Meet the Groomsmen!

Since I've already talked about my wonderful Best Man, the honorable Carl Ayala, I thought it would be appropriate to highlight the other dutiful men that I'll be flanked by come my wedding day.

First off, there is Dylan Marchetti. I've known Dylan for just about as long as I can remember. If it weren't for Carl, Dylan would surely be my Best Man. Dylan is from 'North Brevard', a truly unfortunate place. How such an upstanding and worldly individual rose from those miserable environs is hard to decipher, but I imagine it had something to do with his having an indomitable will and the influence of friends like me. Dylan rose through the ranks of the movie business, starting out as a lowly concession stand attendant, moving on to house management and finally into acquisitions and distribution where he resides today as an important figure among important figures. One of my most successful friends, Dylan gives me hope that living your dreams is truly possible. Some of my deepest friendships were created in Dylan's garage one fateful summer, when all we did was hang out, listen to music and enjoy being young. While our lives have surely changed dramatically since those days, I feel secure knowing that our friendship will never change

Next, let's discuss Ryan Detwiler. I've known Ryan since middle school, where as a 7th Grader (while I was a mighty 8th Grader), I used to make fun of him in journalism class. While there was no sign of eventual friendship on the horizon at that early point, Ryan was part of the gang that gathered in Dylan's garage in high school, and, over time, he came to be an incredibly important influence on many aspects of my life. I revere him for his taste in music as well as his taste in people. After that summer, Ryan joined me at FSU for my second year of college. This is where Ryan and I truly bonded, struggling to get through the minutiae of a life lived in a sleepy college town in north Florida. I escaped to New York and Ryan finished his degree. Ever since, we have lived apart but have worked at keeping our friendship as alive and fresh as it was then, with great success. Hopefully we'll find ourselves living permanently in the same town again one day…

Andy Harrington is an old, old friend. I think his greatest traits are his courteousness and his love of all humanity. Andy enjoys playing guitar, teaching guitar, watching people play guitar and guitaring guitar. I'm thrilled to have such a true individual standing beside me on my day of days. When I look over at Andy, I'll think of all the wonderful times we've had in the past, from smashing his hand in the door of James Wiseman's minivan (I know it hurt but it looked wicked, like something out of a horror flick) to the time spent pulling apart a pawn shop guitar with a scalloped fretboard for no better reason than someone else had paid for it and it seemed like fun (even though the thing never worked right after that), and then I'll smile happily at the thought of all the great experiences yet to come. Why am I so blessed with such gifted and generous friends? Perhaps this is a question best left unanswered, but feel free to ponder it while imagining the sweet strums of an Andy Harrington-played guitar.

Lastly, we have Arnie Marcella, the brother of the bride. When I met Christie, I new I had met someone special. Little did I know that I would be getting a whole family of special to go along with her. I've lived with Arnie, I've cooked with Arnie and I've definitely drank with Arnie. It's always scary becoming part of a new family, but with Arnie, it's been easy. He's inspired me to pursue new paths and strengthened my love for the woman I will spend the rest of my life with. He is one of the most talented people I know, in his own way, and it's been a treat to see him recently take a position at Town restaurant as Sous-chef. Also, he looks a lot like Data from The Goonies.

I know Carl will feel left out if I don't include a picture of him too, so to stave off the hating - here's the best man:

Here's to the Groomsmen!