Halley and Sarah are (finally) Getting Married!
Meet Our Wedding Entourage!
Lori and Halley first met at American University Freshman Orientation and quickly became best friends. Who knew their first conversation - commiserating about the challenges of being the oldest sibling - would lead to lifelong friendship? Since then they’ve conquered mountains in Maine, attended lavish White House parties, and eaten many a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Lori is honored to be a part of Halley and Sarah’s wedding and wishes them a wonderful journey together filled with love and happiness.
Jen and Sarah met on the soccer field and again in the school classroom. Initially, they did not like each other...at all, but as time went on they grew into the bestest of friends. They realized one's sarcastic remarks were funny and the other's high pitched laughter was hilarious. Over the years, they have been able to deliver baked goods to their local friends by 5 AM by baking all night, have unofficial sleep-overs (when parents and/or babysitters were unaware of the other's presence), attempt off-roading in a 4-door sedan, drive cross-country and stay alive, and drive around Logan airport numerous times before dropping each other off for another adventure. However, when Jen met Halley she knew it was perfect. Because if they had known each other in high school they too would have been best friends. Cheers to best friends getting married!
Mai bounded into Halley's life when they were both juniors in high school as an exchange student from Thailand. Halley had a lot of fun teaching Mai new words and phrases that American high school students needed to survive. In a short period of time, Mai and Halley became inseparable, and soon realized they are actually twins that happened to be born on different continents.
Thirteen years later, they still consider each other sisters and best friends, making sure to text and talk as often as possible. Although Mai is unable to make the trip from Thailand for the Big Day, she will be with Halley and Sarah in spirit (and via Skype).
I met Sarah freshman year of college on the infamous Hughes 2 dorm floor, and soon coerced her into being my roommmate sophomore year. Despite disruptive boyfriends and frequent sleep-talking - scaring Sarah out of her mind - we developed a strong friendship that has lasted through the years. I remember having dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant when Sarah said that she had met someone and it was serious, and shortly afterwards I was forced to accept Halley in our small group of friends (sarcasm). The three of us have lived together in a cramped house with unsuited roommates and then in different parts of the world for several years, but our friendship has always endured with the help of occasional "Say Yes to the Dress" marathons and late night chats on visits to Massachusetts.
I am blessed to have witnessed Halley and Sarah's relationship over the years and be a part of their ultimate commitment to each other in September.
I first met Sarah and Halley in College at American University. As a quirky, mildly awkward, homeschooled freshman from Maryland, I quickly got education on public school slang with Sarah's guidance, a process that continues today. No one did more to make my transition to college life comfortable and a whole lot of fun than Sarah. Of course, my horizons were also broadened once I found out Sarah's prestigious family had a 2-story gazebo. Friendship with Halley would come later, but as my RA, I immediately appreciated Halley's love for organizing events, and strong administrative talents. It was always a pleasure to help plan and participate in floor events, and I soon cherished Halley's kind and compassionate heart, and a shared connection with Lake George, Crown Point, New York. All three of us share a love for road trips (in modern cars or my 1930 Ford Model A), sight-seeing, and laughing late into the night. I'm not much of a yenta (or "match-maker" if you haven't seen Fiddler on the Roof/know yiddish), but for months before Sarah and Halley met, while Sarah was studying abroad, I would tell her via Skype how awesome Halley was, and how I couldn't wait to introduce them, as I thought they'd really hit it off. How right I was! I'm so glad to still be friends with them after nearly a decade. They're exceedingly kind to me, and I wish them all the best.
"Do I have to wear pants to this thing?"
Andrew and Sarah met and became Facebook friends in an unknown way on an unknown date. Some time later, after Sarah helped Andrew move out of his basement dorm room, they became reacquainted and have stayed friends ever since. When Andrew started dating Kate, she joined his Mario Kart races with Sarah on McDowell 7. When Sarah started dating Halley, Kate and Andrew were dismayed by her complete lack of Mario Kart skills, but her other wonderful qualities made up for it. Seven years later, Halley and Sarah are still Kate and Andrew's favorite couple.
Malorie and Halley spent one awkward fall break palling around our nation's fair capital. The rest was history. From pottery-painting sessions, to yearbook trips and everything in between we have been partners in crime for a decade. Of note, Malorie was, of course, one of the first people to witness Halley making googly eyes at one Sarah Gmeiner.
Ashley was fortunate to have Halley as her babysitter (a.k.a. Resident Assistant) in her freshman dorm at college. Ashley and Halley quickly bonded over a shared appreciation for unnecessary drama and all things crafty. Over the next two years, Ashley could almost always be found watching movies in Halley's dorm room, or hanging out with Halley in the yearbook office. Once Sarah came into the picture, Ashley got an entire education on how to mix a "real" drink like a golf course pro, among other tricks. And while Ashley has yet to beat Halley & Sarah in any round of Canasta, she hopes their upcoming wedded bliss will distract them long enough for her to have a chance at victory!
Emma is the one and only younger sister of Ms. Halley Rose Ofner. Emma has been annoying Halley for the past 24 years with her witty humor and her crazy facial expressions. Halley and Emma have been on many travels together, including many school bus rides in which they would never communicate because of the embarrassment of one another. Even though they are five years apart, they have managed to still be close and not want to rip each others heads off. Halley was, and is, always there for Emma whenever she needs her, even at one in the morning during her first year of college when she was convinced she was going to die from having five shots of...water. They both share a love of movies and could literally talk in just movie quotes if they really wanted to, and frequently do. Emma is more than ecstatic to be a part of Halley and Sarah's special day and cannot wait to officially accept Sarah into the family!
Melinda and Sarah have been best friends since 8th grade. Before that, they hated each other...just kidding (sort of)! Melinda and Sarah have had many adventures together growing up in Groton, MA, their hometown, including playing Dorothy and Toto in their school play, decorating the walls of their bedrooms with weird angsty-quotes and inside jokes, and spending hours of time playing ping pong while listening to WERS 88.9 Kids Songs trying to record all the best ones onto cassette tapes. Melinda is psyched that Sarah and Halley are getting married. She knows they were made for each other and bring out the best in each other, and is so happy to be part of their wedding party.