There could not be a better friend to lead Gretchen and John through an exchanging of lifelong vows. Katelyn is a rare gem loved by all of her friends for her caring heart and sharp wit. She has never refused an opportunity to help a friend in their time of need, nor to find an opportunity for a well-placed "that's what she said" joke. Katelyn and Gretchen go way back to the days of band camp and too many extracurricular activities, and they have never had trouble jumping right back to where they left off with a phone call.

Gretchen's most trusted truth-sayer and the backbone of female empowerment in all of her friendships, Claire is a rare breed of friend. Though Claire and Gretchen met while working at a nutrition-focused summer camp back in 2015, their paths crossed again when they unexpectedly moved to Denver at the same time. Claire knew John was the one for Gretchen when he self-catered an almost entirely female going away party for them in the park only a few weeks into dating.

Like most good love stories in Denver, Kate and Gretchen found each other as roommates on Facebook. Kate is a kind and supportive friend, and her wisdom is beyond her years. A little known fact is that Kate was actually present on Gretchen and John's first date at Sloan Lake, so she has literally been with us since day one.

The origin story is a little fuzzy because so much time has passed, but we're pretty sure Amanda and Gretchen met in 9th grade earth science. Through two decades and cross-country moves, Amanda has been supportive at all the right times and made sure that Gretchen had some fun along the way.

A trusted friend to both John and Gretchen, Kristen, without fail, can brighten anyone's day. She cares deeply about her friends and family, but make no mistake, she will make sure you have a great time even if you don't know her. Kristen makes sure that Gretchen takes the time to have fun adventures, whether that's a red-eye flight (never again at our age!) or just a good mid-week workout.

Yes, Gretchen asked Maggie for the unthinkable because not only is she a dear friend and role model for what a loving marriage looks like, she's also the most talented wedding photographer you will ever meet (seriously, she has two degrees in it!). Gretchen and Maggie met their Freshman year of college at Northern Michigan University when they were randomly assigned as suite mates.

John has known Andy all his life, mostly because Andy is John's older brother by 18 months. From building paintball forts, to running around Rutgers, Andy has always watched out for his younger brother and given him plenty of advice and guidance. John is proud to call Andy his Best Man.

Tom only looks like this sometimes. John would know because he actually lived with Tom for a year and a half in Colorado and has known Tom since he began college. They met in Rutgers Aquatics, where Head Lifeguard John made him swim another lap because he thought he was cheating. Another fun fact is that Tom helped capture John and Gretchen's proposal.

Chris was the first to start the marraige trend in the group. After college, both John and Chris took a year of adventuring traveling to numerous Spartan Races together. Since Chris' racing retirement, he has become John's go to crew chief for his long endurance races. Cheers to Chris (with anything but blue powerade).

Dan (RN) might be John's luckiest friend (don't play him in poker). He's also the most outgoing friend (seriously, you'll probably know who he is by the end of the night). Although Dan's idea of a good time is taking a cruise, he does sometimes fold and go on a camping trip with the crew. Dan has a lot of talents but these definitely do not include taking shots, using the proper amount of paper towels for a mess nor setting a good fantasy football lineup.