We are so blessed to have friends from many stages of our lives standing with us on this day! They mean the world to us, so we want to brag on them a little, so you all can look forward to getting to know this special group at our reception!
Maid of Honor – Kathleen
Kim and Kathleen met in 2012 at a friend’s wedding. It was a few weeks before they realized it wasn’t the first time they had met, and a few months before they had sorted out all the different ways their lives intersected. Kim credits Kathleen with introducing her to the concept that “trips of a lifetime” should be undertaken regularly. Fueled by whiskey-ginger-induced optimism, the two girls concocted a plan to spend ‘December in Antarctica, Christmas in Patagonia, and New Years in Buenos Aires’. And that is exactly what they did in late 2013. The girls continue to trade style tips, tech ideas, and goad each other on to try new things. Kathleen is a successful entrepreneur in DC.
Best Man – Karl
Karl discovered Stephen working at the Navy Yard shortly after Stephen arrived in 2010, and he knew immediately that this was a man he would like to have beers with. Thus the start of a legendary friendship… Karl has been the go-to person Stephen turns to for practical advice on approaching nearly any problem, as well as teaching all the important skills a young man needs to know, like brewing beer and riding motorcycles. Stephen was Karl’s best man when Karl married his lovely wife Johanna in July 2014. Karl is recently returned from the Seattle area, and Stephen is glad to have his buddy back.
Bridesmaids
Katia
Katia is one of Kim’s oldest friends. The girls met on the first day of ninth grade and became close friends in large part because of the most important link any high-schooler can have in common: a shared lunch period. Over the years, Katia has been like a sister to Kim, and on the strength of that relationship they have survived the IB diploma program, a gap year in Europe, and the many growing pains of young adult life together. Katia is a landscape architect at a prominent firm in Seattle, where she and her husband are raising their first child.
Jess
Jess was randomly placed into a dorm room just down the hall from Kim in the tiny GWU freshman engineering dorm. And Kim thanks her lucky stars every day that she was! For the four years they attended school together, Jess was the primary reason Kim managed to stay fed, clothed and generally functioning, and the girls shared a passion for ballroom dance as their primary stress-reliever. After school, Jess returned to her high school sweetheart in Maine, and visiting the couple (especially during summer blueberry season!!) is always a special trip! Jess has been a longtime member of the banking industry, but prioritizes time for her passions for reading, geekdom, and the arts.
Natalie
Natalie is a ray of Texas sunshine to all who know her! Fresh out of college and wondering how to make friends without classes and clubs, Kim was thrilled to meet Natalie and have a friend for running, happy hour, and general post-college mayhem. Kim (unfairly) claims credit for setting up the circumstances in which Natalie met her husband (all Kim did was organize a trail run both happened to attend…) Natalie’s outgoing disposition and passions for salsa and skydiving bring her fast friends where ever she goes, including the two year stint the couple recently spent in Bahrain. Natalie moved back to the states shortly before Kim, and has thrown herself into work she loves, a new home, and (in the most exciting possible news!), a first child on the way!
Giovanna (‘G’)
Raised as the only daughters in the family, both Kim and G are excited to be gaining a sister with this wedding! Stephen and G are the oldest two of the five Faltemier children, and Stephen always says it was G who watched over all four boys. G lives in sunny, beautiful LA, where she runs her own hair-styling business and hangs with the glamorous Hollywood crowd. G is a style maven and Instagram/YouTube master, producing the official Faltemier Vacation videos. Stephen is extremely close to his sister, and having her in the bridal party means a great deal to both bride and groom.
Groom Team
David
David is Stephen’s second-youngest brother. David, his fiance Courtney, their cat Luna, and brand new puppy are currently living and working out in sunny Southern CA as engineers (well, not the animals…). David is Stephen’s main source for inspiration on the latest, greatest, must-have car/technology/etc. Stephen and David can frequently be found strong-arming the other brothers into a weekly videogaming night, which keeps the brothers together. Both brothers asked their then-girlfriends to marry them on the same day in December 2016.
Marianna
Stephen and Marianna met back in 2010. Marianna, her husband Darwin, and Stephen all worked in the same organization at the Navy Yard. While Kim was in China, Stephen had a permanently assigned room at Marianna and Darwin’s house. The reservation was so permanent that when the room had to be reassigned to the couple’s toddler to make way for a new baby in the nursery, the child insisted ‘I can’t take that room, it’s Stephen’s room!’ Marianna and Darwin found a space in the basement for Stephen instead. Marianna has been one of Stephen’s best friends for the past 7 years, and is a dependable source of support, reasoned advice, and a constant stream of scary movies. Now that Stephen has a house, he just hopes she’ll eventually relinquish his beloved smoker (also in semi-permanent residence at the couple’s house).
Alex
You never really expect a randomly-assigned roommate to play a major role in your life, but sometimes life surprises you, as was certainly the case for Alex and Stephen. Sharing not only living spaces, but all of the freshman electrical engineering courses could easily strain a relationship, but in this case it led to a lasting friendship instead. Both boy’s parents adopted the roommates, inviting them on family vacations, including a memorable houseboating trip Alex likely never wants to repeat. Although Stephen and Alex don’t get to see each other frequently, it never takes long to regain the camaraderie of the college years (Go Trojans!). Alex and his wife Joanna work and live in Redondo Beach, just around the corner from their old campus haunts. Stephen stood as Alex’s best man at his wedding in Spring 2015.
Peter
The running joke between Peter and Stephen was that if Kim didn’t hurry back from China, she’d return to a boyfriend already married by common law to his 7+ year roommate! Stephen and Peter met through an acquaintance at USC, during Stephen’s panicked search for affordable residence in DC after his naval orders sent him not to San Diego, but all the way to the East Coast. The first time Stephen and Peter met was during Stephen’s move in, conveniently scheduled for the day before the great 2010 Snowmageddon. The newly-minted roommates spent a blissful week without work, playing video games and getting acquainted with the 7-11 cashier (can’t believe it was open!). Peter welcomed Stephen into his social circle, setting him up with an adventurous crew that has been around the world and to the top of Kilimanjaro (and back!). While they may no longer share a wall, they can still be found sharing a happy hour somewhere in the city. Peter manages an influential commodity association and is enjoying his new home (sans Stephen) just outside DC.