Millie Bobby Brown’s “Stranger Things” Costar Matthew Modine Will Officiate Her Upcoming Wedding To Jake Bongiovi

Millie is keeping it in the Stranger Things family.

By
Stephanie Soteriou
by Stephanie Soteriou

BuzzFeed Staff

In recent years, it has become a bit of a trend for TV actors to have their costars play important roles in their real-life weddings.

Monica and Rachel from Friends sit smiling, dressed in casual tops and jeans
Nbc / NBCUniversal via Getty Images

This has primarily manifested in the traditional wedding party way, such as Jennifer Aniston reportedly having Courteney Cox as her maid of honor at her 2015 wedding to Justin Theroux, and Zach Braff being best man at Donald Faison’s 2012 nuptials.


However, several stars have proven that there is another significant role that their famous pals can take on for their big day: marriage officiant.  


In the United States, a marriage officiant is a civil celebrant or civil officer who performs the act of marriage or a civil union.

Their main responsibility is to ensure that the ceremony follows legal formalities, thus making it valid, and to witness and receive the consent of those involved. 

In many states, it is relatively easy for anybody to get ordained and become a marriage officiant. In 2011, Judith Light officiated her Ugly Betty costar America Ferrera’s marriage to Ryan Piers Williams.

Two characters from Ugly Betty, Wilhelmina Slater and Christina McKinney, have a conversation in an office environment
Patrick Harbron / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

This seemingly kickstarted a new trend among TV stars, with Jane Lynch officiating her Glee costar Becca Tobin’s wedding to Zach Martin in 2016, and The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus and Jensen Ackles co-officiating their costar Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s 2019 wedding to Hilarie Burton.


Most recently, Modern Family fans were left feeling pretty emotional when it was revealed that Sarah Hyland’s costar Jesse Tyler Ferguson had stepped in to officiate her 2022 wedding to Wells Adams after her first choice of Ty Burrell — who played her onscreen dad — was unavailable.

And it has now been revealed that officiating marriages has entered the Stranger Things universe, with Matthew Modine in charge of officiating the upcoming nuptials between his costar Millie Bobby Brown and her fiancé, Jake Bongiovi.

Millie Bobby Brown and her fiancé, Jake Bongiovi
Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for Glamour

Matthew plays Dr. Martin Brenner, Millie’s character Eleven’s “papa,” in the hit Netflix series. And while Martin is a villain in the show, his real-life relationship with Millie couldn't be any better.

Eleven with Dr Martin Brenner in Stranger Things
Netflix / Via youtube.com

Speaking to Access Hollywood, Matthew explained that he was already licensed to marry people when Millie and Jake started to plan their wedding.

Matthew Modine at an event wearing a classic white shirt with a buttoned collar
Jeffrey Mayer / WireImage

He also revealed that he has written wedding vows for the couple, sharing: “I have one of those licenses to get people married, and Millie thought it’d be great, and then Jake said it would be a great idea, so I wrote the wedding vows, and they loved what I wrote for them to join hands and to become husband and wife.”


“It’s such a beautiful thing to be able to join two people in holy matrimony,” Matthew concluded. 

And it’s perhaps unsurprising that Millie would want Matthew to be a part of her special day, with the star telling Tudum by Netflix in 2022 that they had forged “a true, real friendship” while working together.

Millie Bobby Brown and Matthew Modine at Comic-Con International 2017
Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images

“I found that person to rely on and know he's always got my back,” she said of Matthew at the time. 

It is not currently known when Millie and Jake’s wedding will take place — or if any of her other Stranger Things costars will be involved in the celebration.

Group of "Stranger Things" cast members standing together in an event, dressed in formal attire
Theo Wargo / Getty Images

Millie and Jake got engaged last April after two years of dating, and planning was already underway by September.

Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi
Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images

At just 20 years old, Millie has been forced to defend her decision to get married so young, previously telling Glamour: “It’s not because I can’t do it in 10 years; of course I can do it in 10 years, but why, when I know that it’s going to work now?”


“It’s like, why wait?" she added. "Let’s go for it.”

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