compliments.

Ken Hiveley
Ken has recently left Ames to go to seminary in Minnesota, but Ryan and I are left with fun memories of our time together here. Ryan and Ken enjoy spending time having deep philosophical and theological discussions. One of my favorite memories of Ken is when he introduced Ryan and me to Stephen K. Ray and "The Footprints of God Pilgrimages" videos. Priceless.

John DeWyze: Personal Attendant
Sadly, John also left the Ames crowd this year for grad school at Dayton. I can't think of anyone better to be Ryan's personal attendant! John is a really thoughtful and caring guy who has a real desire to serve others and brighten their day. I am always impressed by his sense of chivalry and compassion for others. I wish he could be my brother as well, but sadly it's not to be!

Roman Pometto: Ring Bearer
The following sentence is a lie: Roman was an addition to the wedding party because we wanted to see how many Pomettos we could have in one wedding! Now for the truth: Roman is Ryan's Godson and the smartest little boy you will ever meet! I have really loved watching him grow under the guidance of his excellent parents. He is so much fun and brings smiles and laughs to everyone around him. I see so much wonderful potential in little Ro and am praying for his extremely bright future!

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So there you have it! The XY side of the wedding party! These men are all amazing and I am so blessed to know each of them. I am honored to have them witness my marriage to Ryan and know that we will all be friends for many years to come!

wedding party

Our wedding party is rather large...

When people ask you who your closest friends are, it isn't usual to have 10 people to pick from, but I am blessed to be a part of such an awesome group of girls! I feel so blessed to know each of them and to have each of them witness my marriage to Ryan!

Unfortunately, Ryan could only think of 8 men to chose as groomsmen, so I had to narrow down the list. Worst decisions ever! So I now have 8 bridesmaids and 2 personal attendants. :)

And they are....

Emily Balch: Maid of Honor
Emily and I have been sisters and friends for 22 years. We are complete opposites in many ways, but that never stops us from having a great time together! Emily is going to be starting Law School next year, which is very exciting!

Dana Morris
Dana and I went to high school together. She is now a band teacher in Mount Ayr, Iowa and we sadly only see each other every once and a while, but we always pick up where we left off. In more embarrassing memories, we used to be in a "band" called the Pink Cheetos. So cool!

Kimberly Kem
Kim and I lived together for 2.5 years. We went through nursing school together (but at separate schools) and traveled to India together, where I could not save her from being bitten by a monkey. She has inspired me in many ways but especially to make my own wedding cake after I watched her make and decorate 400 cupcakes for her own wedding!

Ruth Ann Pometto
Ruth Ann is my inspiration for life (besides my Grandma). She is an amazing friend, wife, mother, and Christian. I was touched by her generous spirit and kindness to strangers when we first met. Hopefully I can be a good wife to Ryan by following her example!

Christina Fath (soon to be Weber!)
Christina is another inspiration to me. I would have made some pretty bad decisions in life without her influence. She has such a generous heart for her friends. I remember Christina told us once that she felt like she needed to be single until we were all with the person we were going to marry. And true to her word, she met Jon after we all met our future spouses and they will be married July 4, 2009!

Kimberley Taylor
Kim is the girlfriend of Ryan's brother Adam (and hopefully my future sister!). She always surprises me by her sauciness and whit, definitely a good match for Adam. Kim and I have been able to spend a lot of time together at the boys' house or at their shows and I have really treasured our friendship!

Michelle Wirth (soon to be Werner!)
Chelle came to live with Kim K and I after Meggan moved out. She works as the DRE in Elkart, Iowa and is getting married to Brian in November! Chelle is an artist and an athlete. I have fond memories of visiting her family's sheep farm and bike riding around Ames last year!

Meggan Young
Meggan lived with Kim K and I until she married James in December 2008. She was a big part of my learning to become an adult and would patiently listen to me for hours as she was trying to get ready for bed. She was very helpful as Kim and I prepared to go to India, as she had been there twice.

Monica Clinesmith: Personal Attendant
Dr. Monica is a wealth of knowledge and fun. One thing I love about her is that she loves to invite people to go on walks or go out to eat, which are some of my favorite past times. She is great at keeping us on task in Bible study and as making Roman laugh, which entertains us all! Some fond memories with Monica are the ice cream social we had when the power went out, her Jamaican birthday, and of course the many walks we've taken together.

Suzee Stone: Personal Attendant
Suzee is a kind and wonderful friend. I met her in high school and was instantly drawn to her. We used to pray together at retreats and I always looked forward to seeing her every summer. A fun fact about Suzee and I is that she married my prom date, Phil, and I am going to marry her prom date! Suzee has a long history in dance, which came in useful when I needed help trying on so many dresses!

Cecilia Smith: Flower Girl
Cecie is my Goddaughter. She will be 5 years old in October. I have been babysitting for their family since I was 11 years old and their 13-year old was an infant. Cecie is the 5th of their 6 children. I love to babysit for the Smiths, it is so much fun because they are all such good kids. Cecie's parents are also our sponsor couple for marriage prep!

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Kim K got married last year (see old posts) with 9 bridesmaids. I love what she would say when people would question her having so many bridesmaids:

"When people only have 1 bridesmaid, no one says 'So I see you have no friends!' So why does everyone find it strange that I have so many friends!"

It's remarks like that that make me love these girls even more!

cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for one of my patients. I got the idea out of a book that Ryan got me for Christmas! Aren't they cute?!

slacker...

Life has been busy lately, but the real reason for me being a blogging slacker is that they blocked this website at work. :( What am I supposed to do with myself now?

Wedding plans have been slowing down, which is good. Flowers, caterer, photographer, church, my dress, and [almost] tuxes have been figured out. It took about 4 weeks before I found a reception site that was open and in my price range, that was the most frustrating part.

Actually the most frustrating part may have been picking out bridesmaid dresses. I had been to every bridesmaid shop in town, tried on most of the dresses in each store, and hated everything. Finally, Kim and I (who was 5 or 6 months pregnant at the time) went to the store where I got my wedding dress (again) and tried on about 1/2 of the dresses. We found 2 that we liked.

But not everyone was a big fan of those...so back to square one.

I got an email from Kim one night with a picture of a dress from David's Bridal that she liked, so we went there that week and everyone loved it and they are now all bought and ordered!

In the meantime, I have been working on invitations and making practice cakes. I take them to work because you can't leave me alone with a cake...even if it is Lent!

Next on the list is booking the honeymoon and rehearsal dinner location!

What do you think of the cakes?