Kevin Jordan: Groomsman

Today we get the distinct honor of introducing a legendary fellow – a man so famous among his peers that he has not one but TWO incredible nicknames (three if you count his initials – “KJ”). We could only be talking about one guy here … Mr. Kevin Jordan.


About KJ

* Kevin and Brady truly go way back – they first became friends in Mrs. Mattern’s 3rd grade class and have been laughing hysterically at each other ever since. Brady maintains to this day that Kevin is one of the funniest people he’s ever known.

* Kev’s nicknames stem from his prowess in pick-up basketball games. On the rough and tough courts of Egg Harbor Township (and Joey Carew’s backyard), he’s known as “Airmail” for his 3-point accuracy. His second nickname was coined after a teammate told him he played like Bulls sharpshooter Steve Kerr. Never one to hear people accurately, Kevin quipped back something to the effect of, “What? Street Curbs?” And thus the renowned moniker “StreetCurbs” was born.

* Simply put, Kevin is an unbelievable guitarist and musician (he plays a mean keyboard and cello too). He and Brady have always shared the same phenomenal taste in music, as they have attended dozens of concerts together throughout the years. Mr. Jordan has played in several bands and records new music frequently - you can check out his latest tunes here: http://www.myspace.com/aclavortex.

* KJ is in the Guinness Book of World Records for most Chicago visits out of all Brady’s friends at 5.

Q&A with Kevin

Who would play the lead role in a movie about your life?
Morgan Freeman

Favorite memory with Brady
Tough question ... maybe whispering sweet nothings to Marlene Stiteler in geometry class (he knows what I'm talking about).

Favorite thing about Brandi
With her you always know what you’re gonna get ... she’s an incredibly likable and very cool girl.

What are you most famous for?
My boyish good looks.

What’s your favorite adult beverage?
Jameson on the rocks.

Better city – Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh or Philadelphia? Why?
Chi-town, cause that's where my favorite couple lives … awwww.

What was your first job?
Dishwasher at The Clam Bar, I scrubbed casserole dishes for 5 years.

Who is your celebrity crush and why?
Jennifer Love Hewitt... uh she has certain assets that I enjoy.

When you were 10 years old, what did you want to be when you grow up?
I wanted to be one of the Beatles... In fact, I still do.

What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I am an expert swing dancer.

Who is the best guitarist of all time?
Me since you asked ... nah I like Johnny Greenwood from Radiohead.


What are you most excited about Brandi & Brady’s wedding?
Everything! I love weddings, mostly because I'm not the one getting married (kidding!)

Which one of your fellow groomsman has the best chance of falling off the riverboat at Brady/Brandi’s wedding?
Hmmm ... my money is on Platt (editor’s note: that marks two votes out of two Q&As for Platt so far – starting to see a pattern here).

What song(s) do you hope to hear at Brandi & Brady’s wedding?
"The Power of Love" on repeat, the whole time.

True or false: Brady Smith is a talented and underrated vocalist.
Absolutely true... ask him to sing "Somewhere Out There"... it will make you cry.

Meet Dana

In order to determine which bridesmaid would be featured next, I sent out a list of questions to the girls and said that I would post their profile in the order the returned questionnaire was delivered.

With 15 minutes, I received the answers from one Miss Dana Yingling. So today, meet Dana.

I first met Dana in fourth grade during Montour Little Spartans Cheerleading. While we were both in the same school district, we didn’t go to the same grade school.

Before I even met the legendary Dana Yingling, I knew of her. People would tell tales of her “heart shaped pool” (it’s really a “kidney stone”), her amazing wardrobe, bright blonde hair and her parents ridiculous, over-the-top Christmas light display. I knew this girl and I would totally get along.

Dana and I became really close in high school, especially during band. Yes, we were in the band and it was cool. Dana was a “Spartanette” which was the dance team and I twirled batons. We decided our senior year that we would not try out for captain so that we could “pre-game.” This involved sneaking adult beverages into Subway cups (they weren’t clear) and consuming them before the game. I believe we only attended two of the 10 games sober.

Some fun facts about Dana:
· Dana holds the record for the friend from home that visited me the most in college. Typically Dana would make the drive to Morgantown 1-2 times a semester. She's also been to Chicago more than any other friend! Dana visits each St. Patrick's Day for the party.


· Now a Cali girl, Dana has lived in Los Angeles since 2004. She moved there to attend the Fashion Institute of Merchandising and Design.

· After an injury ended her gymnastics career, Dana joined the diving team in high school.

· Dana edited our high school year book. If you ever get a chance to look at it, you will see pictures of Dana and I on almost every page.

· More fun facts: Dana loves NASCAR, she scrapbooks, her dog's name is Tonka, she's been in a movie and her mom was my sister's pre-school teacher.

Here's a Q&A with Dana:

· What’s your favorite beverage? Tejava Tea and we all know Stoli Raz ( if we're going the alcoholic route)

· If you could only shop in one store for the rest of your life, what would it be? TARGET!

· What song do you look forward to hearing at Brandi & Brady’s Wedding? Soulja Boy of course

· Who do you think will fall off the boat? Steve or maybe myself, who knows, he's been taking care of me during drinking nights lately! Haha!

· If you were in the movie “Back to the Future,” what year would you visit? 1966 the year my parents were married. I think it'd be interesting to see what life was like that year.

· How many pairs of shoes do you own? About 80+ between heels, sneakers, flats, flip flops, wedges, boots, rain boots, sandals.

· Name three things you always have in your refrigerator. Tejava Tea, Jalapenos, and Red Bull Italian dressing

· If you were going to try out for American Idol, what song would you sing?

"I came to have a party
Open off the Bacardi
Feeling so hot tamale
Boy, I know you watching' me so what's it gonna be
Purple taking me higher
I'm lifted and I like it
Boy, you got me inspired
Baby, come and get it if you're really feeling me"

Mariah Carey- It's Like That--but please don't get any ideas I will not be singing at your wedding!

Happy 2010! Let the Countdown Begin!

Happy Holidays from Brandi & Brady!

We are pleased to say that we had the opportunity to see many of our blog readers over the last two weeks on our trips to New Jersey & Pittsburgh. Here are some highlights from our trips.

On December 23rd, Brandi participated in her annual holiday gift exchange with her best friends from high school. It's amazing that we are able to get everyone together considering we live in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Pittsburgh! Bridesmaid Dana wasn't able to make it home, so we used Skype to have her join the party.

Holiday gift exchange: Steve, Bridesmaid Amy, Bridesmaid Melissa, Brandi & Brady

Next it was off to New Jersey where we spent some quality time with the Smith Family. We enjoyed a candlelit Christmas Eve Service and opened up a number of wonderful gifts in the morning.

Smith Family: (bottom) Amanda, Norbert & Sugar; Top: Brady, Brandi, Deb, Mike, Ryan

While we all enjoyed playing Super Mario Brothers on Wii, Brady's cousin Joey dominated Brandi in Toy Story 3D (shown here).

Uncle Jim, Jenna, Brandi, Joey and Norbert

After numerous petitions to "Save the Pearl," a local New Jersey Bar, it appears that this hometown favorite may be closing its doors to make room for a highway. Brandi & Brady were able to enjoy one final "Zombie," a famous Pearl beverage, before it closes.

Brady, Andy & Ryan enjoying Zombies at The Pearl

After enjoying some cheesesteaks from the famous "White House," on Tuesday we departed New Jersey for Pittsburgh in Brandi's sister's car (or as Brady calls it, the "J Bo-Mo-bile"). We enjoyed dinner at the most amazing BYOB in Western Pennsylvania, Sausalido, with Bridesmaid Melissa, her husband Brian and the Bonkowski parents. If you are a PA reader, you MUST eat here. Tell the owner, and future wedding guest, Nick that Brandi sent you (we go way back - he is a high school friend)!

Brian, Bridesmaid Melissa, Brandi & Brady

After fantastic dinner with family and friends at another BYOB (where we enjoyed bottles of Sangria brought back from the Renault Winery in New Jersey!), we rang in the New Year at the Bonkowski house. The party included lots of champagne, dancing and a slew of delicious appetizers!

The Bonkowski Family - Jillian, Lew (J Bo's man friend), Joe, Sue, Brady and Brandi

We are very excited for 2010! Not only will we finally be husband and wife, but the upcoming events will provide us with a number of opportunities to see our family and friends again soon!

If You Like It Then You Should Put a Ring On It

December 17th is our Engage-iversary aka the day we got engaged! What perfect timing to tell you all how it happened.

Brady is a bit busy this week, so I (Brandi) will tell you all how Brady put a ring on it (or how he proposed, for you non-Beoynce fans).

December gets a bit busy for us public relations people because we're wrapping up this year's programs and planning next year's. So on Dec. 17, 2008, I was working rather late to add the finishing touches to a client plan, when Brady said that he was picking up some food to make dinner. While that wasn’t out of the ordinary, I thought it was weird that when I asked what he was making, Brady said “a pasta dish.” Something just didn’t seem right. I even mentioned to my friend Brian that Brady was acting a bit strange.

When I got home, Brady was sitting on the couch and the apartment was super clean. I looked in the kitchen and saw that no food had been brewing. Brady said, “Before we eat, I bought you something.” He pulled out a six pack…of cupcakes from my favorite place – Swirlz.

I sort of suspected something was happening so rather than make things easy for Brady, I refused to look at the cupcakes until I had dinner! As you can imagine, Brady started to get a bit impatient and insisted that I open the box. I finally did and one cupcake was missing and in its place was a small box. When I asked what it was, Brady replied “a necklace.” I told him that if it was a necklace, he could shove it up his you know what. Hey, after six years of dating, you don’t give a girl a necklace in a surprise cupcake box.

Well most of you can image what happened next – Brady dropped down on one knee and asked me to marry him and of course I said yes!

The reason there was no dinner is because Brady made reservations at a famous Chicago restaurant – Spiaggia. As you can see from the photo, it has a spectacular view of Lake Michigan. Not only is Spiaggia the only Italian restaurant to receive 4 stars by the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Magazine, but it’s also a favorite of President Obama. In fact, the first couple dined at Spiaggia the night after the election! As Brady likes to say, that night we “partied like Michelle and Barack.”

(Photos from: Swirlz and Forbes.com)

Hello New Visitors!

Welcome to Brandi & Brady’s Wedding Blog! You probably stumbled across our little site after receiving a Save-the-Date card in the mail. We started this blog this past June and we do our best to update it on a regular basis with info about our wedding, bridal party, family and everyday adventures.

If you are visiting the site for the first time, we encourage you to catch up on previous posts by clicking on one of the "labels" on the right side of the web page. Here are some good frequently asked wedding-related questions you might want to know the answers to:

• What is this Web site and why should I visit it?

• So, where are you getting married?

• How did you guys meet?

• Who is this chick Brady is marrying?

• Brandi found a guy to put up with her non-stop talking? Who is this guy?



• Can I get more details on the hotel, ceremony and reception?
o The Sheraton Station Square is the official hotel of the Bonkowski/Smith Wedding. This is the site of our wedding reception and it's a stone's throw from the Gateway Clipper, the boat where our ceremony will take place on. We encourage you to book your hotel room as soon as possible to get our special wedding rate. In fact, the hotel created a handy little Web site for people to easily book rooms, here (we've also added a link on the right side of our blog). More travel tips and a listing of alternate to come in future blog posts.

o The most important thing to remember is if you plan on attending the ceremony, boarding begins at 2 p.m. sharp - so don't be late! The boat sets sail at 2:20 p.m., and we'll begin our voyage over to the point where Pittsburgh's infamous Three Rivers merge and exchange vowels with the skyline in the background.

• By the way, what's the deal with that oversized mirror you are staring at on the Save-the-Date?
o If you’ve been to Chicago and received the full Brandi & Brady tour, then you know all about The Bean - inexplicably one of the top tourist attractions in the Windy City.


o The Bean, which is formally known as “Cloud Gate,” is located in Millennium Park and has become a landmark in its few short years of existence. Designed by artist Anish Kapoor and constructed from 2004-06, the Bean is made from 168 stainless steel plates welded together, yet has no visible seams. Tourists love it because of the creative photos you can take (or at least, attempt to), with the sterling reflection of the Chicago Skyline in the background of each shot.

o We felt The Bean was the perfect way to show a little Chicago flair in our Save-the-Date. Brandi & Brady would also like to give a very special shout out to groomsman and photographer extraordinaire Jason Sacks for taking not one, but two rounds of our S.T.D. pictures. Mr. Sacks is now available for hire to photograph your save-the-dates, senior portraits, pets, and bah mitzvahs.

Ramy Nammour – Groomsman and Friend of the Groom

Hello folks … today we bring you the second entry in our ongoing series to help you get to know the bridal party a little better.

The first strapping young male we’re going to profile is the one, the only … Mr. Ramy Nammour.

About Ramy

* Ramy and Brady have been close friends since high school, where Ramy was a shooting specialist for the EHT hoops team and sported arguably the greatest mustache in the history of high school ‘staches (more on that below).

* Mr. Nammour is a man of many fine qualities, but one of his most obvious attributes is his penchant for having a “friggen unbelievable” time at drinking establishments across the nation. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Atlantic City, Chicago, Vegas, or Pittsburgh … you’re bound to have a blast with Ram and his partner-in-crime, Pat Rone, wherever you are (Pat is our own pseudonym for Patron tequila, for those of you who don't know already).

* Ramy is an avid sports fan and likes most of the New York teams, like the Giants, the Mets and the Knicks. No really, I’m serious … he likes the Knicks. Stop laughing.

Q&A with the Ramdog

Who would play the lead role in a movie about your life? Carrot Top...We have similar hair

When you make a toast, what do you drink to? The only thing that really matters.... HEALTH AND HAPPINESS

Favorite memory with Brady? A memorable $5 dry cleaning donation. I'm not sure how much more in depth I can get than that.

** Editors note: Let’s just say it involved Brady feeling a little bad after he used Ram’s shoes/jeans for target practice in the middle of a Philly bar after one too many shots of tequila.

Favorite thing about Brandi? Her personality and of those brown cowboy boots....really hot!

What’s your favorite beverage? Unfortunately Red Bull Vodka and a cold refreshing bud light

On a scale of 1-10, how bad are the New York Knickerbockers? Define "bad"?

What town has the better cheesesteak – Philly or A.C.? Pleasantville

What was your first job? Tunnels of Fun … selling tokens on the side to little kids without the bosses knowing.

What did you want to be when you were 12 years old? A back up dancer for Vanilla Ice

Favorite Vegas hotel? The Green Monster

Which one of your fellow groomsman has the best chance of falling off the riverboat at Brandi & Brady’s wedding? That’s easy … Miiiiiiister P

What song do you hope to hear at Brandi & Brady’s wedding? Shout! If you look it up in the Guinness Book of World Records, I hold the record for getting the lowest. It’s something I take a lot of pride in.

What was the coolest thing you did in high school? Would have to be that I somehow was able to rock a solid mustache yet was still socially accepted. Kind of an impressive feat.

Jillian Bonkowski - The Maid of Honor

Today we begin the first in a series of posts where we will introduce our loyal readers to our bridal party. First, we will write a few words about our dear friends and then have each person answer a few questions.

Miss Jillian Catherine Bonkowski, Brandi's made of honor, has the honor of going first.

About Jillian

* Brandi*'s one and only sibling, Jillian is 21-years-old and resides in Pittsburgh where she works at a local spa. Jillian is a certified esthetician - give her a ring if you need a facial, wax or an amazing make-up job.

* Jillian has a series of nicknames. The family calls her Jin Jin, thanks to cousin Tyler who couldn't say Jillian. I call her J Bo, thanks to Jennifer Lopez. My mom also started the mash-up name thing before the celebrity tabloids back in 1995 when The Bonkowski Family joined AOL. Our family screen name was Branjill - which still exists today!

* J Bo was born with amazing strength. When she was 2, she would hang from the neighbor's tree and could do pull ups. She also can curl her toes under and walk on them. Ask her to show you - she can still do it!

Q&A With The MOH

Who would play the lead role in a movie about your life? Megan Fox, Kim Kardashian or Eva Mendes

Favorite memory with Brady? When he imitates the sad dogs in the Human Society commercial (it's always on VH1 with the Sarah McLachlan)

What's your favorite beverage? Pinot Grigio

What do you order at Chipotle? Burrito Bowl – no beans, peppers, onions, shredded beef, hot sauce, sour cream, cheese, chips and two hot salsas

What are you most excited for about Brandi & Brady's wedding? The boat

What was your first job? Robinson Township Summer Recreation

If you were an animal, what would you be? A liger

What's your worst fashion mistake? A pink Arden B skirt that was super short and had ruffle-like things hanging off of it. A piece of it fell off in class and my teacher hung it on his bulletin board. I also got in trouble by the principal for it being too short.

Name three things that you must have in your refrigerator? Franks Red Hot Sauce, Ranch dressing and Cheese

What did you want to be when you were 12 years old? A mom

What is something people would be surprised to know about you? I broke my nose twice. The first time I fell face first on to the ground while rollerblading. The second, I got hit directly in the nose by a softball.

What reality TV show would you most want to be a contestant on? So You Think You Can Dance

What song do you hope to hear at Brandi & Brady's wedding? Lean Like a Cholo

What's your most embarrassing moment? Falling/rolling down the hill at a Toby Keith concert