Ashley & Tyler
Wedding Party
Sam Wallander
Best Man
Sam and Ty have been best friends going on 20 years now. They met in Loveland when Sam's family moved into the neighborhood right around 2nd grade. The two bicker like old women when it comes to just about anything. That's how you know their friendship is legit. They enjoy long walks through Brooklyn, NY, and Pokemon.
Katie Jo Jones
Matron of Honor
Katie Jo and Ashley have been best friends since 2007 when Ashley made the decision that Katie Jo would be her friend whether she wanted to or not. They spent most of their time growing up watching Chick-Flix and working at the campground, where they "enjoy" their time riding banana bikes, cleaning cabins, and collecting firewood for guests at the campground. These two have always been a package deal. They go together like peanut butter and jelly. She has been, is, and always will be there for Ashley. Through thick and thin, Ashley could not have asked for a better best friend than Katie Jo.. even if she does hail from Tennessee. ;)
Chip Collins
Groomsman
Chip and Ty have been friends for more than 15 years. Like Sam's family, Chip and his family moved into the neighborhood when Ty was in grade school. Chip has been that "bad influence" friend of Ty's that everyone has. "Hey Tyler, wanna box outside in the snow?", "Hey Tyler, wanna play airsoft in the neighbors' yard with no gear on?", "Hey Tyler, wanna break some stuff?" Anytime Tyler was with Chip, there was a good to fair chance something was for sure going to go wrong.
Mariah Roberts
Bridesmaid
Mariah is Ashley’s sister. The two grew up together in West Virginia. She has two wonderful children. She is super fun and outgoing. You can find her chillin’ by the lake listening to Stevie Nicks or frequenting the nearest Target. You know, the good things in life? ❤️
Joe Johnson
Groomsman
Ty and Joe met at Marshall University in the fall of 2012. Ty was initially very skeptical of Joe due to his Kurt Kobain-esk style. After a few classes that they were lumped into together, they soon not only became close friends but also roommates. Joe is that friend that is down to do just about anything. That ranges from going to Disney World to Ty finding a Dorito in the jar of Nutella in their kitchen. Joe, if you're reading this: Just because you can, does not mean you should. - Everyone around you ;)
Kathleen Kent
Bridesmaid
Lover of all animals, tolerant of humanity and a walking encyclopedia of all things equestrian: Kathleen. Every once and while you hear a friend or co-worker say, "They're not the brightest bulb in the bunch"; however, Kathleen is probably the brightest of all the bulbs. She just might be the sun and the human authority of all knowledge. She has roughly 17 college degrees (exaggeration). In all seriousness though, the girl would school you in Jeopardy before you even turned to the right channel. #WickedSmart Bonus: She likes playing Pokemon GO.
Matt Prandoni
Groomsman
Matt and Ty met at Marshall University in 2012. Matt tends to be the voice of reason in the group of friends, but it doesn't help much because he also happens to be the quietest person on the planet and lives the furthest away. Seriously, Ty and Matt have been friends for 7 years and we can count on 1 hand the number of words that he says.. most of the time it has something to do with seafood or "Old Bay" seasoning.
Ali Fisher
Bridesmaid
Ali is a cousin of Ashley's who is a fiery redhead who lives in a dragon-guarded castle surrounded by a boiling lake of lava! But don't let that cool you off. She's a loaded pistol who likes piña coladas and getting caught in the rain. Your's Truly, Princess Alexandria!
Jon Decker
Groomsman
I'm going to write this one personally: Jon if you are reading this.. LOL. Honestly, though, I give Jon a lot of crap. Probably more than I should ever give anyone. Every group of friends has that one friend that has kind of been the designated punching bag of the group. This tends to be Jon more often than not... and I tend to be the one to give him a hard time.. just about every time. Jon and I met my first day at Marshall in August of 2012 and have been very close friends ever since. He's the friend that was always down to go get food at 3am on a night that I probably had a test the next morning. We for sure at our body weight in Fries at Fat Patty's and definitely had our share of too much cake at Towers. Everyone needs a friend they can be fat with ;)
Jessica "J Money" Jewell
Bridesmaid
While she is on the bride's side, make no mistake, she is loyal to Ty as his favorite cousin.. sorry Mike. Jessica likes to bribe Ty with blackmail footage of him as a child jumping off of furniture and saying "too infinity and beyond". EDIT: Ashley wanted to give credit where credit is due. Ty typed all of these with his personal well-being in mind and complete disregard to the bride. Ashley would like the jury to know that Jessica was her first friend in the nasty nati. She is currently an eligible bachelorette; however, she will tell you "she is a strong independent woman who don't need no man". Don't fall in love boys, she'll break your heart.. but luckily she's a nurse, so she can fix it too. ;)
Gray Dennis
Groomsman
This is a special guy right here. When Ty moved from Colerain to Loveland in the first grade, he didn't know anybody. Then one day in Mrs. Diaz's first-grade class at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Gray asked Ty a question that he would forever regret, "Do you have an N64"? Ty at this point found his Nerdy Soulmate. Gray and Ty hung out every day at school all the way up through High School. Unfortunately Gray went to that blue school down on North Bend that nobody likes (St. X) and Ty went to that other East Side school that he might not be allowed to like anymore (Moeller)... you know, because he works with another school that the prior mentioned schools also dislike (La Salle).. In all seriousness though, Gray was one of Ty's first friend ever had and it has lasted every bit of 20+ years.
Ashley "Sissy" Smith
Bridesmaid
#TeamAshleysFTW Ashley and Ashley love dogs more than people; except for Ty of course (I hope). If Ty had anything remotely close to a blood-sister, it would be his friend Ashley; whom he calls sissy with affection... She returns the favor by calling him every mean name you can think of... and we mean all of them. Currently out of Naples Florida, she is the queen of the south. She enjoys animals more than people but also likes to have margaritas and watch Netflix. She accompanied Ty, Ashley, and Joe on their annual trip to Disney World and has since missed Ty and Ashley every single day. P.S. She sucks at scrabble.
Jay Louden
Groomsman
Ty and Jay met at the University of Cincinnati when Ty moved back home. Ty was not paying attention in class and the teacher yelled at the class for "being on their phones". When Ty looked up, Jay was staring at him and laughing because Ty was blatantly the only one on his phone. Ever since then Jay would follow Ty to Taco Bell after his 9am class (yes you read that correctly.. 9am taco bell) and hasn't let Ty be ever since. (Ty does enjoy his company). Jay enjoys sports that do not count such as Soccer and the NBA. He believes that the theatre is the best form of entertainment and lives purely off craft beer and LaRosas.
Valencia "Bolencia" Harper
Bridesmaid
Valencia, the girlfriend of Jay Louden, has been one of the best friends of Ashley since Jay and Ty started hanging out. She and Ashley accompany Jay and Ty on all of their last minute "adventures" and quietly disapprove of most of them. Like Ashley, she loves animals, Netflix and sleeping in houses that aren't hers. She has yet to approve of any of Ty's cooking over the last three years, worships Panic! at the Disco and hates when people put nuts in her brownies. #FriendsThatNapTogetherStayTogether
Franki Burress
Groomswoman
There shall only be one... one groomswoman. Yes, this is untraditional, but Ty and Franki have been friends for almost 10 years. They met at Kings Island when they were dancing to the song "Sexy and I know It" in front of a group of people. For the record, Ty has zero dance skill Franki is known for her love of dogs, fashion and the ability to eat excess amounts of Skyline Chili without gaining a single pound. She is roughly 4'8" and enjoys snapchat more than people.
LaRanda Schoolcraft
Bridesmaid
Crazy “Get Back” by Ludacris starts playing LaRanda can be found watching Jeopardy with her cats on the daily. She is a pro at singing on Snapchat in her car. 10/10 Superstar.
Kassidee Smith
Beauty Stylist
Kassidee Smith, Step-Sister to Ty, is going to be our Beauty-Stylist for the big day! She does amazing work with hair and make-up! You can follow her instagram page: @babykassss
Dain Franklin Bender III
Officiant
Dain met Ty and Ashley at Marshall University in 2013. Dain is easily one of their closest friends. They have traveled to several different states together and have been to Disney World and many more places. Ashley and Ty could not decide which side for Dain to stand on during the wedding, so they compromised and had Dain officiate the wedding instead. Fun Facts: He knows more about cars than you do, but don't let him drive a Nissan in a level 3 snow emergency.