Wedding Party
Laine Cohen
Maid of Honor
Katy and Laine have been best friends since meeting in gymnastics all the way back in 2014, agreeing to be each other's future MoH not long after. Even though they only lived in the same state for 2 years before Laine went off to college, their lifelong friendship has never wavered with numerous trips to Chicago/New York/beyond and their favorite activity - PowerPoint nights over FaceTime!
Nic Prate
Best Man
Ryan and Nic met in middle school, but their friendship really blossomed through teenage mischief (traffic tickets chasing Pokémon). They stuck together at UIUC, with many nights spent in the dorm lounge, Nic's apartment, or late night dinner at PAR - a daily stop freshman year. Now that they're both in Chicago, they're doing their best to spend time elsewhere on camping trips, pool parties in Kankakee, or whatever else they can cook up.
Zack Gold
Man of Honor
Though they both studied Civil Engineering at UIUC, Katy and Zack actually met in Paris while studying abroad in 2020 (until covid hit...) and they've been best friends ever since. In grad school they would keep holy the Thirsty Thursday with Just Dance marathons, almost-bananagrams, delectable foods (like Ratatouille), stellar films (like Ratatouille), and countless memories that will last a lifetime.
Madilyn Moeller
Groomswoman
Madilyn is Ryan's older sister and has been there since the beginning - literally! They've spent around 1,000 hours in the van (RIP Sienna) riding to and from Indiana, all of which was worth it to chase salamanders, make homemade ice cream, or, as nerds do, finish their summer reading by Memorial Day. As adults, they’ve enjoyed getting to explore Chicago with Katy, who is certainly looking forward to finally having a sister!
Katharine McGrath
Officiant
Katy and Kate have been best friends since 4th grade! The past 17 years together have included: professional-level filmography (iMovie trailers with their dear friend, Emma), writing the next big YA novel, convincing Katy to try field hockey, a state-winning speech team duet, international (mis)adventures, and secretly photographing Katy's engagement. When Katy and Ryan started dating, Kate wasted no time in making Ryan feel right at home. Their favorite activity: scheming engagement details! After experiencing so many shared milestones, it seems only right that they all share this next one together.
Paige Philipp
Bridesmaid
Paige is Katy's BCF (Best Cousin Forever) and the sister she never had. Inseparable while growing up, their constant sleepovers provided time for writing a truly iconic book series as well as practicing dances their super cool cousin/sister Taylor would choreograph for them. They had the BEST time living together in 2021 when Katy took an internship in Jacksonville - so good she almost didn't come back! Luckily, Ryan was too good to pass up :)
Lucas Komara
Groomsman
Lucas and Ryan met in college and their friendship has continued into their careers at Baxter & Woodman. More importantly, it has continued into their back-to-back championship intramural soccer team (please hold your applause). Over the years, they've bonded over music and a healthy serving of fernet. Lucas was actually Ryan's wingman back in the day, unintentionally third-wheeling because he couldn't resist the chance to see Buddy Guy.
Sophia Coronelli
Bridesmaid
Sophie and Katy have been best friends since the start of their field hockey days in middle school! Navigating high school together only strengthened their bond, leading to countless nights that will live in infamy. In college, they got to know the route between Champaign and Madison pretty well! Their favorite activites include midnight adventures to the city, guitar jam sessions, windows-down-volume-max, and eating breakfast food anytime day or night.
Jonathan Kolweier
Groomsman
Ryan and Jonathan met in freshman chemistry, and Jonathan quickly invited him to everything - clubs, friend group, and Baxter & Woodman. He has a magnetic personality, even recruiting Lucas for their senior design team and B&W. Although Jonathan recently switched jobs, his friendship with Ryan is stronger than ever - even though they'll miss the trips to the Mariano's hot bar over lunch.
Claire Kenwood
Bridesmaid
Katy and Claire bonded way back in middle school, specializing in improvised operas on the trampoline, talking nonsense elegantly, and just being weird in general - nothing has changed on that front! These days, you can find them hustling the bumper pool table, speaking exclusively in french, or indulging in Claire's genius for cocktail concoctions. If you ever find yourself at the Kenwood's kitchen table past 2am, it's the classic sign of a GREAT night.
John Solak
Groomsman
John is Katy's younger brother so they go as far back as it gets! While lightsaber duels are a bit less frequent these days, they’ve found quite a few shared interests: piano, camping, Sunday dinners at UIUC, city living in Chicago, you name it. John is Katy’s go-to for discussions on philosophy, mathematics, and the more important things like video game cheat codes and Harry Potter book-to-movie variances. As a fellow nerd and outdoor enthusiast, John made Ryan feel like a part of the family from the very beginning - a step they’re looking forward to making official!
Ashley Voigt
Bridesmaid
Ashley and Katy go wayyyy back, from their days at Lincoln Elementary all the way up to being in each other's weddings just four weeks apart! They played - you guessed it - field hockey all through middle and high school but truly bonded in college, navigating the UIUC scene together and having the best time as roommates! They share a fervent love of dogs, Crime Junkie podcasts, painting, and dancing til close at old Kam's.
Luke Solak
Groomsman
Luke is Katy’s youngest brother and is absolutely the definition of that role. If you think he toned it down when Ryan started coming around, you would be wrong! They’ve had a LOT of practice as brothers-in-law. Luke is Katy’s phone-a-friend when it comes to car trouble, how to not get electrocuted, and where the party’s at. His talents in glass-blowing and home-brewing have worked out GREAT for Katy - she happens to love pretty things and also beer!
Emily Gaertner
Bridesmaid
Now that they both live in Chicago, Katy and Emily have been enjoying their favorite pastime: picking up right where they left off! The past 15 years have seen countless high school adventures, entertaining field hockey coaches, and an iconic (albeit short-lived) senior assassins partnership. If you’re looking for the fiercest of hype women, kindest of souls, and most cunning of riddlers, look no further than the one and only Emily Gaertner!
