Bridesmaids

The lovely ladies on Andrea's side have been through thick and thin with her, traveled the world by her side and are the funniest, most beautiful ladies you’ll ever meet. From coast to coast, it simply doesn't get better than this group of girls. This is what makes each of them shine, along with how they all came into Andrea’s life (told from Andrea’s perspective, and listed on order of when they met):

Mar with her deer friends in Japan

Marlis, a.k.a. ‘Mar’:  The Washington girl who found a perfect home in San Francisco. Her laughter is contagious, and her giggle is even better. She manages to keep me housed, intoxicated, and highly entertained every time I visit SF. She has an amazing talent of calmly dealing with crazy people - which may explain why she thinks I'm a-ok. We met through my best friend from childhood, Mike, about ten years ago, and I haven't let her go since. She is the most organized, efficient person I've ever met aside from Jerome (which is saying a lot). 

Mel en route to Central Park, 2012

Melissa, a.k.a. ‘Mel’: The Southerner of the group. She donned a wedding dress and exchanged vows in Central Park June 9, 2012, after some quick planning and organizing with Jerome and me. She is one of three teachers in the bunch, but the only one who was brave enough to let me into her classroom and talk to her kids. We met about seven years ago on a friend blind date at Rudy's Bar in NYC, and then she moved all the way to Nashville to escape me...which didn't work. She is still trying to teach me how to spell and will likely send edits back to this blog post. 

Skye at PS1, 2011

Skye:  The Kiwi with the most. She dazzles on the dance floor and has several amazing tricks up her sleeves (just ask her about the cereal box game). She is an incredible photographer, explorer, traveler, artist, urban designer, teacher, and best of all...friend. She's taught me how to see to the positive side in any situation, regardless of the number of times we've been stuck out in the rain or swimming at a trash filled beach. She also invented 'Andrea time' which includes a 30-minute buffer before the agreed upon arrival time (unfortunately I found out about it).  We met through the Columbia crew about seven years ago, where she now teaches during her summers.

*Skye was one of the two incredible photographers who shot my surprise proposal in Central Park.

Dee at NYC's Highline Park

Davina, a.k.a. ‘D’:  The NYC Aussie. This girl knows how to throw one hell of a party and has gone to amazing lengths to make me laugh (including doing the "Single Ladies" horsey dance). She makes you smile in any crazy situation, surfs the shores of Rockaway, and loves to hit the open roads (and skies) to see every corner of the world. We've traveled to Brazil, Argentina, and Maine together and only have a few war wounds to prove it. We met at work, attempting to do PR and Marketing for crazy people, about four years ago.

* Davina is also the incredible videographer and editor who compiled our engagement video.

Kaite lapping up some LA fun

Katie: L.A. born and bred. She lives there now, in one of the most beautifully styled apartments I've ever laid my eyes on. She is one hell of a bartender, chef, tour guide, and punk rocker. She knows how to tour NYC and took some of the best photos I've ever seen of my little town. She's my kind of girl; she can handle herself with grace but isn't afraid to get her hands dirty.  We met on her trip to visit her old college friend Jerome (you may have heard of him) a few years ago.  Obviously, we instantly became friends and she is now one of the top highlights to visiting L.A. (that is, until we convince her to move to NYC).