Brian and Kevin!

Meet the Guests #11

A few years back Jessica Mallanda was at the Us Weekly office during a photo select. One the pics was of John Mayer (then enjoying a good reputation) and she mentioned offhand that one night when she and some friends were out and Mayer started hanging out with them. He was a bit of a creep, she said, and he seemed to act weird just to appear deep. Jessica had him pegged long before poor Jen Aniston got wise, and Kevin always gave her credit for tipping him off. 

Jessica's mom, Frances, has been the best friend of Kevin's mom Kathleen since they were roommates in nursing school. Fran was Kathleen's maid of honor at her 1968 wedding (photo below).

What is your occupation?
I am an attorney at a civil law firm.

What is your current hometown?
Gainesville, Georgia — it's about an hour outside of Atlanta.

How did you meet Brian or Kevin?
Kevin's parents are my godparents, so I have known Kevin and the rest of the O’Leary clan forever. I met Brian in NYC at a coffee shop in the Winter of 2003-2004, during which meeting he informed me law school wasn’t going to be a whole lot of fun.       

Where will you be staying the wedding weekend?
I am staying in a hotel in the City at Lex and 50-something street.  I didn't make the reservations so I am not sure about the details! 

Do you know what you're wearing to the wedding?
Not sure yet. I'd like to find something new and fabulous but haven't so far. 

What song will get you on the dance floor?
No song will get me there. Cocktails, lots and lots of cocktails, would be the only thing that might get me out there.

What are your New York must-see's or must-dos?
People-watching in Central Park, eating bagels, and shopping.  

Beef, fish or vegetarian?
Fish.

Red or white?
I prefer white over red, but I will happily drink either.

What's your favorite place in the world?
Athens, Georgia and NYC. I don't get out much.

What would you be doing on Saturday night if you weren't going to our wedding?
These days, most likely attending another wedding or wedding shower. Otherwise, hanging out with friends and relaxing in my new house.

What's something we don't know about you?
I am currently training to become a water aerobics instructor.
 
How do you feel about fun?
Fun is a Fantastic, Unparalleled Necessity!

Meet the Guests #9

Brian's sister Carla is one of the most fun people we know. She and her husband Chip are fantastic parents to Cameron, 21 months, and Grant, who was born in March. They have one of the sweetest dogs on earth, Winston. We are so grateful they will be making the trip out for us. Today is her birthday, so please join us in wishing her a good one!

What is your occupation?
I am a Product Manager for Target.  Basically I negotiate the price of infant/toddler clothing with our vendors overseas.       

What is your current hometown?
I live in Minneapolis, MN.

How did you meet Kevin or Brian?
I met Kevin in the spring of 2001 when I went out east to visit Brian.  The boys showed me a great time and I still have a glass boot that I got when they took me to the Cowgirl Hall of Fame restaurant!

Where will you be staying wedding weekend?
We are staying with my husband's aunt and uncle in Brooklyn. 

Do you know what you're wearing to the wedding?
I have a dress in mind, but it doesn't quite fit yet. I still have to lose 5 more pounds to get back to my pre-baby weight. I am going to the gym as much as possible and trying to get back in shape.  I have one month to get toned up!

What song will get you on the dance floor?
Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl.  It makes me go bananas!

What are your New York must-dos?
I would love to take the boys to the typical touristy sights i.e. the Statue of Liberty. However, I doubt we will leave Brooklyn due to nap and feeding schedules.  Maybe in a few years.

Beef, Fish or Vegetarian?
Beef.

Red or White?
Red.

What is your favorite place in the world?
Playa del Carmen, Mexico.  It is a short plane ride to romantic, relaxing beach fun!

If you weren’t going to our wedding, what would you be doing Saturday night?
Hanging out at home with my boys — Chip, Cameron, Grant and Winston!

What’s something we don’t know about you?
I am an open book, no secrets.

How do you feel about fun?
I always vote for fun and this wedding is going to be a blast!  Congrats Brian and Kevin!  Thanks for inviting us to share in the fun!

Nu Hotel Group Rate Expires May 25

We don't know these people trying to look casual as their photo is taken. But we do know that if you're interested in staying at the Nu Hotel in Brooklyn for the wedding, the deadline for booking the room at the group rate is May 25. Call Ryan Ocker on his direct line at 347-227-4853 and use the group block code of 0906OLEARY. 

Meet the Guests #6

Are you ready for Brian's youngest brother, Scott Esser, 24?

What is your occupation?
Professional student, but finally I think I'm approaching the end.

What is your current hometown?
Whitewater, Wisconsin.

How did you meet Brian or Kevin?
Well, Brian is my brother, so he's always just been there. I honestly don't remember the circumstances of meeting Kevin. I think it was in NYC, but he's just so awesome it blinded out the rest of details.

Where will you be staying the wedding weekend?
The Nu Hotel, I think. I don't really know. [Editors' note: He is correct.]

Do you know what you're wearing to the wedding?
I'm suit shopping specifically for this occasion. Well, not really, but I will be sporting a brand new suit, I'm not sure what it will be yet.

What song will get you on the dance floor?
Brian and Kevin know that "Hey Ya" will cause me to bolt to the dance floor. Kevin has already guaranteed it will play.

What are your New York must-see's or must-do's?
For this trip out to NYC, I don't think I'll have any free time. In general, I'd say just exploring the city.

Beef, fish or vegetarian?
Beef, please.

Red or white?
Well, I'm a true Badger fan, so, both please.

What's your favorite place in the world?
It varies. I'm in baseball mode this summer, so probably Miller Park, but I'm usually pretty happy where ever I am at the moment.

What would you be doing on a Saturday night if you weren't going to our wedding?
I'd probably be taking a weekend trip to one of my friends. Probably Rochester, MN doing what college- age kids do best, destroying our livers, err... I mean studying.

What's something we don't know about you?
Considering exactly how much of my family will have access to this, I think it would be wisest to plead the 5th. But I will say this, I never filled that Pucker bottle with water. Sour Apple Pucker just loses its color after about a year or two.

How do you feel about fun?
I'm definitely pro-fun. I'm pretty sure this will be the party to end all parties.

Meet the Guests #4

A passionate human rights advocate, Sarah Martin has more passport stamps than anyone we know. Be sure to ask the onetime Glamour magazine "Hero of the Month" about disco dancing in a refugee camp on the border of Sudan, and what she memorably called the "big fat stars in the sky" over the Central African Republic (where you can find a beer kept cool in the vaccine refrigerator).

What is your occupation?
Humanitarian Affairs Advisor on Sexual Violence for Medecins Sans Frontieres-Holland

What is your current hometown?
Amsterdam, Netherlands

How do you know Brian and Kevin?
I met Brian on a road trip from D.C. to the Philadelphia Flower Show, where we bonded over our mutual dislike for short and stubby flower-box displays. Lack of height limits interest, indeed! Through him I met Kevin, who I bonded with over a love of cooking, gossip, and great music.

What are you wearing to the wedding?
It’s a toss up between this turquoise blue and brown eyelet dress if I can find the right shoes for June in NYC — and for dancing — or a silver satin babydoll dress!

What song will get you on the dancefloor?
Try to keep me off the dancefloor! I've been known to tarantella, dance to Right Said Fred and do “the butt” at weddings... I'm also coming with Alec Moore, wedding date extraordinaire, so we might practice some special dance moves for your viewing pleasure!

What are your New York must-sees?
I like the Staten Island ferry ride, hanging out in Prospect Park on weekend afternoons, and trying to find a cuisine I've never tried before!

Beef, fish or vegetarian?
Fish, please.

Red or white?
Red or white or even rosé will do.

Favorite place in the world?
This is difficult. I think Lake Naivasha in Kenya is pretty awesome but I just returned from the Ring of Kerry, which has lambs and sheep so that might top it out. Edisto Island, South Carolina also has special memories.

What would you be doing on a Saturday night if you weren't going to our wedding?
Chilling in Amsterdam late into the evening at Vondelpark with a bottle of rosé, some fun friends, and cycling home at 2 in the morning.

What's something we don't know about you?
When I was a little girl, I had a lisp from trying to unlearn my British accent.

How do you feel about fun?
I feel about fun like I feel about Brian and Kevin — it’s an essential part of life!

Formal Attire

Two guests have asked us if they have to wear tuxedos to the wedding. No way! Just suits like our life coaches to the left.

We, the grooms, will be the only guys wearing black tie.

Meet the Guests #2

Get to know Wendy Wu and you'll adore her too.

What is your occupation? 
I'm an attorney, which means I push around a lot of paper.

What is your current hometown? 
Redwood City, California (which is essentially a suburb of San Francisco).

How did you meet Brian or Kevin? 
I met Kevin at Wesleyan during the first week of our frosh year when we lived on the same hall.  I fell in love with Kevin right away, because everyone fell in love with Kevin right away.  Something about those freckles says, "I am the best kind of friend you could ever make."

Where will you be staying the wedding weekend? 
The Dream Hotel.  Judging by the website, Buddha apparently inhabits the classiest joints.

Do you know what you're wearing to the wedding? 
Hopefully something that won't give me muffin tops or kankles.

What song will get you on the dance floor? 
Dancing Queen is like a tractor beam.

What are your New York must-see's or must-dos? 
I'd like to take a walk through Central Park and the MOMA.

Beef, fish or vegetarian? 
Vegetarian.

Red or white? 
Bad genes has forced me to be a teetotaler. [Editor’s note: She is not saying she is a drunk. Her system sadly doesn’t like booze.]

What's your favorite place in the world?
Moab.

What would you be doing on a Saturday night if you weren't going to our wedding?
Probably attending an outdoor movie screening or outdoor classical music performance.

 What's something we don't know about you?
The only time I've ever experienced love at first sight is when I laid eyes on my dog, Teabiscuit.

How do you feel about fun?
It's like how I feel about ice cream and reruns of Alf — addicted.

Friday Night Event for Out-of-Towners

For guests coming from out of town and looking for something to do the Friday night before the wedding, the party is at our house! We'll be just back from Kevin's hometown of New Fairfield, Connecticut (where we will be doing the legal portion of the ceremony) and ready for a come-as-you-are dinner at our apartment in Park Slope, Brooklyn. More details later, but the theme is "fun."

Meet the Guests #1

When Brian went to the circus as a kid, carny folk used to yell, “You can’t tell the lions from the tigers without a program.” To help you know who’s who at the wedding, we will be periodically running the results of questionnaires submitted to some of our guests. First up, Ryan Hietpas.

What is your occupation?
I'm a Cavalry Scout in the U.S. Army.

What is your current hometown?
I'm based out of Baumholder, Germany. A small town about an hour and a half from Luxembourg/France. At this very moment my home is Baghdad, Iraq.

How did you meet Brian or Kevin?
Brian is my cousin. I met Kevin at one of our many family gatherings.

Where will you be staying the wedding weekend?
I will be staying at the Dream Hotel in Manhattan! Give me only the best for this trip.

Do you know what you're wearing to the wedding?
I don't have a clue what I'll be wearing. Whats the dress code?! I do know I will not be wearing an Army uniform.

What song will get you on the dance floor?
Any song that comes on after 5 drinks.

What are your New York must-dos?
I want to spend a little time in Manhattan, but mostly I want to go where REAL New Yorkers go. I'd love to see some places in Brooklyn. This includes the pubs...for historical purposes.

Beef, fish or vegetarian?
Is there a Beef AND Fish option?

Red or white?
Is there a Red AND White option? If forced to choose one I'd go with the Beef/Red or the Fish/White combinations.

What's your favorite place in the world?
My favorite place in the world is any place in Europe. I have a feeling by the time of the wedding Dublin will have won out as my favorite place in the world. I can also tell you my least favorite.

What would you be doing on a Saturday night if you weren't going to our wedding?
If I wasn't going to your wedding I would be spending the weekend in a new European destination. I would not be working.

What's something we don't know about you?
You might not know that I am more likely to do karaoke than dance but I'm equally bad at both.

How do you feel about fun?
Typically I vote Pro-Fun.

Say It -- don't spray it -- With Flowers

A couple of years ago, Brian went off the internet-ordering grid and opted to get Valentine’s Day flowers for Kevin from a Park Slope florist. Root Stock & Quade made a great arrangement and Kevin returned the favor at Brian’s birthday. They used cool, unexpected stuff like raspberries—who knew?

So when it came time to pick the flowers for the wedding, we decided to go with the one that’s done us right before. Expect the unexpected at your table like lotus pods, rock gardens and floating candles. We’re going with green and white flowers. Here’s a photo of the kind of stuff they put together.