Corin & Matthew
Wedding Party
Willow Cook-Groehl
Pup of Honor
While five-year-old Willow ("Willy," "Wills," "Willsy," "Willzyx," "Willemina," "Squilliam Fancypants," "Pumpy," "Munchkin," "Tater-tot," "Perfect Little Angel") has only been present for exactly half of Matt and Corin's relationship, she plays a pivotal role in their love and happiness. This lazy, silly, and independent girl's favorite things to do with her Matty and Rinnie include snuggling on the couch watching cartoons, going on rides to drive thrus for treats, being uncooperative on hikes, going to breweries, and going to Cape Cod. Her greatest fear is flies.
Elizabeth Whittaker
Maid of Honor
Corin's best friend and cousin through marriage, Elizabeth met Corin as a young child when their mutual aunt introduced them and Corin tried to coax Elizabeth into the deep end of the pool. Corin quickly set out on a mission to corrupt the shy and innocent Elizabeth through horror movies and the Ouija board during their hundreds of sleepovers. Nearly 20 years later, the tables have sure turned -- Elizabeth is now the rebellious one who forces Corin out of the house and tries to keep what's left of her spontaneous spirit alive. Forever Matt and Corin's third wheel, Elizabeth spends time with the two going to breweries, hiking, playing board games, and watching scary movies.
Travis Buckley
Best Man
Matt's closest friend since high school, Travis first met Matt and the two hit it off at a house party when Travis respectfully asked if he could pursue Matt's ex (lol). They quickly became friends and Travis witnessed the early days of Matt and Corin's relationship. His poolside cabana was actually the first place Matt and Corin hung out (outside of the coffee shop they met at). His bold and audacious personality may seem quite opposite from Matt's (and Corin's), but he has remained a supportive and generous friend every step of the way over the last fifteen years.
Jennifer Tangen
Bridesmaid
Brought together by their height (or lack of), Jen and Corin became fast friends when seated next to each other in the short person section of fifth grade chorus. Throughout childhood and adolescence, they grew closer over five hour secret phone calls when they were supposed to be sleeping, music video making, running cross country, and participating in chorus and acapella. More recently, the two have stayed close through their weekly Wednesday hangouts, Animal Crossing sessions, and Dungeons and Dragons games. Corin says Jen is the most supportive friend (of hers and anyone else's) she has ever encountered.
John Wesley
Groomsman
A mutual friend to both Matt and Corin, John was there since the very beginning. In fact, he introduced the two when he brought Corin to Joe's Coffee House in Hopedale where Matt was working. Over the years, the three have enjoyed going to concerts, sharing outlaw country and folk music recommendations, having riveting conversations about mineral water, and "discussing" politics. While he is now located in Houston, Matt and Corin don't get to see him nearly as much as they'd like to, but he'll be making the trip up to join the wedding party, because it wouldn't be a celebration without John!
Casey Sether
Bridesmaid
While Casey and Corin went to the same high school and crossed paths several times, the two didn't actually become friends until recently, when they found themselves living in the same city. Brought together by their love of writing, reading, music, and visiting Providence restaurants and bars, the two have grown close over the past few years. But their favorite thing to do together is chat. Once they start, they don't stop -- nearly driving their partners Matt and Chris insane as their conversations grow faster, louder, and stranger the later it gets into the night.
Jason Cook
Groomsman
If it weren't for Jason, Corin's childhood sure would have been dull. The comic relief to Corin's life, as kids, Jason was always creating humorous situations and making on-the-spot games out of random objects. Even though they were five years apart, they always had a great time doing things such as building their own tree house out of scraps of wood they found (that couldn't have been safe), jumping off the roof onto the trampoline (definitely wasn't safe), playing sports and riding bikes in the yard, having rap battles, and enthusiastically cheering on Boston sports teams. Today, he, his wife Ryan, Matt, and Corin are all close and are excited to expand the Cook family, making it as fun, silly, and memorable as Jason and Corin's childhood was.
Ryan Cook
Bridesmaid
Corin's brother Jason's partner since 2010, Ryan officially joined the family after marrying Jason in 2018. Supportive, fun, and outspoken, Ryan is one of a kind and Corin's ideal sister-in-law. Together, Jason and Ryan are among Matt and Corin's favorite people to hang out with, whether it be enjoying beach days, going to sporting events, trying and failing challenging escape rooms, watching music videos into the wee hours of the night, or having doggy play dates with Willow and their golden retriever Ollie. Corin's favorite memory with Ryan is returning to the piano bar and belting out all the songs every single night of Ryan's bachelorette party cruise to the Bahamas (even though the rest of the group got tired of the piano bar after night one.)
Tommy Whyte
Honorary Groomsman
Husband of Matt's sister Bethany, Matt has considered Tommy a brother for two-thirds of his life. When Matt was as kid, Tommy taught him how to ride a horse, let him take rides on the back of his motorcycle, and unwisely hired him to work on the farm and at the tire shop. (If you know Matt, manual labor is not one of his strong-suits.) Today, you can still always find Tommy working on the farm or at the tire shop, but when he takes a break and attends family gatherings, you can usually find him indulging in all the food, then promptly falling asleep. Matt was honored to be a groomsman in Tommy's wedding to Bethany fifteen years ago, so it was a no-brainer to create this full-circle moment in 2021.
Bethany Whyte
Honorary Bridesmaid
Matt's sister, who is ten years older than him, always felt like a second mom to Matt. When she very well could have been annoyed by her pesky little brother, she instead chose to always include him in her activities, including shopping trips, get togethers at friends' houses, and trips to the pool hall. Years later she is the fantastic mother to three of Matt and Corin's nephews. Needless to say, Bethany's house is the place to go if you want some liveliness (and if you want to see a house that is magically rearranged differently every single week). Laid-back, fun, and loving to her entire family, Bethany always creates a comfortable and homey environment for family holiday parties.
John Saras
Officiant
John has been a friend of Corin's since the good ol' days of Hopedale High School, and is now one of Matt's and Corin's favorite people to spend time with. One of Matt and Corin's highlights of the year is their annual trip with John to New Hampshire where they hike, tube down the river, float in the lake, golf, and watch horror films in the hot tub. Time with John always undoubtedly leads to great conversation ... that inevitably leaves Matt and Corin wondering if they are actually as smart as they think they are. John is one of the most intelligent, unique, spontaneous, and creative people Matt and Corin know, so when they got engaged, it was unquestionable that he was the perfect candidate to officiate their wedding.