Wedding Blog

The ladies have already been properly introduced, so it’s time to give a little of the spotlight (I promise, you can have it back in no time, flat) to the guys that will be joining us and serving as the lead for the bridesmaid eye-candy.

Erik (aka, my best man)

Erik and I were the definition of a Pittsburgh Odd Couple, living with each other for the better part of eight years, starting with our college residence hall days. We’ve long-since learned to go beyond completing each other’s sentences - we just make the most random associations and speak on them before asking if it makes sense. It always turns out to make sense (though generally just for the two of us). We’ve known each other since high school (where he laughed while watching some woman punch me in the head) and shared a lot over the years - when a guy’s okay with getting kicked in the head (karma) after drunkenly playing frisbee at 3am, you know he’s good people. So good, in fact, that Miss P and I sort of adopted him for six months when all three of us shared a happy home (with too. many. cats.).

{photos 1 & 2 source: Weddings to go Key West}

Phil (aka, that guy Miss Pineapple hears me talk about)

This guy and I were so close in high school and college that my parents basically adopted him - to this day, he refers to my mom as “Mama”. We have weathered many a storm over the years, including a night Phil and I had too many drinks in too short a time and launched those miniature-fall-deco-pumpkins at the mysterious frat guys across the street. We haven’t been able to connect for some of the times he returns to PA, so it’ll be only a month before the wedding when Miss P discovers that the man she describes as “the guy from North Carolina who has a wife who sounds really fun” truly exists.

Bob (aka, the man we support with our hard-earned tax dollars)

This Brazilian transplant took our rural college community by storm, leaving countless barrels of Yuengling (his beverage of choice), scraps from Primanti’s sandwiches, and worn-out copies of The Big Lebowski in his wake. A kind and honest friend, he is the smartest economist I know. When Miss P passed the Bob test on a random New Year’s Eve holiday weekend, I knew our relationship had potential. It was clear that she wasn’t (too far) out of her element when she could tolerate me, Erik, and Bob for four straight days of tangential movie references, greasy food and, well, the sometimes unpleasant consequences of three guys with greasy food at their disposal.

Pete (aka, part of the musical entertainment at this little party we’re throwing)

I met Pete in the fall of 2004 through his fiance at the time (and now his wonderful wife of nearly three years) who was in my graduate program class. We liked beer (who doesn’t?), food (he’s a better cook than I am), and music (he and his friends play very, very well, I listen and make ridiculous and unrelenting requests for Journey’s Greatest Hits). Everything kicked into another gear, however, when he, his wife, and another friend of theirs invited me to to join their curling team. That’s right, curling. Sadly, our team soon disintegrated after the season for a variety of reasons (Pete’s wife went and got pregnant n’@ ). Our shared obsession for pro- and college-football fantasy leagues is sure to torture our brides for years to come.

Mike (aka, the guy that makes liking country music okay)

Mike is Miss P’s favorite line dancing partner guy, and an even better friend to us both. They met at the local Rock-n-Country Saloon and apparently were good friends straight away, and it’s easy to understand why. Ready to anything for you even if you only just met, he’s an extremely talented actor in the musical-theater scene and probably the hardest-working guy my age that I know. He makes going to the aforementioned saloon and country concerts even better, and he’s always good for a spot-on impression and a laugh. I’m looking forward to his MC performance at the wedding - he’ll guarantee we all have a good time.

How do you know the groomsmen in your wedding? Do you know them?