Wedding Party
Kalli Matson
Maid of Honor
Kalli is Caitlin's younger sister. Even though they are sisters, Caitlin and Kalli could not be more different. Despite this, they are always there for each other through thick and thin. Kalli did not even hesitate to help Joel and Caitlin move when they moved in together at their first place in Oak Park, IL back in 2016. She is always up to play the game "Dead By Daylight" online together while catching up too. Kalli is also Avery's mother, who is the flower girl!
Tony Mansmith
Best Man
Tony has been Joel's #1 unwavering ally for 21 years, but more importantly he is Joel's muse. A force who has been the source of inspiration, creativity and conjecture. Sharing, accessing and experiencing culture together since the age of 9-- nobody outside of Joel's family has had a greater influence on who he is today more than Tony. Photo: Tony comments on the nuances of the viral marketing for the movie Cloverfield. 2007
Amanda Yurick
Bridesmaid
Caitlin and Amanda met sophomore year of undergrad at the University of Minnesota. They went on to be roommates in a house full of good friends junior and senior year. Amanda and Caitlin also both went to Chicago for PA school, and they are now both practicing PAs in Minnesota. Amanda is engaged to groomsman Kevin Mattson, and they will be getting married in October 2022 as well! Caitlin and Joel will also be in their wedding party, which will make October 2022 one of the best months ever!
Kyle Anderson
Groomsman
Joel met Kyle in the same moment that he met Tony, in the back seat of the school bus during the 1st week of 4th grade. The 3 of them had lived within 1 square mile of each other for most of their lives, but the bus routes changed that year throwing them together for the very first time and the rest was history. Where Tony was the voice of contemplation, Kyle's was the voice of action. He was the distillate of Americana summer: Bonfires, jet skis, video games, sports, parties-- if you were going there, you were going with Kyle and he'd be ready to pick you up in his Green F-150 in 20 minutes. Photo: Kyle playing the lead role in one of our countless home movie feature films. 2009
Talia Just
Bridesmaid
Caitlin and Talia met sophomore year of undergrad at the University of Minnesota. They went on to be roommates in a house full of good friends junior and senior year. Talia and Caitlin both moved to the Chicago area after undergrad, where they were able to continue having good times together like college never ended. Talia is currently in Dental School in southern Illinois, and we are so excited to see her in the profession she has always wanted!
Kevin Mattson
Groomsman
Joel and Kevin didn't meet until 2013, but their friendship got fast-tracked quicker than Microsoft's development of the Zune. Fleeting moments and crossing paths when they both happened to be at the Essex house at the same time quickly snowballed into realizing that Kevin was not only one of the most genuine people Joel had ever met, but also one of the most genuinely funny. They quickly realized that Midwesterner fueled synergy was all but inevitable. In a serendipitous series of events they both found themselves and their significant others living in Chicago during graduate school, which made the giant city feel a bit more like home. Photo: Joel and Kevin mimic a statue outside of Shedd Aquarium, where Kevin worked while in Chicago. 2019
Lindsey Hendricks
Bridesmaid
Caitlin and Lindsey met freshman year of undergrad at the University of Minnesota. They went on to be roommates sophomore year with Brock Schweiner, which all started with Caitlin bashfully asking Lindsey if she wanted to be roommates. After sophomore year, they were also roommates in a house full of girl friends junior and senior year as well! Caitlin and Lindsey both moved to the Chicago area after undergrad for grad school. She is now Dr. Hendricks, and she is completing her Internal Medicine Residency in California! We are so proud of her and of all of her accomplishments!
Soren Peterson
Groomsman
Soren is Joel’s youngest brother. He is the first choice for a 2nd opinion on all subjects, be it technical, philosophical or simply to tune the comedic pacing of a meme. In college, online gaming became mainstream and many an evening was spent together on TeamSpeak conference calls. Playing games or simply chatting about the news of the day with their band of friends from around the world; Soren has been the glue that held it all together. Photo: Joel and Soren run 12km along the North Shore. This was to simulate the run they have done countless times together-- virtually-- from Chernogorsk to Berezino in the video game DayZ. 2014
Amber Dean
Bridesmaid
Caitlin and Amber met sophomore year of undergrad at the University of Minnesota. They went on to be roommates in a house full of good friends junior year where they made many great memories and had lots of laughs together. Amber was in the Peace Corps after college, where she met her now husband, James. She is a special education teacher in Maryland, and she will be having her first baby in the summer of 2022!
Cary Peterson
Groomsman
Cary is the middle brother of the Peterson boys. He was definitely more of the risk taker growing up. Always the first to jump in a pond or roller blade down the hills of Mankato, while Joel watched to see if anything disastrous would happen first before trying it out himself. Browsing through home movies will often show the Peterson brothers getting into some sort of shenanigans with Cary in the most precarious position of the given situation. He is always the first to help and the last to ask for something in return. Photo: First recorded incidence of "You jump first." 1995
Amelia Jeska Marth
Junior Bridesmaid
Amelia is Caitlin's niece! She is the daughter of Caitlin's brother, Jeremy, who passed away in 2017. Amelia is 10 years old. She is incredibly smart, funny, and kind. She enjoys going to Caitlin's parents' house almost every weekend, spending time with her cousin Avery, and has recently started learning how to play the violin! Amelia and Caitlin also love to spend time together. They mutually agreed that their favorite activity to do together is to play at Dave & Buster's. Amelia is the one that started Caitlin's nickname "Cake". When she was first learning how to talk, she would say "Cake" instead of "Cait", which was too cute and had to be encouraged. We absolutely adore this girl!
Avery Chapin
Flower Girl
Avery is Caitlin's niece! She will be 2 years old at the time of the wedding. She is the daughter of Caitlin's sister, Kalli! She is a fun little girl who loves her mother. She also enjoys spending time with her cousin, Amelia! She loves cats and the song "Baby Shark"! She is an adorable little busy body that we very much love.
Dina Matson
Mother of the Bride & Officiant
Dina is Caitlin's mother that she is very close to. They frequently call each other multiple times a week just to talk for 30-60+ minutes at a time and catch up. She is always there to help, even when it comes to things such as helping Joel and Caitlin clean and move (and let them live at Dina and Steve's house for a few months while they take boards, find jobs in their new professions, and then find where they should get a place based on that). Dina will be serving as Officiant for the wedding!
Vicky Peterson
Mother of the Groom
Joel’s mother Vicky has been a lifelong educator and supporter with high expectations for her children. She taught Joel Piano and Latin before he entered 2nd grade and she didn’t even blink when at the age of 10 he told her that he wanted to be an interior designer when he grew up (those aspirations quickly became obsolete). She expertly threaded the needle of supportive and guiding without being controlling to achieve the end result of the perfect 90’s mom. Photo: Rooftop in Chicago for Joel's Optometry School graduation. 2019
Steve Matson
Father of the Bride
Steve is Caitlin's father, and he is always the first person Caitlin calls when she needs help or advice on something. Especially when it comes to cars and home ownership. He is also always up for talking stocks with Joel. And if Joel and Caitlin are stopping by, you can bet he will be offering to make an amazing meal for everyone.
Dennis Peterson
Father of the Groom
Dennis’ analytical mind and perpetually calm disposition have always been an invaluable resource throughout Joel’s life. Joel would less often come to his dad saying, “I have this problem, how do I fix it” but more often, “I have this grandiose scheme or idea, how do we make it a reality?” A natural born mechanic, craftsman and artist, Dennis has been able to bring all of Joel’s ridiculous plans to life, culminating of course with the restoration of our 1963 Chris Craft Cavalier boat. He instilled a love for tinkering with electronics at young age by getting Joel his first home computer at the age of 6, with many more spares to learn from and re-assemble out in the workshop. A skill that his proved invaluable throughout Joel’s life. Photo: Dennis in his element, behind the wheel of a classic wooden boat.
Matthew Jeska
Usher
Matthew is Caitlin's oldest brother. Matthew and Caitlin are quite different. Regardless of this, Matthew and Caitlin are very loving, supportive, and proud of each other with every success they have in life. Matthew is one of the most loyal people there is, and he will do anything for his family.
Troy Manning
Usher
Troy has been Joel’s good friend since middle school. Initially meeting in band class, he quickly joined the clique over a shared interest in video games, hanging out, basketball (Joel less than enthusiastic) and similar social circles. Troy interweaves the tenets of level-headedness and impetuosity in a way that makes getting his opinion on a matter worthwhile. By high school, any time Kyle pulled up in his truck to pick you up, you could bet Troy was already riding shotgun. Photo: Troy, bottom right, holds the base of the pyramid with Mitch, Tony, Scott, Joel and Tyler at the Freshman year Homecoming game. 2007
Brock Schweiner
Usher
Caitlin and Brock met freshman year of undergrad at the University of Minnesota. They went on to be roommates with Lindsey Hendricks their sophomore year (Caitlin and Brock actually met for the first time while touring their future apartment together). Surprisingly, they went on to be great friends and had a lot of fun times together while in college. Brock now lives in California with his boyfriend, Matthew Peterson, where he works as a Project Manager for Epic. Brock and Matt make sure to catch up with Caitlin and Joel when they are in Minnesota, and they have even all caught up together in Vegas!