Matron of Honor - Kate Wyatt Johnson

Kate and Lauren met while waiting for the bus at a Wake Forest University pre-orientation program before they began their freshman year of college in August 2015. However, they didn’t become close friends until the following January when they spent MLK weekend together, and from then on, they were inseparable for the rest of their time at Wake. Since graduating from Wake in 2019, Kate and Lauren have kept up a strong long-distance friendship that has weathered two grad school graduations, one pandemic, three (soon to be four) cross-state moves, and countless other experiences that have brought them even closer despite no longer living just footsteps across the hall from one another.

Lauren’s favorite memories with Kate include studying abroad together in London in the Spring of 2018, being Kate’s maid of honor for her February 2024 wedding to her husband, Eric, and visiting NYC with Kate for Lauren’s bachelorette in April 2025.

Best Men - Karl Johnson and Luke Whooley

Thomas doesn’t remember when he met Karl or Luke, and neither do they. They all attended Eastern Middle School in Riverside, CT (Class of 2011, Go Gators!). They met sometime while they were in middle school together, and the three of them quickly became friends.

They have lived in separate states since graduating from high school in 2015, but their friendship has endured. They take trips to visit one another, including a long road trip from Charlotte to Austin, Texas in 2019 and an unfortunate incident in DC in 2023 when the ceiling of their hotel room collapsed. Thomas also fondly remembers traveling with Karl and Luke to Australia in 2015 to visit one of their friends. Additionally, they have kept in touch by playing video games, especially from the Halo or Borderlands series, usually while discussing movies.