Vanessa & Cameron
Wedding Party
Becca Looney
Matron of Honor
Becca is Vanessa's cousin who has always been more like a sister. They have come so far: from snuggling as kids on Christmas Eve when their grandma would read "The Night Before Christmas" each year, to braving the highway to Chicago's Beatlesfest for their first long-distance trip as teens (where they became hopelessly lost because of MapQuest, RIP), to now managing to talk every day even though they live 700 miles apart. Vanessa and Becca's shared ADHD diagnoses mean they also constantly have the same hyperfixation (a few notable mentions through the years include "House, M.D", "CSI," the Beatles, memorizing all the lyrics to "Subterranean Homesick Blues," Jimmy Fallon, etc. etc.) Even though Vanessa is two years older, Becca has always been the person Vanessa wants to be when she grows up. Becca's in nursing school, so feel free to bring a list of all of your most important medical questions!
Erik LaFrance
"Best Man"
Introduced by a mutual "friend," Erik and Cameron have been best friends since early high school. After college, they quickly re-united and became roommates for five years. Through all of early adolescence, they have been with each other with brotherhood, beers at the 99 Restaurant, and "bits." Ask Erik about his record-setting ground speed.
Jamie Nowaczynski
Matron of Honor
Jamie and Vanessa met in 2018 when they shared an office at Hospice and Jamie instantly hated Vanessa for her unorganized work style, and Vanessa thought Jamie's voice was weirdly high and she was probably pretending to talk like that (she actually just talks like that). They soon put aside their differences and bonded over a mutual love of Bob Dylan, "My Favorite Murder", and 90 Day Fiancé. Fortunately, they became instant best friends. Unfortunately, they did not accomplish much work. They still manage to laugh until they cry every time they're together-and sometimes just cry because they're therapists. Jamie and Vanessa call each other "soul sisters," but they should actually be called "sole sisters" because Jamie wears orthopedic shoes (Vanessa does not, because she's much younger). Fun fact: Jamie's only character flaws are that her favorite "heartthrob" is Norman Reedus and her favorite city is South Bend, Indiana.
Alexander Bohn
Groomsman
Meeting in junior year, Alex and Cam quickly became close friends spending a lot of time at Taco Bell near his house. Not only has Alex helped substantially improve Cam's taste in music, he is always someone who helps you become your best, providing abrasive - but honest and needed - advice. On top of that, since he is one of the best "wrastlers" in the business, he always keeps everyone at the top of their games. He is at the core of all of the high school boys, and is envied by everyone.
Jennay Vardigan
Bridesmaid
Jennay and Vanessa have been close friends since high school. A former member of the exclusive "Brokeback" friends group with Vanessa and fellow bridesmaid Meghan, Jennay has always been the "mom" of the group. She's been a constant support, especially when she worked at Family Video in high school and would constantly excuse Vanessa's numerous late fees. Jennay is very brave emotionally and physically, as evidenced by her mohawk in high school, and randomly throwing Vanessa's friend into a bench where he hurt his back (he kind of deserved it). Jennay and Vanessa have been each other's wedding dates to every wedding, ever, and each time they ask the DJ to play "Low" by Flo Rida. You can look forward to watching Vanessa awkwardly copying Jennay's dance moves, just like the old days! P.S, pro tip: definitely, 100%, do the Forrest Gump voice when pronouncing Jennay's name- she loooooves it!
Iain Buchanan
Groomsman
Although meeting originally though Erik, Iain and Cam became close early in high school. They became good friends cowering in fear in the back of a red Ford Explorer driven by a madman on the way to school on the dirt roads of New Hampshire, before smartening up and driving themselves together in Cam’s car. One of the wisest, Iain has always provided much-needed knowledge and insight to our group of friends. If you ever find yourself in a tent in the woods, be sure to ask him about the various uses of the wild mushrooms that surround you.
Vivian Neilley
Bridesmaid
Vivian is Cam's (and almost Vanessa's!) sister. Viv was the person Vanessa was most anxious to meet, but she immediately took Vanessa under her wing and added her to the notorious Neilley family group chat, "Gracie Groupies." Vanessa and Viv first bonded over a mutual love of "the Bachelor," and an ongoing debate about whether Lin Manuel-Miranda is attractive (he is cute *most* of the time, in certain pictures, in certain settings). If Viv and Vanessa are hanging out, they're probably watching trashy television, drinking wine, and teasing Cam. No matter what you're doing with Viv, she always makes it a great time (which bodes well for her wedding speech!) Fun fact: Viv was also a Midwesterner, having lived in Cleveland a few years ago, and she's excited to be close to Ohio again for the wedding!!
Alexander Buffer
Groomsman
A founding member of the JBKO crew, Alex and Cam met in sophomore year at college. Both history majors, their shared love for dark humor, high-quality beer, and the Phantom Menace in 3D cemented their friendship. After convincing him to move to the Boston area, Alex (and Kristen) have the highest success rate of getting Cam and Vanessa to to try new restaurants and bars. When he's not sending the most depraved content on Twitter to the "dark chat," Alex enjoys long walks on the beach, cocktails, and sunshine.
Taylor Sarratt
Bridesmaid
Taylor and Vanessa met in 2009 and were instant frenemies because they had an awkward run-in when Vanessa was on a date with Taylor's ex-boyfriend, but somehow this only bonded them. Taylor and Vanessa have had many adventures together, including an ill-fated camping trip to the U.P, accidentally line dancing with Republicans at a bar, and 2 AM trips to Steak and Shake. They're about to embark on their newest and most exciting adventure yet as newly married women! Taylor and Vanessa have bad luck with never being in the same place at once: when Vanessa was in Kalamazoo, Taylor was living in Kentucky and then Ohio. No matter where they live, however, they'll always meet at Kumo Hibachi and Sushi on Westnedge Ave. If you see Taylor, ask her about becoming a recent homeowner because that's an impressive feat most millennials will never accomplish!
Ryan Heaney
Groomsman
Another founding member of the JBKO crew, Ryan and Cam met on the benches outside of their sophomore year dorm in college. They spent many nights there and the years after talking music, science, politics, and everything else they could think of, including for a few years together on the radio. Moving to Boston for graduate school, Ryan and Cam spent Sundays before the pandemic cooking, coding, and laughing.
Emily Adams
Bridesmaid
Emily and Vanessa rode the bus together in middle school but Vanessa wanted to listen to her mp3 player in peace at 7:00 AM which meant they never sat together :( They really became friends in high school and even traveled to Amsterdam together at 18, having absolutely no idea what they were doing. Through the years, they've shared many nights they don't remember, whether in Mattawan, Amsterdam, or Albion College. Their best memories, however, were the days they spent chain-smoking at Fourth Coast while doing homework, and then going to Emily's after for video games and a sleepover. More recently, Emily and Vanessa lived/worked, and even owned two cats together! Like the saying says, "once you're cat parents together, you never...go back." Emily is getting married right before Vanessa, so be sure to congratulate her!
Andrew Johnson
Groomsman
From playing together in jazz band, Andrew and Cam became close friends in the back half of high school. Andrew took Cam to his first music festival in western Massachusetts, enlightening him to the joys of live music. Since then, Andrew and Cam have watched may concerts and movies ("The Last Jedi" premiere was a lot of fun), played hours video and tabletop games together, and reveled in talking about the state of the world. If you see him, be sure to pick his encyclopedic knowledge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
Meghan Saidla
Bridesmaid
Meghan and Vanessa first became friends in middle school, where they both commiserated over having to wear braces with neon rubber bands. They were inseparable every weekend ("my mom can take us to the mall if yours can pick us up"), and had memorable sleepovers which ended in waking up early to chase after Meghan's farm animals which had inevitably broken loose. They even share a core memory from a few years ago when Vanessa, Meghan and Vanessa's mom were kayaking in Traverse City. Meghan and Vanessa's mom paddled away too fast and left Vanessa in the middle of Lake Michigan. Meghan was the only one who noticed Vanessa was missing so she turned around and saved her from certain death due to lack of upper body strength. Ask Meghan to do her Napoelon Dynamite impression, or her Furby impression. Actually, Meghan will be the wedding entertainment.
Trevor Nierendorf
Groomsman
After hanging in the same circles, Trevor and Cam became friends during the back half of high school before going to college at the nearby University of Maryland. There, Trevor brought Cam along to explore the area, including seeing several math rock shows. One of Cam's best memories was at an infamous Giraffes? Giraffes! show they saw together in high school. You can usually find Trevor at the pet shop browsing pet mice or finding the next coolest sounds and music.
Eric Peterson
Groomsman
Starting to hang out later in high school, Eric and Cam became friends talking video games, bad movies, and gitches. Eric is the life of the party, always making sure everyone is included and he always brings the Caña. He makes sure that Cam is added to more group chats, which Cam appreciates despite forgetting to look at the app.