The Wedding Party

Lisa Avery

Maid of Honor

Lisa and I met when we were four years old in Mrs. Belliveau's Junior Kindergarten class; it was friendship at first sight. From then on the two of us have done so much together. Over our twenty-one years of friendship, and counting, we spent many summers camping, having countless sleepovers - often making crafts - travelled to Vegas (twice! and survived!). I am so lucky to have such a kind and caring friend to grow up with through elementary and high school. Lisa ventured into the sciences, receiving her Bachelor of Science degree from Western University and is now nearing the completion of her Pharmacy PhD program. Lisa is also a phenomenal cook - all my friends are - a superb dancer and will quickly make friends with anyone in the room!

Natalie Martens

Natalie and I met through Lisa (our social butterfly) and you could usually find the three of us out and about shopping, having sleepovers, you name it - we have been quite the trio. Though Natalie is a year younger, we were in the same class for grade six as Natalie was often chosen for the role of split grader (she's pretty smart). Natalie graduated from Western University as a Mechanical Engineer and now works as a E.I.T. at Callidus Engineering. Natalie is that kind of friend who will motivate you to do anything, to be adventurous and step outside the box. She's also the kind of person who will tell you "I could do that" and she does; she's got the knack for figuring out how things work and an eye for detail.

Janelle Martens

Through meeting Natalie, I came to know the Martens family really well and the Martens girls are like the sisters I never had. Our families did everything together. Janelle and I share a love for Jane Austen (and other literary and television interests ... too many to name) she's also my drinking buddy and wing woman, who was there the night I met Josh. Throughout high school, Janelle was an inspiration with her dedication to social justice, she was also a super supportive friend, even agreeing to try out for the 'end of the year talent show' with me (I still think we should have made it!). She just graduated from Brock University and has started her career as a nurse at Stratford Hospital. She is also in a relationship with the wonderful and talented nurse Glen.

Jack Kostecki

Best Man

In grade 3 Jack moved to South-East London and began attending Glen Cairn Elementary School. It was not until grade 6 though that the ultimate BRO-MANCE began to flourish. Whether it was raiding in World of Warcraft, finding secret hangouts, or getting into trouble, Jack and Josh were inseparable. Jack attended Regina Mundi Catholic High for a year, but realized he couldn’t break the Bro-nd and decided to go to Beal and earn his street cred. There, his interest in computers as a profession grew alongside Josh and Jarett's. Joining anime club and co-fouding RPG club, Jack would begin exploring the depths of nerd culture, a journey he would never escape from. Utilizing his competency with language and computers, Jack furthered his education at Fanshawe College, earning his Degree as a Computer Programmer Analyst. As of late, Jack has been busy with his position as an Analytics Programmer at the London based mobile game company Big Blue Bubble, his adorable Corgi puppy Lady Abigail Mcfluffybutt (Abby), and his beautiful, tank, girlfriend, Aldina.

Phil Brewster

Phil and Josh have been best friends since day one. He considers Phil a brother. No matter how far apart life takes them, they can trust that the next time they meet; it will be like they just saw each other yesterday. The pair met in Junior Kindergarten, likely bonding over their mutual enjoyment of boogers and their distaste of smelly girls. Growing up together they stayed very close and would often spend their days, gaming, watching anime, biking to 7/11 to get Slurpees that, if we are being honest, likely contained 10 times as much sugar as children their age needed, and on Saturday nights, watching translated Chinese/Japanese/Korean movies on Omni 2. Even though they went to different high schools, Phil at Laurier and Josh at Beal, they still spent as much of their time together as possible. It wasn’t until post-secondary that they drifted a bit but still keep in touch. Phil has his Honours Specialization in Geography and is nearing completion with his Masters in Environment and Sustainability at Western. He is also the kindest, most gentle person we know, and Josh says “He LITERALLY would not hurt a fly”.

Jarett Martin

Though Josh has known Jarett for the shortest amount of time out of all the groomsmen, they still have had a very meaningful friendship. Starting in high school, Jarett, Josh, and Jack all enrolled in the same computer class, where they quickly formed a friendship through technology and gaming. A few years after meeting, Jarett also started working at Zellers with Josh, where, depending on the day, they were either the most or least productive duo. During this time they also began sharing an interest in physical activity. Most warm nights they could be found jogging around their neighborhood, pushing each other to beat their previous time while listening to music that falls somewhere between an elephant playing a timpani, while fighting through a bout of hiccups, and a bee using a skillsaw, next to a tumbling speakerphone. Josh attributes a large portion of his strive to improve his health and weight due to the passion for fitness they both instilled on each other. Lately, Jarett has been working at London Hydro as a Business Systems Analyst while planning his own wedding in the spring.

Keegan Cahill

Keegan and I were more than just sibilings growing up, we were the best of friends. We hardly ever fought ... I know it's very unusual. Whether it was putting on our own musicals at home, staying up late waiting for Santa together, building forts and filming home movies we were always artfully up to something. Keegan is currently working toward his degree as a French Junior/Intermediate teacher, while on every sports teams. He is also dating the beautiful and kind Katie, also working toward her teaching degree. His amazing acting skills and his comfort at being in front of a classroom made him a perfect candidate for this task, and I am so thankful he accepted!