Wedding Party

Jeremy Schmidt I’m honored to have Jeremy as my Best Man. Jeremy and I met at Cal Poly when he moved into the Pueblo (our name for our college house). We became great friends during our time at Cal Poly and even became roommates again in San Diego for a few years before he upgraded and moved in with (his now wife) Ali. I had the privilege of being Best Man at Jeremy’s wedding and said nothing but flattering and positive things about him so you can probably expect much of the same from his speech.

Kyle Jones Kyle is technically my cousin but I’ve considered him a brother all my life. Because Kyle and I are close in age and lived 2 miles apart, we were fortunate that we got to spend our entire childhood growing up together. As far back as I can remember, Kyle has been one of the main constants in my life. Looking back, I’m surprised we didn’t get in more trouble than we did. Luckily for me, Kyle has always been (and still is) the one people would accuse if we did something wrong. Thanks for always taking the heat Jones.

Drew Jacoby-Senghor Drew is my smartest dumb friend. We became best friends in high school and would often bond over how much we disliked it. Afterwards, Drew went on to Stanford for his undergrad. From there, he went to Princeton for 5 years pursuing his masters and phD. After that, he worked at Columbia for a couple years before finally landing a tenured position at UC Berkeley. For someone who claims to dislike school, he’s basically going to spend his whole life in it. Even though I don’t understand his life choices, I’m glad he’s finally back on the west coast.

Kevin Wagner Kevin (Wags) was my random college roommate in the dorms at Cal Poly. On move in day I saw wakeboarding pictures on his wall and knew everything would work out. After freshmen year, we moved into the Pueblo together and spent a lot of college at costume parties, the Wagner lake house, and volleyball courts. Wags is by far one of my most interesting friends. Knows Italian? Check. Plays piano? Yep. Has his helicopter license? Obviously. Wags’ accomplishments are on most people’s bucket lists. Additionally, Wags is an incredible dancer. Don’t take my word for it – you can see for yourself on the big day.

Kevin Foley Kevin is another Pueblo alumni. We spent an inappropriate amount of time in college watching Seinfeld and Friends. After college, I was lucky enough to spend a lot more time with Kevin when he transferred to San Diego for work. For those few glorious years, we were forces to be reckoned with on kickball fields, volleyball courts, and dance floors. Eventually the good times had to end and Kevin took a new banking job up in Orange County. However, he has since transferred and moved back down to San Diego so all is right in the world again.

Keaton Foley If the pictures didn’t give it away, Keaton and Kevin are twins. Keaton and I haven’t lived in the same city since college, but have remained close through routine visits and Foley Family Thanksgivings. Like Kevin, Keaton has an infectious laugh and is a great person to tell jokes to because he laughs at pretty much everything. Although we don’t hang out nearly as often as I would like, I’m looking forward to the day when he and his wife Katie finally make the long anticipated move back to Southern California.

Michael German Every wedding needs a wildcard – and German is it. German has been Keaton and Kevin’s friend since high school, but spent enough time at the Pueblo to be considered an honorary roommate. After college, German and I became good friends when he visited San Diego almost every weekend during the summer months and somehow seemed to be at every social function I was at. German is a great guy to have around because he’s always down for anything so I’m anxious to hear what kind of shenanigans he’s gotten himself into recently.

Conner Hargrave Conner was lucky enough to have me as his roommate at the Pueblo. While we were roommates I educated Conner on the benefits of a good night’s sleep and plant-based diet. Joke – Conner made sure I got to bed early. And the only talks about diet we had were when he voiced his concerns about me eating red meat 4 times a week and I asked him what part of the world his newest berry was from. Conner and I both live in San Diego, and we enjoy swapping stories about where in the world we’ve been and where we’re going next.

Chris Wilhelmy Wilhelmy is the Godfather of the Pueblo. His parents bought the house that helped create memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. He lives in San Francisco so we don’t see each other often and he also isn’t much of a phone talker. However, when we do catch up it’s as if no time has passed. To say Wilhelmy is competitive is a gross understatement. If he sees anybody having more fun than him he will turn it up several notches to make sure he is having more fun than everybody else. No party is a real party unless Wilhelmy is around.

Gina Esposito My maid of honor became my best friend in 1st grade when we found out we both had the same name. That ended up being the only year we went to school together but we remained friends regardless. We grew up playing softball and basketball together where we became the G Team. It’s always some sort of adventure when we’re together. Gina is now a news reporter which took her to Colorado for a few years and she’s currently holding it down on the East Coast in North Carolina.

Jessica Ritenour Jessie moved to my street, Bordeaux Court, at its prime when I was in 5th grade and she was in 3rd. We instantly became great friends and have been ever since. After graduating from San Ramon, she joined me at SDSU! I was lucky enough to have her in SD for a few years before she moved to Newport Beach to start her career. I’ve never heard her say a bad thing about anyone and she’s always oodles of fun.

Allison Volpe Allie and I met in 2nd grade where we were in the same Brownies troop. We went to school together from elementary school through high school. After graduating college at UC Riverside, she moved to San Diego where we could once again hang out regularly. Always down to do something fun, she has accompanied me to more VAVi events than I can count. You might catch her eating popular Yelp food items, doing crossword puzzles, or planning adventures.

Michelle Low My sassiest friend of the bunch, Meesh had just landed full-time status at VAVi when I started my internship. We were desk neighbors for a good 4 years and thus blossomed a beautiful friendship over marketing, Better Buzz, sports leagues, and the regular PB shenanigans. She recently transitioned to the island life and is now a Maui local. She can be spotted with Skrillex hair and accompanied by her furry friend, Sir Richard of Nottingham, possibly sporting one of his adorable hipster hoodies.

Chloe Manese Chloe started interning at VAVi shortly after me. Before recently moving to Chicago to work for the Cubs, she was my ride or die weightlifting buddy. Every morning at 6am we pushed each other to get super ripped. Furthermore, Chloe is friends with the Thompson family and provided me with one of the best days of my life. When the Warriors played in SD, she got us tickets and I got to meet Steph, Klay, KD, and the hilarious Mychal Thompson. And for that, I am forever indebted to her.

Nicole Estep I originally met Nicole, aka Lulu, when she was volunteering at the registration table at the Del Mar Mud Run. When we were in need of a registration manager for ROC Race, I recommended Nicole and she has worked for ROC Race ever since. Her organization and efficiencies are second to none and I couldn’t be a bigger fan. Always with a bow in her hair, I often refer to her as one of the nicest people I know. She loves Lululemon (hence the Lulu nickname), her dogs, and the Broncos.

Heather Pearl Keeping up with the theme, Heather and I also met via working at VAVi. She won over the hearts of everyone with her baked goods, fun time Friday theme days, and general lack of sports knowledge. She likes to laugh, and can brighten up any room with her said laughter. She’s an avid runner, foodie, puzzle-nut, pen pal, and all-around good friend. Heather unfortunately won’t be able to make it to the wedding, but we’ll probably go out for ice cream after to celebrate.

Alyssa Newcomer Alyssa is another one of the nicest people I know. She’s always super friendly to everyone and always down for a good time. We also met back in the day as VAVi interns. She is a super fast runner, has abs of steel, and is another great gym buddy. She’s a former collegiate soccer player, enjoys all sorts of active activities, and playing with her dog, Bruce. She recently got into the insurance industry and has been killing it!

Maria Castagnola Maria is our favorite alien. She keeps us up to date on all the latest things the cool kids are saying these days. She joined the VAVi team in the events department before she even graduated college, and calls JR “boss.” Since then, we’ve traveled the world from Cambodia to Cabo. She’s one of my best travel buddies, always down for a trip. If she’s not having “a night,” she might join me at the gym for muscle class to get our pump on.

David Draizen As a highly sought after officiant and one of our mutual best friends, it only made sense that Dave would marry us. We even got engaged on his birthday (a coincidence if you ask us but not if you ask him). We met Dave when he joined the VAVi sports department in 2011. If there’s one thing to know about Dave it’s that no one loves country music as much as him. He’s been the biggest fan ever since he was a little baby child.

Lilly Withington Already a seasoned flower girl, Lilly is the darling daughter of JR’s cousin Katie and her husband Marcus. You might find her at “Walt Disneyland”, listening to Taylor Swift, or eating cheerios and noonoos (noodles).