Alyssa & Andrew
Wedding Party
Dana Buxbaum
Matron of Honor
My name is Dana. I am married and have a daughter. I own a board game cafe in Shorewood. My hobbies include reading, dancing, crafting, and playing board games. Alyssa and I met around 18 years ago, doing theater at Joliet Drama Guild. We bonded over our mutual love of theater, and shows like Buffy and Charmed. We've since spent many nights enjoying karaoke, movies, girls nights, and Emilie Autumn concerts. Andy and I became friends at The Rocky Horror Picture Show around 15 years ago. We made a great security team, kept each other sane at the 5am IHOP cast meetings, and had fun outside Rocky watching movies and hanging with friends. I am thrilled to be Maid/Matron of Honor for these two great friends. I am so excited to celebrate this milestone with them and look forward to seeing them live a long and happy marriage.
David Lee
Best Man
I struggled with what to put here so I decided to tell the story about all the things I did to avoid actually writing this ridiculous bio since it’s a pretty good encapsulation of my personality and current life. I suppose I should start with why I dislike this so much which is very simple this feels exactly like having to introduce yourself on the first day of class which is something that everyone hates but for those of us with social anxiety, it’s a special kind of hell. Anyway, on with the story. We were originally informed that we would need to provide pictures and bios in May of 2022 and I remember immediately dreading the task but luckily we were informed that there wasn’t a deadline so I was able to safely differ it to “later”. The thought kept swirling around in my head and I decided if I had to do this, that I would do my best to have some fun with it. To start I wrote a simple bio that just read “I’m a private person and did not want to write this” which I then translated into Welsh, converted to binary, and formatted into Zalgo text (for those that aren’t familiar Zalgo looks like t̴̙̋̽̀͒̃͒̍̽̽̂̊͑͂̚h̴̡̭͙͖̤̰͔̪͚͓̹̬̤̞̩͒̓̒͒͌͛̓į̴̡̨̻̤͕̩̖̟̟̗̾̀̃̈͆͋̄̀̾͠s̵̢̨̮̭͉̝̮͙̞̜̠̏͜ͅ). I had also planned on writing a haiku, writing it in ∀nsʇɹɐlᴉɐ ʇǝxʇ, using HTML to change the formatting of each letter, and using zero width Unicode characters to exceed the maximum characters for the text field on the wedding website; sadly the last two don’t work because Zola validates the entries.
Ceri Bowman
Bridesmaid
Fun facts about me: - I won second place in a costume contest at the 20th Anniversary Celebration of Star Wars in Indianapolis - I have a blue light saber tattoo to match my bridesmaid dress - I love to set up photoshoots with my daughter and make DIY’s for all the props I’ve known Alyssa almost my whole life — our parents met in the 90’s looking at model homes. Fast forward a couple years and my parents had moved into a brand new house. My mom thought the van in the driveway next door looked a little familiar and my dad agreed, that’s when they realized their neighbors were Alyssa’s parents! I grew up next door to Alyssa, we went to each one of each other’s birthday parties and life events, we spent summers in each other’s backyards, where Alyssa would blast her hot pink Barbie Girl cassette tape as we ran through the yards with our brothers. I am so excited to stand with Alyssa as she and Andy celebrate their love for each other with their families and closest friends!
Tim "Tim-Tom" Culp
Groomsman
I've lost track of how many years I've known Andy and Alyssa. We've worked together, gamed together, been part of the Rocky Horror Picture Show together, and on more than one occasion even lived together. I'm very happy for them and wish them nothing but the best as they embark on this new chapter in their lives!
Maria Louis
Bridesmaid
Alyssa and I share a love for singing and musicals. I still remember hanging out in her bedroom playing Karaoke Revolution and singing on stage together at our uncle’s shows. I find Alyssa’s passion for singing and performing very inspiring. I love going to see her shows. My favorite role was when Alyssa played Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz”, which is our grandfather’s favorite movie and is very meaningful to our family. Alyssa, I cannot wait to stand beside you on your big day as you celebrate the next chapter of your life with Andy and Connor. I love you guys so much and wish that you all have a happy and healthy life together.
Dan Dubriwny
Groomsman
Why hello, my name is Dan. I am an avid gamer who enjoys Ren Fairs, the occasional Irish whiskey, random facts, discussions and debates about just about any subject, and short walks on the beach (long walks get too much sand everywhere). Andy is my oldest friend, all the way back in our preteen days at Kennedy Junior High. We shared the various interests the nerds were known for in late 90s and early 2000s, experienced teenage drama in high school, and enjoyed our early formative D&D experiences together. With that long friendship came and went many friend groups but when I met his then girlfriend Alyssa for the first time I could tell that this relationship was something special. They fit each other's unusual humor and brought out the best in one another. It's been a pleasure to witness my strange and wonderful friends Andy and Alyssa develop together. I'm proud of them and am honored to serve as a groomsman in their wedding.
Heavenly Yanong
Bridesmaid
Hi! I’m Heavenly, I’m Alyssa’s sister in law! I’ve been with Anthony (her brother) for 14 years and have gotten to know her all these years, we’ve bonded with each other through our love for nails, make up and some musicals.
Matthew Nottelmann
Groomsman
My name is Matt, and Andy has been one of my closest friends for nearly 20 years. We met through a gaming cafe that I worked at and he attended (and soon after, also worked at). We have been gaming together, worked together (twice), and have been there to pick each other back up during the lows. I am proud to stand by his side and help usher him into the next part of his life.
Alyssa Geibel
Bridesmaid
My name is Alyssa I am in a committed 2 year relationship, my hobbies include board games, crafting, funko pop collecting, and being a little weirder than normal. Alyssa and I met through @Dana and we were in Dana’s bridal party together, we have gone to karaoke together and had multiple parties we have gone to together I’m very excited to be a part of Alyssa’s big day and help her celebrate the love between her and Andy and get to need it up in the best ways possible 💕
Diana DeGrado
Groomsman
I met the Groom at the Rocky Horror Picture Show and for the first few years we knew each other, we communicated exclusively in insults. Eventually, I started dating one of his roommates and we became very reluctant friends. Through all of the many awkward phases I went through navigating early adulthood, Andrew hardly bullied me at all. I’m honored to be here as his shortest groomsman.