Mother of the Groom Originally from Colchester, VT; currently from West Brookfield Moved to Worcester, MA in 1964 with her best friend, her husband She is the mother of 4 sons and 1 daughter; we have no idea how she managed all the laundry and dishes Has worked with people with significant physical and mental challenges for 18 years Collects cookbooks and loves to prepare large meals Loves spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchild, enjoys her photo collection and someday will get them organized, and her favorite actor and singer is Elvis Mother of the Bride Born Brooklyn, NY; lived 30+ yrs in Spruce Head; currently of Concord, NH Went back to school to get BA and MA as a "non-traditional" student—with honors, working full-time & as a single mom Makes killer meatballs, lasagna, or anything with marinara Very allergic to raw onions, so could you please wrap those up and take them outside? Hates sewing, but always has generously supported the bride's "habit" -- on the condition that Jen asked no questions Loves Barbara Striesand, Anthony Hopkins, and any cake or pie Father of the Groom Originally from South Hero, VT; currently from West Brookfield Retired after 26 years from the wire business Unbelievable contraption-maker—such as a customized pool-table mover Once dumped cereal on Joe's head when the groom was being stubborn about sugar in his cereal A notorious prankster, be sure to look behind the shower curtain before using the toilet Has probably participated in more tea parties than any person in recent history Father of the Bride Born & raised in Spruce Head Has worked his way up the top of the ladder at local cement plant; can tell you how many days he has until retirement Built his house (with several additions/renovations); built the church that he attends Was in the Coast Guard after high school; now serves in the Union Army (under Lincoln, that is) -- major Civil War buff Is a fan of spicy scheczwan beef, building model ships, and is neck-and-neck with the bride for world title in trivial pursuit and pool (although the bride concedes defeat in mini-golf) Favorite Patriot: Bill Belichick, coach (if we're discussing football) Best Man; Brother of the Groom Raised in & currently from West Brookfield An auto technician who has owned or co-owned his own shop for years The family caterer, his specialities include the best chicken ever made, backed beans, and roast on the shat Shares his brother's love of spreadsheets (from which the previous typos were derived) "Hot, Hot, Hot"—was once severely burned by cold fry-o-later grease Ran to the rescue along with John to save our basement, for which we will always be grateful Bride's Stepmother Originally from Friendship, ME; currently of Spruce Head, ME A nurse by day; a stenciler/stamper/scrapbooker extraordinaire by night—if they have a VIP card at Michael's, she would have earned one Was the only sister of 4 brothers (see groom's sister) Is the grandmother of two gorgeous boys Has been participating in Civil War re-enactments with Jen's Dad, which includes sewing her own authentic dresses for events and I have no idea how many times she's been to Gettysburg Jay's Fiance Raised in & currently from West Brookfield The mother of two beautiful children (Jacob and Trinity), she and Jay are getting hitched next May Because of her own recent immersion on the wedding-planning-thing, she has been the closest thing that Jen's had to a bridal consultant Super landscaper—we owe our fabulous new patio to her At any event, people always assume that she's Joe's wife Threw rocks at the groom when he was playing tennis with his Dad (although she was a kid at the time) Maid of Honor; Bride's Godmother; Bride's Aunt (Mom's side) Born Brooklyn, NY; currently of Concord, NH In security for all of her career; received a commendation from the city's mayor for bravery in the first WTC bombing Has the enviable knack of being able to talk to anyone without one ounce of shyness; living in NYC, she got herself introduced to many celebrities this way; all were positive except for a somewhat unpleasant run-in with Katie Couric Constantly reminds me that I'm lucky that she didn't drown me when she had the chance (when she held me at my baptism) Is aYankees fan (!) Jay and Michelle's son From West Brookfield, MA Seven years old; he is in the 1st grade Very active and has lots of energy; plays baseball, although he is a bigger fan of playing soccer Always checks behind shower curtains, hoping Papa isn't there Checks in closets for the Big Red Dog, another Papa thing Likes riding his bike, playing sports, drawing, and building things Enjoys watching the Grinch with Papa...over and over and over Tina's Partner From a small town (Amsterdam, NY), to the big city (Brooklyn, NY) back to a small town (Concord, NH) Met Tina when working security at the WTC; they have recently celebrated 10 years together Talents include being bilingual English & Spanish, photography, making the longest Boggle words on record, and having a great eye for picking out glasses (Jen still loves her glasses) Shares the bride's: birth sign (Leo), taste for vodka spritzers, adoration of cheese, and the pastime of "picking on Tina" Loves Joann B.'s chicken cutlets, Madonna, and Puerto Rico (where her mother is from) Is a Mets fan Jay and Michelle's daughter From West Brookfield, MA Three years old Can talk a blue streak from morning to night Uncle Joey picked out the sweater in the picture -> Enjoys time with her friend, Papa, watching TV, dressing up like a princess, and playing on the floor. Loves tea parties, and Papa is always invited Enjoys going to dance class, and sometimes thinks she is the teacher Likes riding her bike and sporting around in her princess car Loves her Auntie JoAnn, cousins Rob (Buzz), and Amy Likes to think she is the BOSS Grandmother of the Bride From Spruce Head, ME Just celebrated her 80th, but you'd never guess it Her house was always the grand central station of Spruce Head—everyone's been through there, and it has hosted just about every holiday and birthday. Likes tea, crosswords, the color green, and lawn sales (a large number of Jen's collection of antique pins came from these) Taught Jen how to knit and loves chocolates or anything else made of sugar, thus proving that Jen's sweet tooth is genetic The bride has the distinction of being Ma's only brown-eyed grandchild, as well as being born on Tuffy's birthday Sister of the Groom Originally from West Brookfield, MA; currently from Spencer, MA Had the pleasure of being the only girl with 4 delightful brothers (see stepmother of the bride). Assisted her Dad with scaring boys in the woods. The mother of two great kids, Rob and Amy Going back to college for an accountant degree Favorite holiday is Halloween Grew a tall corn stalk overnight—with a little help from Dad Enjoys going to Florida (where it is warm!) Bride's Aunt (Dad's side); Mother of bridesmaid Sarah From Spruce Head, ME Completed her bachelors and Masters in English, also as a non-traditional student like Jen's Mom An administrator for the Red Cross; teaches first aid and CPR, so if anyone starts choking at dinner, we're in good hands Has hosted countless cookouts at her house which are some of the fondest memories from my childhood She loves animals and poetry, and everyone loves her pies Groomsman; JoAnn's son From Spencer, MA 14 years old; 8th grade Excellent Lego builder/designer, and enjoys riding his skateboard Video games...need info? Ask Rob. He can converse regarding any platform and the latest releases. Shares an interest in action/adventure games with the bride, including the Zelda & Splinter Cell series As the oldest nephew of the groom, hs is often the bridge between the adults & the kids of the family. He is always very helpful with any party or event, and he gets much respect from those both younger and older because of it Bridesmaid; Bride's 1st cousin Originally from Spruce Head, ME; currently from Lawrence, MA Earned her bachelors at UNH, and recently completed her Masters in social work Grew up next door to Jen; spent a lot of time sledding down the "big" hill between our houses and going on lots of shopping Loves kids and is an accomplished high heel wearer— the latter probably because she started at an early age walking around in Jen's shoes after Sunday School—pics can be had at the right price Jen is looking forward to being a bridesmaid at her wedding in July Favorite Patriot: Laurence Maroney (RB, 39) JoAnn's daughter From Spencer, MA 8 years old; 3rd grade She is a very elegant young lady with her long dark hair and dresses, but don't let that fool you, because she can team up with Jacob and beat Uncle Joey 29-5 in baseball She has 3 beautiful gray kitties She didn't put cream on her face..."Amy did it" Started talking at 6 months Loves brain teasers and dance lessons Expert frosted brownie baker—no party would be complete without them Sarah's fiance Originally from Ellington, CT; currently from Lawrence, MA Majored in a subject that only the coolest people major in—physics A quality assurance software engineer, so his career is kind of a cross between Joe's and Jen's Doesn't like when pencils are thrown in his general direction during games of Cranium He and Sarah are co-Official Wedding Beverage Coordinators Like the bride and groom, he and Sarah are another happy product of eHarmony Favorite Patriot: Troy Brown (WR + anything else needed, 80)