Rehearsal!

Grand Rapids Downtown Market

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Our Wedding

Greg described himself as a generally weird dude and an aging hipster on his dating profile. Rianna didn’t spend that much time on her dating profile because she didn’t intend on staying in Grand Rapids, but many have called her generally weird. Greg cancelled their sushi date because he had to work, and Rianna had enough cancelled dates to know this dude was gone. She was shocked when he showed up to their rescheduled date the following Sunday! Even more so when she realized he had to take an Uber due to some issues with his garage door (allegedly). Their second date was the following day and their third Greg was instructed to learn about his birth time to bring back to Rianna - all in good fun and maybe a little seriousness. Their dates became more frequent and the two grew closer. Greg introduced Rianna to his friends who welcomed her so wholly it was like she was always in his life. Two of Greg’s best friends have said Greg’s happiness is so obvious and that their connection is so strong it reminds Greg and Rianna to appreciate that they haven’t known each other all that long because they have been in such lock step since they met. Greg and Rianna have joined each other’s lives, friends, and families so effortlessly that the question of marriage was not if but when. Both thought marriage was a pipe dream until they met each other and then it was an eventuality. Although they have only been together for a little under three years, the couple has faced their share of challenges as well as incredible milestones such as buying a home, finding a cat (or two) and planning a beautiful celebration with their dear friends and family. Whatever they have faced or will face in the future, Greg and Rianna always come back to center with each other.

Greg and Rianna’s story started like all great love stories: with a cancelled date.

Our Story

Photos

Rianna has known robert since birth as he is Rianna’s older brother. Robert and Rianna’s relationship developed from normal child sibling behavior (mortal enemies) to normal adult sibling behavior (seeing each other on holidays) until Rianna had a sick dog and not a lot of money, when Robert gave her an affordable place to live. Robert and Rianna got to know each other as adults, and as they lived together they discovered they had a ton in common:  love of dogs, good food, a surprising amount of music, and about 100 inside jokes only they find hilarious. 

Robert is an avid Magic the Gathering player, board game enthusiast, and talented model painter. Ask Robert about board game recommendations, sci-fi anything, and video games! 

Rianna’s favorite memory of Robert is impossible to pick because there are too many; one of Rianna’s top favorites iswhen Robert accidentally launched their mother out of a canoe and into the Pine River. She was, in her own words, “okay” after the incident. 

Robert is a kind person who loves to help and listen to problems and is too humble to say these things about himself. 

Robert also has a sense of humor that is a trifecta of physical comedy, extremisms, and a dash of self deprecation that will get Rianna cackling any day. 
Robert is Rianna’s Person of Honor because Rianna would not have been in the place to meet the love of her life without Robert in her life!

Robert Weisse

Katya and Rianna met at the university of Michigan over a meal at Bursley through a mutual friend (John Carlson, as it were). Then, that mutual friend suggested that Katya and Rianna live together the following year where they cemented their friendship by sharing a dorm room their sophomore year. To this day, Rianna rivals only Katya’s husband as best roommate-slash-friend she's ever had. 

Katya has a PhD in integrative biology and is a Associate Professor at the University of Kansas (Rock chalk, Jayhawk!) roday, Katya is a faculty member at the University of Kansas, where she runs a research lab and tries to convince her students that biology is cool. 

Katya can read a book in a night (when she should be sleeping) and loves fantasy and nonfiction. Ask her about her favorite book! Her hobbies include hiking (with her dogs), watching bad movies (sometimes with dogs), and painting (usually not with dogs).

Rianna recently dragged Katya to a Kesha concert as a 12-year-anniversary of the first Kesha concert. The vibes were most definitely off at the Kesha concert, but during the debrief were able to laugh off the weird energy of everyone around them. And the finale with the balloons where Rianna and Katya were screaming and clawing at a balloon was supremely fun.

Katya is an ambitious, understanding, and dependable person and friend. Fiercely loyal and one to never miss an opportunity to make the first inappropriate or cutting joke. It’s never too soon when it’s also hilarious.  

Rianna had the pleasure of being in Katya’s wedding in 2015. In September of 2015, Kayta married Jeremy Richardson. Finally a decade later it was obvious to ask Katya to return the honor.  It was  Katya’s warmth and effortless support of that helped Rianna become the girl’s-girl you see before you today and not the emotionally raw teenager she met.

Katya is in Rianna's bridal party is is charge of making sure everyone knows the hot to go dance. 

Katya Mack

John and Rianna met at welcome week at the University of michigan where he ditched her day one and then the next time they saw each other, he tried to poison her with crystal lite. Rianna and John are definitely very close, and she’s not just making sure he isn’t going to finish the job with a second dose of crystal lite.  

After Rianna left movie night from being ill (the aforementioned crystal lite incident), John decided she was weird but worth a second chance. Their relationship developed to something more like siblings than friends because the two will fight like cats and dogs but all out of love for one another.

John has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. John just started a new position in November of 2024– be sure to ask him about his new job! 

John and Rianna are happy to say yes to an experience.  Whether it was Rianna’s first concert (Beyonce!) or a hockey game at the big House where they quacked to cheer on the team, they always go, go big, and make some joke to add the ever growing list of inside jokes. 

John is all gas – no brakes. He’s intense, he’s hilarious, and he’s smart. He knows something about everything. 

John was an obvious choice to be in Rianna’s wedding party because no one has been through the ups and downs of Rianna’s 20s (and ok early 30s) the way John had. John had a front row seat to some low-lows, and has been on cloud nine celebrating Rianna finding some peace, love, and joy in her life. 

John was an eagle scout, had some pretty interesting jobs, and a lot of creative endeavors! 

John is going to stand in Rianna’s bridal party and keep making toasts all night. He’s going to make sure everyone’s got a drink in hand to be ready to toast and celebrate the love his best friend found in Greg.  

John Carlson

Rianna and Emily met in High School where they both worked at Caberfae peaks. Emily was fun, positive, and optimistic and just what 14-year-old Rianna needed to balance out so that cynicism was not her sole defining characteristic. 

Emily has a masters from CMU Speech-Language Pathology. Emily is an avid skier, golfer, and lake enthusiast. Emily has two cats (Mittens and Cappy), and listens to a lot of podcasts. Ask her about her favorite! 

Emily introduced Rianna to someone who went to Brethren High School back when both were seniors. However, it wasn't Greg. Emily righted this when Greg and Rianna met as adults and gave a ringing endorsement and has been so supportive of their growing relationship. 

Emily is hard working, intelligent, and optimistic without venturing from realism. She can find the silver lining in every rain cloud and is a general hoot. She's got an infectious laugh and pokes gentle fun in a way that only a younger sibling can. 

Rianna was in Emily's bridal party in 2016 when Emily married her college sweetheart Scott Maggio. 

Emily is in Rianna's bridal party and is in charge of making sure Rianna eats throughout the day. Just not pretzels - Rianna will spit them everywhere. 

Emily Maggio

Rianna and Anita met freshman year of college where they were suitemates but were destined to be roommates.  Living together they shared many inside jokes and a wall of go-to-karaoke songs. Anita was always the first to say yes to a night out or take Rianna to taco bell after heartbreak.

Anita taught Rianna everything she knows about astrology; Anita even encouraged Rianna to find a date who shared her dear friends star sign. Rianna promptly went onto bumble and looked for an Aquarius. Rianna and Greg matched shortly after. Definitely ask Anita about your zodiac pairing and bring your birth time so we can look up your moon and rising. No one can memorize this information, but Anita is a walking computer for the compatibility aspect.

Anita is a deeply loyal friend, loving parent, and devoted  wife. Anita oozes love and empathy. She's also extremely quick witted and not afraid to make fun of someone who's bragging a little too much about their big brain after getting an A in a class.

Rianna chose Anita for her bridal party because Anita has seen it all (e.g watched Rianna make an ass of herself) and never told Rianna "i told you so" once even though she very much did tell her so a lot of the times. Anita also very much treats Rianna like family and includes her in all the celebrations and milestones of her life including her marriage, celebrating Anita and Billy's first born (Cecelia Juniper).

Anita and Billy are expecting their second child in April of 2025. Anita will be standing in the wedding despite her growing family. Her role for the day will be to make sure everyone stays hydrated.


Anita Paredes

Kyle and Greg’s friendship began when the two met as young journalists at the Big Rapids Pioneer back in 2013, bonding over great music and an unhinged sense of humor.  Now years later, Greg and Rianna are honored to have Kyle as the officiant of their special day. 

Greg kept to himself in the early days working at The Pioneer, hesitating to socialize outside of work with his coworkers. But as you’ve read about in the bio for Marty, Marty soon got Greg to break outside his shell. Kyle had already developed a great friendship with Marty, with Marty assuring Kyle that Greg was “a cool dude.”

Kyle and Greg soon hit it off, spending nights at Kyle’s apartment after work speedrunning through a game of Super Mario Bros. 3. Kyle and Greg’s friendship especially grew when the two were paired together in a golf cart during Marty’s bachelor party, with the two enjoying the more social aspects of golf and being delinquents not worried about their horrible golf games.

As the years went on, Kyle and Greg shared plenty of great memories, especially going to concerts. From sharing a pouch of whiskey with strangers under a tree during a rainstorm at a music festival to Sunday’s enjoying happy hour at the local dive bar while Greg brought his laptop to finish work, Kyle and Greg have shared plenty of great times over the years.

As Kyle and Greg left the newspaper business, their friendship only grew. Kyle is an intelligent, interesting person, always ready to share a podcast recommendation. But he’s an even better friend; the type of friend who would drop anything to help his friends and there to offer support in tough times. 

Kyle has developed into an expert winemaker, building a great life with his partner Chandra in Traverse City. Traverse City was also where Greg brought Rianna to meet Kyle for this first time, hanging out at Kyle’s with the “Pioneer Crew” on the 4th of July. Kyle shared his After the weekend together, Greg texted Kyle thanking him for being so nice to Rianna and such a great host. Kyle said it was no problem at all, noting just how great of a fit Rianna was and how it was like she had always been part of the friend group. 

Now a few years later, Greg and Rianna couldn’t think of a better person to be the one to officiate their special day. 


Kyle Leppeck

Tyler and Greg are the gruesome twosome, building a lasting friendship on shared interests and terrible decisions. Since meeting in kindergarten to today, these two have experienced so much of life together that Greg is honored to have Tyler as his best man.

The early days featured the boys binging on pizza and Mountain Dew while playing video games. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 was a constant staple, with the two thinking they could grind a skateboard across a wet 2x4 in the winter (they lived in the country, which is well-known as a skateboarding mecca). This was followed by Greg’s mother running outside with a forceful “No!” to stop the boys from being idiots (As best she could).

The excellent decision making continued as the two had an unfortunate Hawaiian shirt and hair gel phase in middle school. But they fixed that in high school, dressing normal, using art class to determine where the party will be that weekend and getting into trouble across Manistee County. From nights getting Greg’s beat-up Chevy Corsica stuck down snowy two-tracks listening to The Passenger by Iggy Pop to bumping  Dr. Dre in Tyler’s Ford Taurus driving around the ‘Stee, the boys always found a way to have fun and make an adventure of things. 

Tyler has been Greg’s partner-in-crime, sharing a warped sense of humor (Larry David and Always Sunny for the win) and quiet introspective conversations between two great friends after a night out. No matter how long the boys go between talking, the minute they get on the phone, it’s like no time has passed at all. When Greg told Tyler he planned on proposing to Rianna, he told Greg how happy he was for his friend to have found a great woman who he knew was a great fit for his friend. 

Tyler and his partner Keri have built a beautiful life in Marquette (Mich.) as they do great work with their contracting business and enjoy some bike rides in their free time with the best little dog around.

The two may be a little older and starting to get grey hairs, but the lasting friendship they’ve had since childhood only gets stronger. The two will thankfully avoid the Hawaiian shirts for wedding day, though. 


Tyler Ross


Zach and Greg have been dear friends for many years, dating back to middle school when Zach transferred to Greg’s school. Zach lived a few miles down the road from Greg and invited him over to play video games one night.

From there, the two quickly hit it off. With Greg more of a “city slicker” and Zach a hard-working farmer, Zach and Greg had plenty of adventures ranging from nights playing Madden in Zach’s grandma’s basement to days sweating it out bailing hay in the summer. Zach and his family welcomed Greg with open arms, treating him as one of the family right away.

Even when they boys were getting into some questionable adventures, like constantly running out of gas while driving around backroads, they always had each other’s back. Zach is the kind of friend you rarely get the luck of having by your side, a man who will ride-or-die with you no matter what the situation is. 

As the boys have grown older, Greg is proud of Zach for the life he built with his wife Megan and their children, working countless hours to build a successful business and supporting the local community.  Always the hard worker and always the friend you know would drop anything to come help his brothers out, Zach is one of the best people you can have on your side. Whether it’s yelling absurd movies quotes at one another or having a heartfelt talk on a dark backroad, Zach and Greg’s friendship is something Greg holds dear and is thankful for. 

Zach met Rianna at the same time as Ryan, using his chaotic older brother energy to get a rise of our her. But Zach would tell his friend how happy he was that he found a wonderful woman like Rianna, noting she was exactly the right partner for his friend. And as Zach stands with his friend as he marries the love of his life, Zach will remind everyone that Rianna will now be known as “Mrs. Buckner.”


Zach Zupin

Ryan has been one of Greg’s dearest friends since their kindergarten days at Wellston Elementary, and Greg is beyond honored to have him standing with him on his big day.  Whether it was playing inappropriate South Park clips over the phone to each other to games of pickup basketball on the playground, Ryan and Greg shared a twisted sense of humor, love of metal music and diehard Detroit sports fandom that has led to a lasting friendship that remains strong to this day.

The early days featured many weekends staying at each other’s houses, getting into all sorts of dumb shenanigans. As they got older, nights of bombing around two tracks in Ryan’s truck sharing laughs about absurd jokes were a staple. 

Even as they got older and got busy with life, Greg knew Ryan was always a phone call away, knowing Ryan’s infectious laugh was always waiting on the other end. 

Ryan is a great friend who Greg can always count on. With a beautiful family with his wife Hilary, Ryan is another friend that Greg has been proud to see thrive and build a wonderful life for himself and his family. Ryan is known to many for being an easygoing and dependable friend, and Greg counts himself as lucky to have been friends with a great person like Ryan since they were little guys.

When Greg first introduced Ryan to Rianna, Ryan, the big University of Michigan football fan, was pleased to know she was a Michigan alum. He jokingly asking if he could get tickets to next year’s Michigan vs. Ohio State game. But all jokes aside, Ryan remarked to Greg how great of a woman he thought she was. Exactly the kind of woman he knew would make his friend happy for life.

As Greg and Rianna count down the days to their wedding, they are thankful to have such a wonderful friend as Ryan to be part of their special day. 


Ryan Rappuhn

Marty and Greg’s friendship began in the dingy back halls of the Ferris State hockey arena, with Greg being the Kurt Cobain-looking college reporter and Marty the professional covering the games for the Bid Rapids Pioneer. Commiserating over coach speak and tight deadlines, the two shared a head nod and some jokes in those press conferences. 

Fast forward a few years later and the two would cross paths again. Greg was at his first post-grad newspaper job, getting burnt out covering anything and everything. Despite vowing he’d never work in his college town, Greg was now thrilled to see The Pioneer had posted a sport reporter opening, with Marty now the Sports Editor at the paper. 

Marty soon hosted Greg on an interview in Big Rapids. Driving over to the local high school to do a test interview with the boy’s basketball team, the two quickly bonded over a love of Ty Segall and other great music. Greg got the job, on his skills of course. While Greg liked to keep his distance from co-workers to stay professional, Marty soon got Greg out of his shell with some late nights talking shop about music and work after completing the night shift. 

Even as Marty and his wife Lauren left for a job in Indiana and Greg moved on to his last newspaper job in Holland, they stayed in touched and the friendship they began as co-workers grew as they bonded over live music and some chaotic nights out with the old “Pioneer Crew.”

The first time Rianna met the “Pioneer Crew” on the 4th of July, Marty and the crew welcomed her with open arms and noted how it seemed like she had already been part of the crew for years. This meant so much to Greg and Rianna, knowing his great friend thought so much of the wonderful woman Greg knew he’d build a great life with. 

Since then, Marty has been a huge fan of Rianna, with he and Lauren being great friends to Rianna and Greg. From sending a care package when Rianna and Greg’s dog was sick to some lighter moments like having fun at shows (with Lauren telling Greg to open his eyes as he struggled to do so), Greg is honored to have such a great friend as Marty by his side on his special day. 


Marty Slagter

Cory and Greg have built a strong friendship over the years, growing up together with Cory throwing passes to Greg in their high school football heydays. After years of friendship and great memories, Greg is honored to have Cory be the quarterback of his wedding party.

After growing up together up north, Cory and Greg’s friendship grew stronger in college, with the two living together with the rest of “The Dynamic” in a townhouse at Ferris State.

From late nights washing “X”s off their hands at the college bar to lazy weekends playing competitive  games of Mario Party with the boys, Cory and Greg’s friendship strengthened. A few years after graduating college, Cory and Greg, along with Tyler, lived together once again at the ol’ 844 Lafayette house. It was a special time for the boys, spending countless nights out on the town and working on their blossoming careers. Just don’t ask Cory to help get bats out of the house. 

As Cory and his wife Jordan were a great support system for Greg as he shared his horror stories from the dating world, Cory kept stressing to Greg he would eventually find the right person for him.

When Greg met Rianna and introduced her to Cory and Jordan, Cory quickly grew fond of Rianna and how happy she made his friend. Rianna would even joke that Cory was on her payroll, always talking about how wonderful of a fit she was for Greg. Today, Cory and Jordan have treated Greg and Rianna like part of their family, with their children calling them “Uncle Buck and Aunt Ri.” Now as they approach their special day, Greg and Rianna are honored to have Cory be part of their wedding day; and part of their extended family. 


Cory Carter

Wedding Party

Q + A

The DASH Downtown Area Shuttle is free and offers rides every 15 minutes at stops throughout&nbsp;the Grand Rapids downtown area. There is a Dash stop right across&nbsp;the street from the Market on Ionia Ave. More info can be found here:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/Government/Departments/Mobile-GR/DASH-the-Downtown-Area-Shuttle" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/Government/Departments/Mobile-GR/DASH-the-Downtown-Area-Shuttle</a>

Transportation

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Amway Grand Plaza Curio Collection by Hilton

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Best Western Executive Inn & Suites

Travel

We love Meijer garden! Something to do in every season. Be prepared for a fair bit of walking.

Meijer Garden

Grand Rapids Public Museum

https://jbzoo.org/zoo-map/ Look for street parking as the lots fill up pretty quickly on weekends!

John Ball Zoo

It should be Griffins season if you're able to get into town on Friday! If you're lucky, it might be $2 beer night. *venue has a no bag policy*

Van Andel Arena

Grand Rapids Art Museum

Fulton Street Market

We had our first date here and celebrate our anniversary here!

Madcap Coffee

Stellas has a geat burger and tons of vegan options! Get a Chicago handshake if you've never had one! ;)

Stellas

If you're looking for some cheap beer and some pinball, you can't go wrong here

Pyramid Scheme

One of our favorite Italian places here!

Testa Rossa

Vivant Brewery and Spirits

Things to Do

A friend of ours, Andy McQuillen, is going to play our cocktail hour! He plays 90s grunge music and will accept cash tips! He plays in venues around Northern Michigan and we're excited to have him play at our celebration!

Cocktail Hour Entertainment

5:45 - Arrive and be Seated 6:00 - Ceremony 6:30 - Cocktail Hour - Andy McQuillen 7:30 - Dinner 8:00 - Speeches 8:30 - Dance Floor 9:30 - Cake 11:30 - Exit 12:00 - After party

Rianna & Greg