Alesia is the bride’s “odor” sister, who also happens to be the older. Scientifically speaking, Gabrielle and Alesia are, in fact, twins—a genuine medical anomaly. While in the womb, Gabrielle had the foresight to stay put and sleep in for an extra six years, considering the state of the world and all. Despite their six- year age gap, the two sisters are the closest of friends who FaceTime each other, daily, to share riveting news like, “The cat just ate through a ziplock bag and stole the last biscuit.” Over the years, Nick has joined Gabrielle in her gratitude; they are endlessly thankful to have a sister[-in-law] who has mastered dry humor and comedic timing, who is equally candid and compassionate, who has a strong moral compass, and, who, without fail, goes out of her way be present for the bride and groom in meaningful ways. Gabrielle’s favorite memory of her sister is when, as kids, Alesia had once duct-taped her to her mattress for not wanting to wake up for school. Alesia gave Gabrielle the perfect excuse to be truant, and, above all else, a perfectly sensible reason to choose her as Maid of Honor.

Dane is an American national treasure and that’s not hyperbole—we asked Nicolas Cage (who is creepy, but an expert) and he did confirm. Dane is a superb guy and the kind of friend Nick is thankful to have. Nick and Dane met a decade ago, when they were both students at DSC, and they became fast friends… Quite, quite literally. Nick used to ride his motorcycle with Dane through The Loop in Ormond Beach, with absolutely no destination in mind, and their time as “road dogs,” as Nick says, ranks high in his memories. Nick considers his friend to be a funny, laidback, respectful, “old school gentleman,” who is also a gamer and a doting husband and father. When Nick had started dating Gabrielle, Dane was his go-to for chattering away about the hopes and dreams he had for himself and his future wife. Nick has always been thankful for how encouraging, excited, and supportive Dane has been, and he’s extremely proud to have him as his Best Man.

In the fourth grade, Gabrielle had pinned Nastassja as the loudest girl at the lunch table and immediately wanted to be her friend. Gabrielle’s wish came true when Nastassja had pointed to her cafeteria-grade, canned corn and asked, “Are you gonna eat that?” From then on, the two became permanent fixtures in each other’s households. Later in life, at Gabrielle’s college graduation ceremony, their friendship would come full circle, when—with a stroke of ingenuity rivaled only by Leo da Vinci—Nastassja had rolled a program book into a megaphone and began doing laps around the packed bleachers, using her all-too-familiar, reverberative voice to gain Gabrielle’s attention (all to no avail, due to the comical effects of acoustics). Gabrielle continued to flick her head around with all the semblance of a pigeon pining for a French fry, but would come to add a new adjective to the list of words she’d use to describe Nastassja: free-spirited, fiercely supportive, deeply kind, generous, and an absolute f—ing rock star. Gabrielle has a lifetime of memories with Nastassja, and attributes so much of the woman she’s become to their friendship.

Ty is a whole vibe, all his own, and can really liven-up a place by singing Nelly’s “Grillz” word-for-word. Nick met Ty (since dubbed “Tyson Chicken,” a nickname that’s, surely, only tolerated) when he and Gabrielle had moved in across the street, and Ty has, undoubtedly, played a huge role in making their time living in their current city the best experience. Ty is the perfect balance of many contradictory qualities, which is one of the couple’s favorite things about him: he’s, at once, both spirited and mellow, silly and insightful, bold and reserved, and he always seems to be carrying a Subway sandwich (which is loosely related, but enviable and worth mentioning). Ty is one of the few men that Banana (Gabrielle and Nick’s women-adoring chiweenie), actually likes, which is, basically, the same thing as winning the lottery and not having to pay the taxes involved; it also, obviously, speaks volumes about what a quality guy Ty is. Ty is polite, fiercely protective of those that he loves, and he’s a repository for all things Star Wars, Marvel, and sports trivia. In all truth, Ty’s a fantastic friend to Nick and he can’t see getting married without him there on his Big Day.

Gabrielle and Miranda are old war buddies. They first became acquainted at age ten when they met over Miranda’s backyard fence, and would later become close friends as they did battle, dissecting a frog in high school. (In fact, their friendship has inspired a popular “meet-cute” trope in film, in which two characters need lab partners and quickly establish an abiding bond through the unfortunate labors of high school science experiments.) Since then, Randa has been a constant, thoughtful and grounding friend to Gabrielle, which is best expressed through a ‘round-the-clock exchange of cute dog videos. When they were teenagers, Gabrielle and Miranda used to stay up all night in the Walkers’ backyard, talking about their hopes for their futures, God and mysticism, and everything in between—all while smacking mosquitoes away. As fifteen years passed, they continued to do just the same in one garage or another, over countless beers and occasional glasses of celebratory champagne; these are among Gabrielle’s favorite memories of her friend.

Bartok is the kind of chihuahua who doesn’t make people nervous about having exposed ankles. He is the couple’s nephew who is assuming the role of Ring Bearer because he prizes rules and responsibility above all else; he is a very serious boy. Bartok wakes up each morning thinking about carrots and Cheerios, and he enjoys sweater vests, theoretical mathematics, freelance accounting, soft blankets, making dolphin sounds, and standing around, sniffing fresh air as his mom begs him to go potty. When Nick and Gabrielle visit Bartok, he loves to tell his auntie about his many burdens and daily woes (primarily, incited by his rambunctious younger sister, Mahi), as his uncle cradles him like the precious baby he is.

Despite Nick and Gabrielle’s efforts to raise a gentleman, Banana is the type of boy you’d hope your daughter doesn’t date in college. He is predictably unpredictable, and his hobbies include stalking his dad from under the dining room table, sunbathing in windows, sharing vanilla yogurt with his mom, giving stanky and begrudging kisses, listening to Bette Midler compilations, and flirting with every woman with whom he comes into contact. Contrary to his “bad boy” persona, Banana has a transcendent connection with sheep. His closest friend and confidant is Sheep Ball (who is backpacking in the Balkans, and, most certainly, not in Toy Heaven), and his Lamb Chop collection is, at once, rivaled by none and envied by all.