Wedding Party
Avril
Best Pup
Avril helped Mike propose to Rachel and has been the best wedding planning assistant and furture guide dog puppy. Avril has a love for other dogs, watching birds and squirrels out the window, and sitting on the stairs to watch Rachel and Mike from above.
Cider
Pup of Honor
Cider has a lot of main character energy and is pretty sure the wedding is to celebrate her. Her favorite things include shoving toys in human faces, meeting new people, chewing bones, going to her agility and nose work classes, long walks, and snuggling.
John
Best Man
John is Mike’s younger brother, best man, and roommate of over two decades. Over the years, he and Mike have attended dozens of concerts, played thousands of hours or games together, and spent countless nights in the backyard around a fire. John is a brilliant computer programmer, an exceptional woodworker, and is responsible for much of the best furniture in Mike and Rachel’s home (and three tragically scrapped robo-bars).
Sarah
Maid of Honor
Sarah is Rachel's favorite sister and maid of honor. She's the only reason they ever run south on the canal path (the source of most of their arguments), a fantastic flute player, the first of Rachel's many roommates, and the first of Rachel's friends to know about Mike. Sarah lives in Georgia where she teaches elementary school.
Todd
Groomsman
Todd is Mike’s older brother and first friend. He is responsible for introducing Mike to his healthy lifelong relationship with video games. Todd is an exceedingly kind and hardworking person who was always there to help small Mike clear a path to his friend’s house or label game controllers with flower stickers before his toddler brother could read.
Alyssa
Bridesmaid
Alyssa is Rachel's friend from college. She was Rachel's ride to puppy class for 2.5 years, the best TA, and the friend who signed Rachel up for the Bachelor. Alyssa lives in upstate New York where she is a doctor of wildlife (mostly amphibians and definitely not pandas) and co-teaches the baby Guiding Eyes puppies with Rachel.
Bobby
Groomsman
Bobby has been one of Mike’s closest friends for the last twenty years. Throughout middle and high school, he and Mike swam on the same team, pushed the boundaries of what hot dog-based meals could be, and played a few hours of World of Warcraft. Bobby is an incredible athlete and competed in the 2022 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Mike did not.
Mary Kate (MK)
Bridesmaid
Mary Kate is Rachel's post-college Craigslist roommate who survived a maggot infested bird, the moths, the fleas, and the crate training of many Guiding Eyes puppies. When they weren't combatting house pests, she and Rachel binge watched TV together, spiraled about current events, and hosted Bachelor nights. MK lives in Florida where she is a doctor of puberty and the door opener for Stevie Nicks, her cat.
Mike
Groomsman
Mike was Mike’s first friend after moving to New York in the early 2000s. They quickly bonded over a mutual love of Linkin Park, Mario, and Dragon Ball Z. Throughout much of high school, they shared a room and spent most of their time swimming, coordinating homework bonfires, and figuring out how to cram as many people and their computers into one room as possible.
Aly
Bridesmaid
Aly is Rachel's friend from high school. She and Rachel met freshman year during band camp and summer cross country and went on to survive rainy marching band competitions, freezing winter track practices, and physics together. Aly is Rachel's favorite half marathon running buddy. Aly lives in New Jersey where she teaches music, is the children's ministry director at her church, and is the best mom to Grace.
Thomas
Groomsman
Rachel’s brother and Mike’s soon-to-be brother-in-law. Though he is a beer engineer by trade, Thomas also enjoys biking, playing volleyball, skiing, and is a firm believer in using an appropriate amount of salt. Many people ask where Thomas gets his height from, but it’s obvious that he got it from his favorite older sister, Rachel.
Sarah
Bridesmaid
Sarah is Rachel's brand new sister-in-law. Sarah is an expert at putting Thomas in his place by pointing out when he's wrong and making Christmas cookies which are two of Rachel's favorite activities as well. Sarah lives in Virginia where she is a chemical engineer and has fantastic vegetable gardens.
Bradley
Officant [Sic]
Bradley is Mike’s best long-time acquaintance-turned-friend. He is also a lifelong cow enthusiast, automatically making him a great friend of Rachel. He is an exceedingly kind and loving person, making him the perfect choice to officiate the ceremony. [Therefore making him in charge. Please direct any and all wedding related questions to Bradley.]