{The groom & his Best Man, circa 1990}

I’ve been working feverishly to finish our wedding website before mailing out our Save the Dates, and harassing Tony to write some stuff for it too, so it’s not just the Annie Bridezilla Show. (His first piece was this gorgeous love letter to me, that makes me cry every time I read it.) I recently wrote about my bridesmaids, and so Tony wrote about his groomsmen to even things out. Side note: Tony totally cried while he wrote this, too. Who knew weddings make men feel so many feelings?!

{Post-marathon}

Nick Cavalero (Nicky, Neil) – It’s hard to sum up Nick in a few sentences, but I’ll try. Nick and I didn’t really get along until I hit high school, but he was always my big brother, ready to protect at any cost. There was a point, however, in our lives when we became more then just brothers, but real soul brothers (not like in a rap song kind of way. In a best friends kind of way.) We know each other on every level and he has always been there to celebrate every one of my victories, and console all my losses. We share clothes, jokes (and sometimes underwear). I couldn’t love a man more then my bro Nick. Thanks for everything, dude… Especially for when I was a freshman football player and you told Coach Adams that you really wanted me on the varsity squad for the last couple games, so that you could always say, “I got to play with my little brother.” That meant a lot.

{Bro-golfing in Ojai}

Joseph Baria III (Billy, Bill, Dollah Dollah Bills Ya’ll) – Billy is the newest guy to the groomsmen crew, but his kindness, selflessness and undying support allow him to fit in quite nicely, and make me quite lucky. Last December, when I was getting ready to propose to his big sister, I called Billy and told him about my plan for the proposal. He was so excited and that just meant the world to me, to not only have his blessing, but for him also to be stoked about it. I love my brother Nick and I can’t wait to add another brother to my family.

{Channeling Dumb & Dumber}

Rob (Payne-Train, Lizard Fingers) – Rob is my oldest friend. He’s goofy, uncoordinated and has the biggest heart of anyone I know. We have been buds since kindergarten with Mrs. Hughes, and every day since. He has been a constant in my life, always there to talk nonstop and listen even longer. (Rob, remember giving me a big hug when I was homesick at Goshen summer camp and crying my eyes out?) Rob’s a badass Air Force officer who has served in Afghanistan and I love him unconditionally.

{Summiting Runyon Canyon with Rob T & Rob P}

Robert (Rob, 22, Trimble) – I first met Rob and his brother Dave my senior year in high school, when they obliterated my high school team in lacrosse; and yet, they were the nicest guys. When you go to a place like the Virginia Military Institute (as we did), your friends become your brothers, bound through the torture only a Keydet understands. Robert and I spent every hour at the “I” hanging out, watching scary movies and making dumb dance videos. When I moved to L.A., Robert always made a point to check in on me and always believed in what I was doing. He’s a nasty LAXer, can drop some dope rhymes and can cook a mean fish stick. Rob, love ya man.

{Keydets with Tony’s dad}

David (Dave, D-man, DT) – David is one of the smartest guys I know. I mean, he designs bridges while I try to think of a new spin on a fart joke. David and I played almost every college lacrosse game on the same middie line. After VMI, David went to Virginia Tech to get his master’s degree, and I will never forget the day of the shootings there. I prayed for David and thanked God for his safety. He has stuck with me through everything. We would spend hours watching dumb TV shows on the computer and talking life. He is my voice of reason. Annie and I had the joy of attending his wedding this past year, and it was so beautiful and special.

{Winning runner-up at the 2010 L.A. improv comedy festival}

Kevin (KB, Kev) – Kevin was my rock in L.A. when we were first starting out. We hustled the L.A. improv scene for years, performing as The Ginger Man and The Wonderdudes. One of my favorite improv moments of all time was taking runner-up at the 2010 L.A. improv comedy festival with Kevin. He is one of the smartest and funniest men I know. Kevin was there when I was at my lowest in L.A., always cheering me on. He let me crash on his couch, eat his food and shower at his place after running around Runyon Canyon. You da man, Kev!