Alissa & Blake
Wedding Party
Clare Adams
Bridesmaid
I met Alissa and Blake in Tulsa, where we were roommates during their first year with City Year. Because it was 2020, Blake was still growing a beard, and Alissa and I found ways to keep things fun in their apartment, like having charcuterie board and ravioli tasting nights. As the witness and occasional participant in Alissa and Blake’s many adventures around Oklahoma, I am excited to be with them again as they start their next one.
Bailey Cook
Maid of Honor
Hello! I’m Bailey, Alissa’s little sister and I’ve known Alissa my entire life! Some of my favorite memories of Alissa and Blake are of getting to listen to their adventurous stories about their amazing travels. Whenever they get back from somewhere, whether it be Japan to Tennessee, they tell me about all of the different fun activities they get to do with one another. My favorite is that they travel to so many places and still make it a mission to try McDonald’s in every place they can. I’ve really been pushing them to apply for the Amazing Race as I think they would be the team to beat! I couldn’t be happier in getting to be a part of their special day and being able to stand next to them as they get married. They both mean the world to me and I truly can’t wait for June 13th!
Hannah Frier
Bridesmaid
Hi! I’m Hannah! Alissa and I were roommates at Miami, and we became especially close at the start of COVID, when it was just us and a few others in Oxford. Some of my favorite memories from that year include playing Animal Crossing on our DSs, visiting Jungle Jim’s, and spontaneous trips to Miamisburg and Dayton. I love that our friendship has continued beyond that crazy semester—whether it’s visiting Alissa and Blake in every new city they move to or a virtual double date at Sonic.
Alyssa Oddo
Bridesmaid
I am Alyssa with a Y! Alissa and I met during my sophomore year of college and her freshman year when we lived down the hall in the same dorm. My favorite memory so far with Alissa and Blake was visiting them in North Carolina last year and seeing sculptures of oversized furniture.
Beth Pfohl
Bridesmaid
Alissa says we first met when I stopped by her dorm room to introduce myself (and possibly my pet fish?), but my first memory of Alissa is when she showed up at our door in tears because she wanted to change her major. For some context, Alyssa and I were, of course, all-knowing sophomores living in a freshman dorm, and it was Alissa’s first week of freshman year. After some nutmeg cookies (from me) and sage advice (from Alyssa), our little trio was born: an inseparable group of Alyssa with a Y, Alissa with an I, and Beth (also known as YIB)! Miami’s family dinners, Sketched Out shows, and SNL nights eventually turned to annual YIB trips and long-distance phone calls (where Blake often joins in!), and, for a brief period, more family dinners when Alissa moved to Boston for work. Since 2016, our friendship has taken us across the country (and even once across an ocean!) for each other, and I often wish I could go back and tell those girls in Tappan Hall all about the incredible friendship that is in store for them and how lucky they are to have each other. And I certainly cannot wait for Blake to become an *official* member of our group, turning our YIB trio into ABBA (Alissa, Blake, Beth, Alyssa)!
Whitney Roller
Bridesmaid
Proud sister of the groom, Whitney, here 😊 It was just me and Blake growing up. With no other siblings vying for our attention, we naturally became close and have, thankfully, remained tight into adulthood. Three years my senior, I’ll never forget him taking such good care of me from early childhood onward (to this very day), proving age has no limits when your siblingship is as strong and solid as ours. Blake is truly one of the best people I’ve ever known, and I don’t say that simply because he is my brother; he has never met a stranger, gives 110% at everything he sets his mind to, and has the kindest, most compassionate soul you’ll ever meet. It’s a running joke Blake knows everyone, and everybody adores him! While both statements are certainly true, I’m the only person on earth who can gratefully claim him as my brother…the one I look up, respect, and love so incredibly much. We share countless of cherished memories that span the course of our lives, and I don’t take for granted how special and rare our bond is—as blessed siblings. And because of him, I’m now gaining not only a new friend but a sister in Alissa. What a privilege and honor it is to stand beside of them on their big day. 💜
Rui Chen
Groomsman
Rui and Blake met in 2014 when they were randomly paired through UT's international buddy program that paired locals with exchange students. Their friendship started out over a dinner in the dining hall talking about learning English, which Blake loved. Throughout the next few meetups, Blake got to take Rui to have his first doughnut at Krispy Kreme with the hot light on, a steak dinner at Applebees, and visit a corn maze & Dollywood. That Christmas, Blake and his family invited Rui to the Tri-Cities to spend the holiday with the whole Roller Family. During the spring semester Blake took on the challenge of teaching Rui to drive his car, helping him study for his TN driver's license. Wrapping up this year, Blake set up Rui with his sister for her senior prom in the Tri-Cities so he could get a real American Experience. A year later, Rui and his family hosted Blake for 3 weeks in China touring him across the country for a trip of a lifetime exploring new foods and continent. Rui's graduation trip in 2017 was to return to the USA and drive Route 66 from coast to coast and end with surfing in San Diego. Of course, Blake wanted to join and their 2 week trip from Virginia to California flew by. 18 months later while Blake was living in Korea, Rui and his family invited Blake to spend Chinese New Year in Shanghai. COVID created some years apart, but 2024 was a grand reunion when Blake sang "Country Roads" for Rui's wedding in western China. Long distance can't keep them apart!
Jacob Gallaher
Groomsman
Jacob and Blake met in the summer of 2014 as roommates on their study abroad trip to Santander, Spain. Living in a home with locals and in a city that spoke very little English created a strong bond between them and their group. At the end of the summer they traveled to Barcelona together and quickly made plans to meet up once both back in TN. Blake got Jacob a job working with UT Athletics along with their 3rd amigo from Spain, Cinja a month later. Throughout the next year, the 3 were often seen together for events and exploring construction sites after midnight. After Blake graduated, he frequently returned to visit Jacob and make trip plans for them all over. Meeting up when one or the other was near Knoxville or the Tri-Cities became a goal. Over the last 12 years, Jacob became and remained one of Blake's closest guy friends.
Forrest McCann
Best Man
I have shared many fond memories together. Dating back to Cub Scouts camping trips, going camping, biking, and trading Pokémon cards. Blake has always been the closest of friends, always making sure to keep me involved going through school together, such as in Key Club, Theatre, and Chorus. We cooked many tasty meals together in 3 culinary classes, always while singing along to the sizzle of their dishes. We made many more memories together at the University of Tennessee together and explored every new nook and cranny we could find - even if it meant some light trespassing. Now we find ourselves separated by distance, but we always manage to continue traveling the world together and seeing new countries. Blake was even there to photography my proposal to my wife in Malta. The memories we've shared are countless, and there are undoubtedly countless to emerge.
Tony Roller
Groomsman
Father of the Groom means Tony has known Blake longest. From the beginning, he saw chubby 9-pound baby Blake as a potential football player and future Tennessee Vol-loving boy. Blake was never athletic though, and the sea of orange in their house drove Blake to stop wearing it in middle school. That admission to UT got him right back in his now signature orange, matching his dad and sister. Tony always enjoyed taking Blake on many trips to Myrtle Beach, Pigeon Forge, Disney, and even Canada as kid. Later in life, Tony started venturing out on his own for trips with Blake such as their 52-hour red-eye bus trip to NYC where they walked more miles in a day than Tony had in a month. When Blake moved to Oklahoma, Tony got to come out for 2 weeks to travel around the plains. People say Blake looks just like his dad and that's even more true when both are in orange! Blake is honored to have his dad with him up front for the ceremony!
Jordan Rutledge
Best Man
Blake and I have been friends since kindergarten, sharing a bond that spans over two decades. From playground adventures to our college days at the University of Tennessee, our friendship has stood the test of time through every milestone. While Blake learned to be a Volunteer in Knoxville, he’s now volunteering for a lifetime commitment to Alissa—and this is one game he’s definitely winning
Dylan Whitaker
Best Man
Dylan and Blake always joke that they're family since their families are intermarried many different ways and people often ask if they're brothers. Their friendship began in 1998 when Dylan moved into Blake's kindergarten class and they both joined the Boy Scouts. Those next few years involved various fishing trips, bike rides, and other outdoor activities all while they battled Pokémon. Dylan transferred schools for a few years and returned for 8th grade. Blake called him up with what he called an official welcome to Blountville Middle, with many facts that he thought Dylan wanted to know and a lot he didn't care about. Over the next 5 years, Blake and Dylan were in just about everything together from choir and theatre to their many competition-based clubs, where they were often running for offices at the same time and competing in the same events. Though they'd compete as a team to in the regional egg drop challenge at the mall. Often rooming together on school trips and side-by-side in prom photos, they were almost always together. College sent the two in separate directions, making the friendship change into many phone calls for dating advice and talking through many new challenges. Weekend university visits to Knoxville, Blacksburg, and Auburn became a routine as the two moved around, eventually becoming Oklahoma, DC, and Chapel Hill. Dylan remained Blake's top caller for years. Their competitive past and constant support has built their friendship into a brotherhood.