Briar & Ben
Wedding Party
Liz Swanson
Maid of Honor
Briar & Liz were paired as roommates in college because they both requested to be in a "sober dorm". Needless to say, Liz informed Briar of a kegger on night one. Briar calls Liz her "soul mate" and the two talk 5-10 times/daily. Everyone in Briar's life knows about Liz and how important she is. Lately Briar & Liz have been playing a fun game they invented called "screenshot your google search history".
Carrie Weston
Bridesmaid
Briar & Carrie met in college through her brother who was in the same class as Briar. Carrie came for a visit to see if Cornell might be a fit, and her her brother, Chris, paired her up with Briar to "show her a good time". A good time was had and Carrie came to Cornell, joined Briar's sorority and their friendship solidified with she moved to Portland in 2010.
Meredith Retlin
Bridesmaid
Meredith has the hair that dreams are made of and also married Ben's brother which makes her Briar's brand new sister in law! The two bonded when on their first meeting realized they had on the same Nordstrom shoes. Meredith gets extra points for giving birth to Briar & Ben's only niece and Oakley's new cousin!
Jessica Stokesberry
Officiant
Briar & "Stokes" met in college when they pledged the same sorority Freshman year. Post-college they reconnected given Jessica lived only 2 hours away from Briar. Their friendship strengthened so much that Briar asked Jessica to be the Godmother to her daughter, Oakley. Briar & Stokes' joint hobbies include Western-themed photo shoots with their joint "daughter", as well as speaking in codes that no one else can discern. #TheIngredient
Emily Ellis
Bridesmaid
Briar & Emily met working together for Progressive Insurance 15 years ago. Briar remembers overhearing Emily telling a coworker that "no one looks good in skinny jeans, everyone looks like an Apple with legs". Briar couldn't keep her mouth shut, intervened in the convo, and a friendship was born. Briar likes to think that she created the nickname for Emily's older daughter and is also responsible for having people drink beer out of baby bottles at Emily's baby shower. Annually the two like to take a trip they call "Beaches" which is a girls' only trip named after the movie starring the beloved Mayim Bialik.
Oakley Gorman
Ring Bearer
To honor her idol, Taylor Swift, Briar created a person to be born on her birthday, 12 years ago. These days Oakley likes Spotify more than Briar, Ben and/or Taylor Swift. To Briar's dismay she's an active dog hater and only likes cats. She does ALL of the school plays with her friends and spends lots of time looking at Etsy and asking her mom to buy her new Squish mallows.
Amanda Stout
Wedding Singer
Briar & Amanda met 15 years ago whilst both working for Progressive Insurance. They can't remember when they became close friends but know it had something to do with their mutual love of karaoke! Briar's nickname for Amanda is "voice of an angel" and when she first heard that angelic voice, Briar asked Amanda to one day sing in her wedding. Briar is very happy to finally have a a wedding for Amanda to sing in. Fun fact: Oakley thinks Amanda looks like Marilyn Monroe.
Mary Ann Shaffer
Mother of the Bride
Mary Ann gave birth to Briar a month late....which was not fun! Briar has never been late to an event since and is typically at least 15 minutes early! Mary Ann heard the name 'Briar' while traveling in New Zealand on her honeymoon and remembered it for her future daughter. Mary Ann's favorite color is purple and her favorite first lady is Michelle Obama. Briar & Mary Ann bond over their their mutual love of shopping and Jennifer Aniston. Mary Ann lives in Vancouver, WA with her husband, JES and enjoys her two grandchildren, Oakley and Thumbelina (canine).
Gary Davis
Father of the Bride
A long time Washington Husky fan, Briar & Gary bond over their mutual love of the Beatles and all things country music. Gary grew up in South Bend, WA, where he wreaked havoc on said small community. He is a retired marine biologist, Beach boys enthusiast and lone lover of black licorice. Gary enjoys traveling the world and once lived with a host family, even though he was already well into his 40's. Gary currently lives in Indio, CA with his wife, Sherry.
Cary Retlin Jr
Groomsman
Cary is only 24 months older than Ben! Some might call that Irish twins....the Retlins call it Swedish twins. Cary knows all there is to know about birds and looks at them through binoculars quite often. He also is an encyclopedia on everything to know about Olympia, WA. A few years ago a beautiful redhead at work asked Cary on a date. He subsequently married her and had a beautiful redheaded child.... which created a new Retlin! Currently Cary is updating his mid century modern home to include bird watching capabilities and a potential labradoodle-appropriate fenced backyard.
Stieg Retlin
Groomsman
Stieg is Ben & Cary's younger brother, but has the coolest hairdo of all of them combined. Stieg is a brilliant artist who studied at NYU School of Visual Arts and specializes in animation. Stieg is rarely seen without a sketchbook and is constantly creating new visual media. He currently lives in Capitol Hill, Seattle and fosters a chunky yet docile cat named Presley.
Jason Kaplan
Best Man
Jason is originally from New Jersey and doesn't have an accent, but his mom sure does! A fun trick is to ask Jason to impersonate it! He currently lives in San Diego with his 2 sons (who have tik tok hair), beautiful partner Janine, a theater room and beer closet! "Jay" really knows his beers, so don't think of adding any 10 Barrel Brews in there....not cool, man, not cool. Jason & Janine watch as much Dateline as Briar and have dubbed Coronado, CA "murder island". Frequent text message exchanges include who is listening to the more disturbing murder podcast.
Rob Condon
Groomsman
Ben & Rob befriended each other in middle school and Boy Scouts. Upon seeing a photo, Briar asked if Rob was actually Jason Sudeikis in disguise?.... Ben said no. Briar & her friends did a deep dive and the jury is still out! Only Sudeikis & his hoodie know for sure. Rob is also a Dead Head who enjoys following the band around the country! He has accepted John Mayer as part of the band, which makes Briar know she will like him in person (#JMfanclubmember). Rob currently lives in New York with his beautiful family!
Alex Heckman
Groomsman
Alex and Ben have known each other since elementary school! Alex has exceptional penmanship and can wear the heck out of a beanie! He also does a great Andrew Zimmern impression (you had to be there). In his free time Alex enjoys hunting mushrooms (#afungusamongus) and spending time with his beautiful wife and 2 children. In his "un-free" time, Alex is a Physician's Assistant and sometimes has real gross surgeries to share with Ben, who enjoys all things blood-related!
Simon Adams
Groomsman
Simon 's parents are from the UK and Briar really wants him to have an accent! He is a soccer fan just like his friend Ben! They have different "favourite" teams and therefore occasionally exchange expletive-ridden text messages. Simon & Ben were boy scouts and altar boys together...and they both have Australian Labradoodles with instagram accounts! Most recently Simon was kind enough to give his Peacock password to Ben so that Briar can binge Dateline NBC.
Elizabeth Retlin
Flower Girl
Elie has bangs and pigtails and red hair! She enjoys the Disney movie that features Kristen Bell and starts with an 'F', but we can't say it in front of her! She can also do a GREAT "We don't talk about Bruno" solo, when she's willing to. She likes all animals and enjoys feeding them grapes. Her name is the same as the middle name of her cousin, Oakley!
Cary Retlin Sr
Father of the Groom
When Briar first met Cary Sr, she thought he looked just like Eugene Levy...who she absolutely loved! Cary enjoys physical fitness, fanny packs, all things computers and his two cats, Wilson and Phoebe! He is a proud grandfather and charades master (book category only).
Kristin Retlin
Mother of the Groom
Kris is the lucky mother of 3 boys....and thus was gifted with two new granddaughters, Elie & Oakley! Kris reads a book per day and is also an exceptional quilter. Quilts she has made have become artwork in homes due to their beauty! Fun Fact :On any given day, Kris has an amazing, fresh manicure.