Wedding Party & Special Thanks
Katie Cobstill
Matron of Honor
Katie is my big sister- not by blood, but in all the ways that count <3 I am lucky to have known Katie since I was born, and I look up to her, quite literally, but also in so many other ways too. Katie is an amazing mom to my two god babies, Levi and Ellie, an incredible teacher, a supportive friend, and a passionate cheese connoisseur. Although I am not technically a millennial having been born in ‘98, thanks to Katie, I can sing along to Britney Spears and quote Full House with the best of ‘em. Growing up, Katie was the main target of my bullying and bossing around (further proof she really is my sis), yet she’s stuck around all these years. She has been there through it all and has only ever been just a phone call away. Katie has been my Bachelor-watching buddy, game night partner, and has also made me feel so understood in my GPS-reliance. Whenever I felt sad growing up that my parents were unable to have more children, I realized I had something better than just a sibling; I have a Katie! Katie is my sister by all intents and purposes, but she is also my best friend, and my chosen family forever! Katie has two actual/biological siblings also that are also my chosen family, and they have never made me feel like the odd one out with them. And now that Katie is married to Scoty, I have an added brother too! Katie is an actual saint, and I love her so much! Pro-tip, ask her for her famous “pocket-cheese” recipe!
Margi Turner
Bridesmaid
I met Margi during college, and ever since, my friendship with her has been such a privilege and a joy. . . and so very full of laughs! Margi is a highly-skilled and dedicated nurse who never ceases to amaze me with all she does. It meant so much to me, and to my family, to have had her stop by and visit during her clinicals while my dad was in the ICU several years ago. Now, not only has she graduated nursing school and began her career, she is a charge nurse in her oncology unit! I know that she must be the very best mentor to the new nurses she works with and that her patients are blessed with a nurse that goes above and beyond for them. Margi is love personified. I have never met anyone else that can make someone feel so seen, accepted, and cared for so wholly and so quickly. Despite having had to face so much, she is such an encouragement to others and just a human joy drop! Time with her makes me so happy, and I love her to bits! Margi is also a diet coke-lover, so often times, our get-togethers are simply meeting up at a McDonalds to catch up and laugh over our $1.29 drinks, and it’s just the best thing ever! I am so glad to have Margi by my side.
Alex Curtis
Bridesmaid
Alex is my high school tennis partner, mushroom identifier, fellow old lady hobbyist, and my talk-so-much-we-miss -our-train type of friend. I do not think I would have made it through high school, and I know I wouldn’t have made it through Driver’s Ed, without Alex’s friendship. After that trauma-bonding, there’s no splitting us apart! Now that we’ve grown up, Alex has been such an inspiration to me. Not only has she been globe-trotting (having even lived in Russia for a while!), but she has become an incredible educator to her students that are refugees. It is so, so cool to see her thrive and make such a profound impact on the world- and she’s just getting started! Anytime Alex and I get together, it is an adventure. There is no one else in my life that I’ve shared so many unique experiences with than I have with Alex. We have encountered all sorts of experiences and characters together. We had two old men in a speed boat come to us begging to try pulling us on our paddle boards, we got to meet the “little girl” at Karen’s Kollectibles, witnessed an elderly woman shush and lovingly tend to her robotic dog at the library, and even found a rare, “anatomically-correct” frog at a Rhode Island antique store. One of my favorite things to do is laugh until I cry with Alex. I am so thankful that she will always be my Edgar Allan . . .
Hannah Dobmeier
Bridesmaid
Hannah is my cousin and my friend. Growing up, Hannah and I were in the same grade at school and often even in the same classes. We also went to youth group together at our church. For a little while, Hannah and I lived down the street from one another. We had some fun adventures where Hannah was able to identify the different wildflowers we’d see while walking or biking through the neighborhood and park. Now, Hannah works an environmental scientist- which is so super cool! She often travels for work, and before learning her lesson, would listen to murder mystery audiobooks on her drives. Unfortunately, she realized hearing scary stories prior to having to stay alone in hotels overnight in new places was not a great idea, but before that epiphany, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing her retellings! Our childhood and teen rom-com-watching days have come full-circle, too! Hannah found her happily ever after, and we had so much fun incorporating all the rom-com touches to her bachelorette and her wedding! Hannah is an amazing listener, advice-giver, and taco-sharer! I am so glad to have her in my life!
Julianna Saxena
Bridesmaid
Julianna is my other cousin/friend combo! Julianna and I became especially close after her and I deciding to take on starting a 20's small group/bible study through our church. Having her as my co-leader was so great! We had a lot of fun and were able to form such strong connections with each other and our other group members. For our group, we’d always do some kind of video or reading with discussion questions, go over prayer requests, and then spend the rest (and majority) of the time playing games or just hanging out. During these times, our friends and I were able to get to know more of Julianna’s many awesome and hilarious layers. For example, we got tales of her lab monkeys, learned of her insane movie knowledge, experienced her impressive nail art and baking skills, and witnessed the fact that rather than using “baby talk” with my dogs, as many of my friends do, she whips out a rather intimidating mafie (?) voice to show her affection. Now, Julianna has moved to Long Island to pursue her doctorate, but we keep in touch with visits and frequent video calls to talk books and catch up! Julianna is super smart and studying neuroscience at Stony Brook University. I am so proud of her, and I am so grateful that she is here for me through this exciting time!
Kate Russell
Bridesmaid
As the groom’s sister-in-law and my future sister-in-law, Kate holds a really special place in both our lives. From the very beginning, she made me feel welcomed, comfortable, and totally part of the crew, and I couldn’t be more excited that marrying into this family means officially getting Kate as my sister-in-law for life. If you’ve spent even a few minutes with Kate, you know how easy she is to be around. She’s kind in a way that feels genuine and effortless, funny without even trying, and just an all-around joy to be with. She has that rare ability to make everyone feel comfortable and included. She’s the kind of person you instantly want in your corner, and we are so lucky to have her in ours. Kate is a fellow Vegetarian, Swiftie, and dog-lover, and we joke how her and I are the true soulmates, forget the guys! Her and Matthew's dog, Scout, is such a sweetie, and Olive will love having her as a cousin! Kate is just the best, and I am so excited to have her standing by my side for our day!
Allison Woeller
Bridesmaid
Allison is an “O.G.” member of our small group, and I am so glad to now have her as a close friend! Allison is so sweet, but has such a a funny and spit-fire side to her too. In addition to being a bit of a pyro whenever the lighter comes out for candles or we do a bonfire, she just always keeps me on my toes! There have been so many occassions where she has just totally caught me off-guard with her quick-wit and sometimes hilariously “out-of-pocket” remarks; and I love her for it! Allison is a dependable friend, too. I know I can go to her with anything, and we make a pretty great team when we lead kids’ church- poop blow-outs and all! Allison is an amazingly talented cosmetologist and is so knowledgeable, generally speaking, as well as related to her field! I love going shopping with her and having all her advice for hair care, lip glosses, nails, etc.! Plus, there is no one else I’d rather go candle-sniffing with! I am so thankful that Allison said yes to being my bridesmaid! I know she’ll be there to help with any smudged make-up, hair fly-aways, but most importantly, she’s there for me and will keep me laughing. . . I will just have to keep her away from any open flames, haha! Allison, thanks for always keeping things “fun and fresh!”
Matthew Russell
Best Man
Younger Brother. I am honored that my brother, Matthew, is my best man and I didn’t hesitate to ask him! Matthew has been in my life for 29 years, and we have done a lot together. Every summer, we would go out and throw the baseball, shoot basketball, and spend countless hours on the trampoline and pool. When we got older, it turned into spending time at Red Wing games, Bill Grey’s for great plates, and having him help me out on anything technology related. Even though I am the oldest, he acts like he is oldest, especially when he and my brother Ryan, locked me in the basement when I was babysitting! When we first moved to Greece, we shared a room and would spend most nights talking with each other until our mom would come in and tell us to go to bed. During Christmas, we would spend Black Friday decorating our room with lights and hearing dad say, “DON’T PUT TAPE ON THE WALLS!!” every single year! Thank you, Matthew for playing such a huge role for my special day!
Ryan Russell
Best Man
Youngest Brother. The second person I asked to be my best man is my brother Ryan. He has been a part of my life for 24 years. Growing up with Ryan has been a lot of fun. When he was a baby, I would tell him that if he didn’t do something for me, Santa wouldn’t come because I would call and tell him not too. When he was old enough, we would play cops and robbers on the PlayStation through the Transformer game. I would drive the cop car on the game, and we would pretend Ryan was the robber and would arrest him. When I got my fish tank, I would bring Ryan with me to the pet store to help pick out the fish and get anything else I needed. During the winer months, we would spend time in the basement playing trains and getting to build cool track layouts. My favorite one was setting it up around most of the basement. Thank you, Ryan, for standing by my side!
Josh Clark
Groomsman
High School Friend. Josh has been another one of my friends for 10 years, and we didn’t start hanging out until we were done with High School and got to know each other at a birthday party for our friend, Jon. He is the person that got me into lifting weights, and I have come a long way because of him. We were both the “string beans” in our graduating classes with how small we looked. On Saturday nights, we would often get together and play Mario Cart and Zombies. One night, we ended up playing the same track for hours and had a blast. When the weather gets nice, we spend time with our friends and his wife around a campfire and talk for hours about high school and random stories from our time together. Thank you, Josh, for being a part of my special day!
Jon Gerken
Groomsman
High School Friend. Gerken, “Jon,” has been one my friends since 11th grade Chemistry. If it wasn’t for Jon, I don’t think I would have been able to understand most of what was going on during class. I might not be the best at Zombies, but he helps me out the best he can, so I don’t die during round 2. However, no matter what he does, it doesn’t help! Over this past year, we both started working with Josh on weightlifting, and it is nice having friendly competition. We are always trying to see who the first one will be to get the next PR. One of my favorite memories with Gerken is going to the Spencerport Carvel for his 21st birthday and being so close to the stage while listening to THRYST. Thank you, Jon for including me in your parties and for being a part of my special day!
Bill Jenny
Groomsman
High School Friend. Bill is another one of my high school friends. We didn’t start hanging out until we were in the same 11th grade Spanish class. Our friendship grew so quickly that we ended up driving to school together during our senior year. We both thought it was so cool not needing to take the bus! At first, we didn’t know we lived in the same housing track, but after that discovery, during the summers, Bill and his sister, Jess, walked from their house to mine and spent the day swimming in the pool. Each October, we would go to the Applefest and say hi to anyone we knew working the booths. Bill currently lives in Kansas City with his wife, Katie, but we never stopped talking to each other. Karensa thinks it is cute that we are like a couple of old men who will talk on the phone for a few hours. With both of us being teachers, we love sharing stories about my high school kids and his elementary kids. Thank you, Bill, for being my groomsman!
Nate Wilcox
Groomsman
Elementary and High School Friend. Nate has been my friend since our time in elementary school. We didn’t have the same classes, but we met doing a video on how to practice playground safety. When we were in high school, we would hang out by the cafeteria every morning before heading off to 1st period. When Nate came back from Taiwan, we reconnected and had great times together! Nate and his wife would let me third wheel before meeting Karensa, and they would call me up to go the state fair, visit his family in Delaware, and go to Buffalo for dinner and check out any store that had an outdoor theme. Thank you, Nate for all the memories and fun times growing up!
Everett Lattimer
Junior Groomsman
Karensa's Cousin. Everett and I haven’t known each other for very long, but I have enjoyed getting to know him! I was first introduced to him over a text message when Karensa and I first started dating. Everett is Karensa’s cousin and my junior groomsman. The first time I officially met Everett was over Thanksgiving weekend! I went with Karensa and her family to Pennsylvania, and it was a blast! I was given lessons in how to play foosball, which didn’t help me win any games. When we weren't playing foosball, I was being introduced to magic and learning how to do some of the tricks. I look forward to making more memories and glad Everett is a part of our wedding day!
Levi & Ellie Cobstill
Ring Bearer and Flower Girl
Kiddos of Scoty and Katie Cobstill, and my god children. I have been sooo lucky to love these two since their very first days on earth (and even before then, too!)! They will be my handsome Ring Bearer and my sweet Flower Girl at the wedding. I am so grateful to be their Auntie K!
Ezra & Cyrus Lattimer
Ring Security
Sons of Ben and Cindy Laprade-Lattimer and cousins on my mother’s side. I love these boys so much, and I am so glad and thankful to have them take part in our wedding! P.S. be sure to ask the boys to see a magic trick! So glad I get to be these boys’ Cousin Bob!
Addy, Lainey, and Jonny Lapp
Junior Bridesmaids and Ring Security
My neighbors and the sweet kiddos of Jon and Emily Lapp. I first met this amazing family when their eldest, Addy, was a student in my mom and I’s preschool class. We quickly bonded due to our similar personalities, and I later ended up babysitting and tutoring for the family. Then, I won the neighbor lottery when I moved down the street from them! These kids are just the best, and I love spending time with them- from trying out their massive slip and slide, games of M.A.S.H., playing outside, to their mini talent shows they put on for me- I always have so much fun with these little besties! I am so grateful to have them in our wedding!
Juliana Choate
Ceremony Reader
I’ve known Juliana since third grade, which means she’s seen every awkward phase, questionable fashion choice, and dramatic crush along the way. She’s an incredibly talented artist, an amazing mom to her two kids, and someone who helped me survive school in ways I probably didn’t even realize at the time. Back then, we passed a journal back and forth filled with inside jokes, doodles, and very serious conversations about boys, all carefully protected by code names, of course. We made it through middle and high school together, one coded entry at a time. And don’t worry, Kyle, if we had known each other back then, you absolutely would’ve been the only guy for me. . . and your code name definitely would’ve been something like Carrot Juice. Juliana and I also went to the same college! Juliana studied ceramics and Spanish, and she even spent a semester abroad in Spain! Our college, Roberts Wesleyan, is also where Juliana met her sweet husband, Caleb! Even though Juliana lives a bit farther away now and life is busy for both of us, she’s one of those friends I can pick right back up with like no time has passed. I treasure that about our friendship. I’m so grateful she’ll be sharing a Catholic prayer, blessing, or reading during our ceremony. It is a meaningful role that I am so grateful she was willing to take on!
Kayla Neale
Chalkboard Artist
Kayla is a former student turned dear friend! She always kept me laughing during her many visits to the library and was such a help! She was especially helpful by taking such great care of our class pet, a crested gecko named Norbie, who clearly lived his best life under her watch. I know he wishes he still had her around all the time at school, just like I do! Kayla is now cultivating her amazing artistic talents at RIT! These days, we love meeting up to catch up on life and paint pottery at Splatters! I was beyond grateful when Kayla agreed to offer up her talents to do the chalkboards for the wedding! I just know that they’ll be beautiful; she puts her whole heart into her work! Kayla, thank you for being so creative, kind, so so funny, and genuinely awesome!
"Aunt" Brenda and "Uncle" Brad
Day-Of Coordinator and Bride Security
“Aunt” Brenda has been my mom’s lifelong friend and an all‑around superwoman my entire life, so it only felt right that she’d play a big role on our wedding day. As our amazing day‑of coordinator, she’ll be keeping everything running smoothly, calmly, and efficiently, basically making sure the rest of us can relax and enjoy the celebration knowing we’re in the best hands. And of course, there’s “Uncle” Brad, who will be serving as my unofficial bride security, haha. Together, they’re the perfect team! They are hilarious, so loving, and we’re so lucky to have them with us on our big day
Our Families
Pat & Nancy Russell, Sean & Brenda Reber, & Extended Family
We are so incredibly grateful to both of our families for the love, generosity, and support they’ve shown us throughout our wedding journey. A special thank you to Kyle’s parents, Pat and Nancy, for all they have done and are doing for us, and especially to Nancy for hosting my Russell-side bridal shower, it truly means so much to both Kyle and I. Thank you to my parents for all they have done, especially for creating our amazing LOVE marquee letters, which were made with so much care and love. We are also so thankful to my Aunt Heidi, Aunt Karen, and Aunt Wendy for hosting my Reber-side shower and making it such a memorable and special day. And to our grandparents, thank you for your constant love, encouragement, and support, we are so lucky to have you all as part of our lives.