Jillian & Jared
Wedding Party
Marissa Meliker
Maid of Honor
Jillian's younger but way-more mature sister and her BFF since day one. They're pretty codependent (in the best way) and keep each other sane...most of the time. Marissa is basically the reason this wedding planning got done, so you all have her to thank for the awesome weekend ahead.
Andrew Agins
Best Man
Andrew and Jared met for the first time on a study abroad trip to Amsterdam. They bonded over what all 20-year-olds bond over in Amsterdam - the culture of course. After an unforgettable trip, they remained friends and now are closer than ever both living in Chicago. Even though Jared may have lost his passport that trip, it was 100% worth it because he found a best friend (awww).
Brianne Caplan
Bridesmaid
Jared's younger sister and Jillian's go-to for girls night in. Brianne lives a whole four blocks away from Jillian and Jared, which leads to lots of impromptu visits filled with eating, drinking and laughter. Most importantly, Brianne somehow manages to keep Jared grounded and debunks his conspiracy theories, and for that Jillian is eternally grateful.
Shayna Meliker
Bridesmaid
Shayna and Jillian have been in cahoots for years as first cousins and the two oldest Meliker women of their generation. Shayna lives in San Francisco and introduced Jillian to hot pots, Burmese food and Salt & Straw ice cream, for which Jillian is ever thankful. Shayna has the kindest heart and will never pass up an opportunity to play with puppies. Ask her about Corgi Con - you won't regret it.
Eric Shanks
Groomsman
When asked to describe Eric to a live TV audience during a poker tournament, Jared said the only three things you need to know about him: "He can deadlift 500 pounds. He once dated a girl for weeks who spoke no English. He has a signature dance move that has to be seen to be believed." Needless to say, his grandparents are still asking to this day to see that dance move, and so should you!
Sara Kay
Bridesmaid
Sara and Jillian could be seen in their younger days galavanting around the halls of Walter Johnson High School, Starbucks in hand, cooly rolling into class just after the bell. Now a successful career woman in NYC, Sara is Jillian's voice of reason when she has a crazy idea she needs to bounce off someone. The pair spend all day chatting online and are planning their weddings simultaneously, which is insanely fun.
Hannah Cross
Bridesmaid
The cheese and beer gods of Wisconsin blessed Jillian with the best freshman roommate ever. Both being from Maryland, Hannah and Jillian bonded over their shared love of Uncle Julio's and successfully color coordinated their dorm room. Thirteen years later (holy crap), Hannah lives in D.C., and the pair can often be found talking on the phone for hours on end about literally everything.
Gordon Wolfe
Groomsman
Fraternity brothers, work out buddies and wingmen, Jared fully credits Gordon for crafting the very first text to Jillian. With a heart as big as his biceps (well, almost), Gordon offers down to earth advice to Jared in the times he needs it most. After a brief stint in Denver, Jared's thrilled that Gordon has returned back to Chicago.
Rachel Becker
Bridesmaid
College friend, fashion guru and world travel partner to Jillian since the pair met freshman year at Wisconsin. Rachel and Jillian are a force to be reckoned with, mostly because they can have entire conversations with each other without saying a single word. Rachel lives in Philadelphia and Jillian is very excited that she'll be able to travel back east to visit her more with all the wedding planning ahead.
Rachel Schulman
Bridesmaid
College friend of Jillian's, but the two really became close over their years as roommates in Chicago in their early-20s. Rachel still lives in Chicago and Jillian dreads the day when she'll move to the suburbs. The two can be found exploring this amazing city or alternatively sitting on the couch talking for hours with Bravo playing in the background.
Abby Young
Bridesmaid
Jillian's college roommate who tends to make her laugh until she cries. Abby and Jillian have been in the trenches together, from moving into an apartment with the craziest fruit fly infestation to schlepping all over Chicago together one fateful Halloween evening in 2010. Abby lives in Milwaukee and will forever have dibs on Jillian's & Jared's couch.
Kaitlin Cernak
Attendant
Living together for four years and co-parenting a feral cat solidified Kaitlin's and Jillian's lifelong friendship. When she's not busy letting Jillian raid her fridge, Kaitlin's crushing the working mom life as a recent graduate in urban planning from UIC. She loves all of the most important things in life: wine, cheese and a quality girls night.
Jenna Romlin
Attendant
College friend and post-college roommate, Jenna and Jillian embarked on this crazy journey of becoming adults together. Jillian is still a bit salty about the fact that Jenna moved home to Minneapolis, but revels in the quality time they'll have together this upcoming year and is plotting more reasons to get Jenna to Chicago in the near future.
Lester Robinson
Attendant
The little brother Jillian always wanted, Lester's been a part of the family since he and Marissa met at college almost a decade ago. Lester and Jared are partners in crime on many Meliker family vacations, from beach houses to the Colorado mountains. Back in Chicago, they bond over somehow managing to deal with two crazy Meliker women.
Mandy Meliker
Junior Bridesmaid
Jillian has watched her younger cousin Mandy grow into a smart, beautiful young woman in what seems like the blink of an eye, and now Mandy is both taller and cooler than she is. Anytime Jillian has a question about a new app or trend, she seeks Mandy's opinion on whether she can pull it off. Mandy has kept Jillian from embarrassing herself on many occasions with her advice.
Samantha Meliker
Junior Bridesmaid
If you see someone doing backflips on the dance floor, it's probably Jillian's cousin Samantha. Not only is she a beast on the soccer field, Sammie is also one of Jillian's favorite dance partners (sorry Jared). Jillian trusts Sammie's opinion implicitly and knows she'll make sure Jillian's hair and makeup are on point. No one has a better eye roll than Sammie, so hopefully these wedding vendors don't cross her.
Ari Meliker
Junior Bridesmaid
Jillian's younger cousin Ari is always ready for a party. Whether she's putting on a performance at home or dancing to the latest pop hits with her cousins, she can be counted on to keep the night going and keep people smiling. Ari's laugh is infectious, so if Jillian gets a bit stressed during the day she knows Ari will be there to get her back on track.
David Allen
Usher
Thanksgivings wouldn't be the same for Jillian without a worthy opponent to play Monopoly with. The first time David beat her was quite the shock, and she's spent years trying to redeem herself to no avail. He's even taught her a thing or two on game strategy (but don't tell him she said that - she'd never live it down). David shares Jillian's love of fro yo and snacks, and it's always a blast when they're together.
Daniel Allen
Usher
The only time Jillian ever put on a Steelers jersey (gross, she knows) was after losing a bet to Danny over a game of ping pong. Being the savvy Steelers fan that he is, Danny made Jillian wear the jersey during a Ravens/Steelers game...in public. She's still plotting her revenge, but isn't too upset because Danny has the best sense of humor and keeps her laughing for hours.