Wedding Party

Caroline Lee

Maid of Honor

Caroline and Carmen have been friends since before Caroline learned how to put on her jacket correctly in preschool. Fast forward 15 years to senior year of high school, Carmen somehow managed to convince Caroline to be her roommate during freshmen year at Berry College, and as they say, the rest is history. Even after three years of sharing a room with countless laughs, bouts of illnesses, late night food runs, vent sessions, shots Thursdays, dance breaks, and various trips, Carmen pushing Caroline into a bush at least once and Caroline face planting on a volleyball court, the two remain inseparable long after college graduation. As long as the DJ doesn't play too much Taylor Swift during the reception, Caroline will be able to stay awake (IYKYK) and be the life of the party on the dance floor.

Rebekah Perry

Matron of Honor

Rebekah joined the roommate crew sophomore year at Berry, and Carmen was immediately blown away at her ability to maintain straight A's while volunteering for everything happening on campus, being a part of half a million committees, wake up at 6am to run 3 miles every morning, eat healthy, sleep enough, and maintain an active social life while learning another language for her major. Despite Carmen being the complete opposite of Rebekah in every aspect listed above (except for sleeping enough) when it came to how she spent her time at Berry, the two managed to be great friends during their time as roommates and after college. When she moved to metro Atlanta in 2021, Rebekah agreed to join the adult jazz class that Carmen takes at Dance Stop, and the two can still be found dancing in class together for an hour (or less, depending on how late Carmen shows up) on Monday nights.

Olivia Cook

Bridesmaid

As her sister-in-law, Carmen had no choice but to include Olivia in her wedding party. But luckily Walker picked a wife that checked all of Carmen's sister-in-law requirements: very sarcastic and quick to respond to a joke, a little crazy but not too crazy, loves cats, willing to stand up for what she believes in, torments Walker (within reason), and has red hair. All jokes aside, Carmen will forever be thankful for how Olivia embraced the opportunity to build a friendship with her then-boyfriend's sister back in 2021, even though the first thing Carmen ever said to her was "look at the size of this cucumber."

Margo Giordano

Bridesmaid

Margo and Carmen have been friends since the very early Mt. Bethel preschool, elementary school, and children's choir days. Their friendship really took off in middle school when they both joined band, suffered through youth choir and youth group (before we found a great small group), and became after school study buddies. Margo is responsible for introducing Carmen to Nutella and the joys of high school marching band, and for that Carmen will forever be grateful. The Giordanos have always gone out of their way to welcome Carmen into their family for many many years, and Carmen is very excited for Margo fly across the country to stand by her side on her wedding day.

Martha Speegle-Snell

Bridesmaid

Martha, AKA Tree Bitch, is the prime example of someone always being unapologetically themselves. When Caroline introduced me to Lauren and Martha, roommates who lived down the hall from us freshmen year, I was taken aback by this person who was seemingly born in the wrong decade (or even century). I mean, in 2013, what normal teenage girl didn't have a smart phone, carried a book with her everywhere, owned an apron, aspired to be a librarian, didn't care for TV, and didn't have a driver's license? One of the first times Martha and I went somewhere by ourselves (in my car, obviously), I was surprised when she started singing along with an Adele song that was playing on the radio. I honestly didn't think she knew who Adele was. The following two years as housemates/suitemates were anything but uneventful (especially when Martha pulled up in an old red pickup truck junior year), and Carmen admittedly took too much advantage of living with someone who enjoyed cleaning. Long after graduation, it probably comes as no surprise that Martha's main form of communication (outside of the group text) is by postcard, and Carmen still turns to Martha for questions about how to clean things.

Lauren Watson

Bridesmaid

The first picture Carmen has with friends in college is with Caroline and Lauren at the bottom of a large slip-n-slide, and that was likely the only time in her adult life that Lauren will ever be on a slip-n-slide. Similarly with Martha, Carmen was baffled by Lauren the more she learned about her. A pint-sized girl under 20 years old with a classic, timeless style and confidence in buying room decor who knows the words to nearly every Snoop Dogg and Beyonce song? Never saw that coming! But the one memory that sticks out as a defining moment of their friendship is when Lauren agreed to be a participant in Carmen's project for Exercise Assessment and Prescription, and they learned that Lauren was not 5'0" tall like she previously thought--she was actually 4'11". In the moment, Lauren said "no one must ever know about this!" But shortly after we got home, Lauren said "I have to tell them my secret" and then proceeds to inform the roommates of her actual height. There is never a dull moment with Lauren around, and even more so, her loyalty and willingness to move mountains for the ones she loves is more than Carmen could every ask for in a friend.

Grady Newton

Best Man

Walker Cook

Groomsman

Jonathan Fisher

Groomsman

Stephen Quinones

Groomsman

Debbie Wiechman (Cook)

Mother of the Bride

Debbie's dream was to watch her kids grow up, get married, and have grandbabies for her to spoil. After Debbie's diagnosis in early 2015, Carmen decided that she wanted to buy a wedding dress with her mother, that way her mother could see and be a part of her eventual wedding day. As fate would have it, March 1, 2025 is 10 years and 1 day after Debbie and Carmen bought her wedding dress. Although Debbie is unable to celebrate with us on this side of Heaven, we know she is sitting in the front row and dancing the night away with us in spirit. Carmen's engagement ring is Debbie's engagement and wedding ring, and Debbie's memory will also be incorporated into multiple other aspects of the wedding, including the flowers, colors, decorations, dress (obviously), and maybe even the veil... They say it takes a village to raise a child, and as Carmen came to learn, the same is true for raising an adult. In the 10 years since Debbie's diagnosis and 9 years since her passing, there have been 5 women that stepped up to act as a borrowed mother whenever Carmen needed a mom (and when she didn't realize she needed it). Those [something] borrowed mothers are recognized below, with descriptions of how they've shaped her into the adult that she is today. On March 1, 2025, please thank her borrowed mothers for always being there for Carmen and welcoming her into their families time and time again.

Larry Cook

Father of the Bride

Steve Quinones

Father of the Groom

Cindy Quinones

Mother of the Groom

Susan Berkowitz

[Something] Borrowed Mother

Susan has been a friend of the Cook family since before Carmen was born. From after church lunches to play dates with her three kids, and from checking out our sore throats to helping Debbie navigate her various ailments, Susan has always been a supportive friend and part of the family. Since 2017, Susan has helped Carmen navigate her own ailments and taught her how to advocate for herself in the medical world. More recently, Susan introduced Carmen to Grace Resurrection Methodist Church, which gave Carmen a church home she'd been in search of for many years.

Colette Peta King

[Something] Borrowed Mother

Colette has truly been Carmen's second mother since Debbie dropped Carmen off at her house across the street early in the morning of November 5, 1996. Since then, Colette has never hesitated to welcome Carmen into her family. Even long after the play date and sleepover days with Katie, Colette continues to offer motherly love, support, and advice whenever Carmen needs it. Carmen having a true "home away from home" in Colette has been pivotal during multiple occasions throughout her life, especially in the last 10 years, and it is a privilege for which Carmen will forever be thankful.

Dawn Long

[Something] Borrowed Mother

Dawn was Carmen's next door neighbor for more than 20 years. While the Cook kids were playing with her kids (and later babysitting her youngest) and Colette's kids, a wonderful friendship was being built between Dawn, Colette, and Debbie that would last long after Colette moved away from the neighborhood and the kids got to be too old for play dates. The Cook family had a running joke that if we were ever wondering about the latest news or gossip in the neighborhood, Dawn would be the one to know. After Debbie's diagnosis, Dawn was always there to provide accompaniment to doctor's appointments, act as Debbie's chauffeur, and keep Debbie involved in their Bible study group. Although they are no longer neighbors, Dawn continues to provide Carmen with maternal love and support.

Diane Giordano

[Something] Borrowed Mother

Since Margo and Carmen were friends at a young age, Diane has never hesitated in inviting Carmen to be a part of their family. Diane could probably talk at lengths about how much of their food that Carmen would eat whenever she'd come over to study or hang out with Margo. As fellow band moms, Diane and Debbie enjoyed volunteering for multiple roles with the Walton Band and spent many band camps, rehearsals, games, and trips by each other's side. The first Christmas after Debbie passed, Diane invited the Cook family to join their family's Christmas Eve dinner. Although the Cook's were still adjusting to their new normal at that time, an excellent home-cooked meal and time with friends was exactly what they didn't realize they needed at that point in time. And just like that, Christmas Eve dinners with the Giordano's became a tradition for many more years until they moved to Florida. Before Diane moved, she made a point to get lunch with Carmen a couple more times and pass down her wrapping paper collection and a transplanted piece of a bush from her front yard (that Carmen is trying very hard to not kill). She also told Carmen about how she had often enjoyed quiet lunches at Debbie's gravesite and will miss having the opportunity to visit her. To this day, Diane still shares pictures of Debbie as she comes across them, and they never cease to make Carmen smile.

Heather Shaw

[Something] Borrowed Mother

Heather and Debbie became friends through the Mt. Bethel music ministry. The earliest memories Carmen has of Heather involve her beloved lab, Maggie, and her collection of teddy bears. When Heather was packing up her house to move to Texas in 2005, she let Carmen pick a teddy bear to keep. Carmen picked a plush brown bear with a white tummy and named him Porky. And truth be told, nearly 20 years later, Carmen still sleeps with Porky the Bear every night, and he shamelessly accompanies her on every trip. Anyway, Debbie made a point to visit Heather whenever the Cooks were visiting family in Texas over the next decade, invite her on various trips that Debbie would take with the Cook kids, and Heather would also set aside time to spend with Debbie whenever she was in Georgia. Heather encouraged Debbie to take a final trip to the Cook's beach condo after her diagnosis, and was present as much as possible for Debbie and the Cook kids during her final year. When Carmen decided to go to TCU, she was excited about living near Heather again. And sure enough, Heather became the "Texas mom" that Carmen needed. Buying cleaning supplies when she first moved (and informing Carmen that Clorox wipes don't clean everything, which still sounds false), getting dinners, occasional sleepovers, and even running a 5K with Carmen the day of her first date with Donald, Heather was exactly what Carmen needed in Texas.