Wedding Party
Elizabeth Leverson
Bride
Larry Little
Groom
Emily Leverson
Maid of Honor
Emily is the bride's sister closest in age. They have shared the "middle child" role, along with all the joy and drama that comes with it. As kids, someone suggested they start a "Sister-Sister Babysitting" business, and this has become their approach to all fake business endeavors. Emily is a treasure trove of inside jokes between family members and the ultimate peacemaker. She is a high school math teacher at Nicolet High School in Glendale, WI (familiar? You should be--Oprah went there), where she puts her ability to reach and respond to many different types of people to use daily.
Rainey Little
Best Man
He's my dad. I call him "Papa." Wisest man I've ever known and a tremendously wonderful father with a warm heart, full of sacrificial love. Papa taught computer science and electrical engineering for about three decades, mostly at Mississippi State University, but also at Louisiana Tech University, the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and Clemson. I inherited nearly none of his scientific/mathematical mind other than also being an extremely analytical thinker.
Hannah Leverson
Maid of Honor
Hannah is the Bride's youngest sister. Growing up with the three older siblings that she did, Hannah proved herself to be bright, prudent and independent by staying mostly to herself (jokes), and came as a surprise to no one when she was chosen to attend Harvard College in Cambridge. Hannah shares the wanderlust that appears to be a Leverson trait, and she took a gap year prior to attending college where she traveled to Canada and France, among other places. She and Elizabeth were able to meet up in Montpellier in southern France, where Hannah's impressive polyglot skills saved Elizabeth the embarrassment of purchasing... **flan** for a train ride. Currently working for Quadrant Consulting in Washington D.C., Hannah is able to synthesize cogent advice for many more than just her poor sis.
Brent Bankston
Groomsman
Brent and I met in the fall of 2008 through Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Waco. He's my Waco big brother and has been an invaluable counsel for years. Brent owns a comics and sports memorabilia store in Waco. He and his wife, Lee, own one of Waco's best restaurants (Butter My Biscuit), located in their games store (King's Landing). Brent is gregarious, full of life and a dear friend. He also was my boss for about four months back in 2013 when I handled marketing for his comics and sports memorabilia store. Brent and Lee have three children (Madi, Holland, Bax).
Mimi Phillips
Bridesmaid
Mimi and Elizabeth met in Madison, WI while working at Yellow Jersey bike store on State Street in 2008. Mimi thought that Elizabeth would not last more than a couple of weeks; but Elizabeth, being either deceptively thick-skinned or impressively foolhardy, lasted over a year, enjoying the cast of characters who worked at the shop. It was like a soap opera or a chainsaw massacre depending on the day. They became roommates and lived together on East Mifflin Street until Elizabeth moved to New York in 2010. There, they listened to music, watched shows, learned to love/hate Jillian Michaels, and formed a bond that has carried them through many different cities and life stages.
Martie Cordaro
Groomsman
Martie and I met in college through our work with Louisiana Tech Baseball. Martie handled marketing, I handled communications, and we both handled radio duties. While we met in the fall of 1995, our families' ties stretch back to 1977. Martie's father (Frank) is the real estate king of Ruston, La., and sold my parents the house we moved into when I was 18 months old. Martie is president and general manager of the Omaha Storm Chasers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. He is one of the top executives in Minor League Baseball, being named Baseball America's 2013 MiLB Executive of the Year. Martie is also a heckuva drummer and is the only person in our wedding party with a Wikipedia page. He's married to Sara; they have three sons (Gavin, Collin, Cass).
Kate Merrill
Bridesmaid
Kate and Elizabeth go all the way back to high school. They met at Divine Savior Holy Angels, where they share memories of AP French class, AP English, and Music Theory. Kate and Elizabeth found common ground in coming from public school backgrounds and similar tastes in sports, music and friends. Both left Wisconsin shortly after finishing college--Elizabeth eventually leaving behind the cold winters for the hot summers of Texas and Kate leaving the dull local politics scene to become a Senior Manager at Soapbox Consulting in Washington, D.C. as well as President of the Marquette Club in D.C. She will be accompanied to the wedding by her SO of two years, Grant Kros.
Jason Turner
Groomsman
Jason, Jason, Jason... We met in college as mutual journalism majors. We had dreams of becoming the best young sports journalists West of the Mississippi (that's for you, Braughton), but then we woke up. Jason is THE best storyteller I've ever personally known, and that's saying a lot coming from a professional storyteller. He's extremely gregarious and a natural life-of-the-party. Jason started college at the University of Alabama and was a member of the Red Elephants' 1992 National Championship football team. Roll Tide. He coached high school football for several years and now sells houses or something. Jason is married to Rachel; they have three kids (Jackson, Sam, Audrey).
Lahkpreet Kaur
Bridesmaid
Lakhpreet met the Bride in Chadbourne Residence Hall at University of Madison - WI, where they were both drawn toward the same kind of humor and people. There is an episode of Arrested Development where Gob and Amy Poehler's character keep out-daring each other until they run out of escalations and marry each other. Lakhpreet and I never got married, but we could always rely on the other to not only tag along for, but encourage our craziest dares. We also enjoyed outdoor activities, movies, music, food and family. And chocolate. Lakhpreet now lives in Austin, TX, where she is a photographer and the founder and editor of KaurLife.org. She will be accompanied to the wedding by her husband, Darsh Singh.
Mike Braughton
Groomsman
Big Mike and I met in college while both working in the Louisiana Tech Sports Information Department. Mike realized from day one that it was easy to pick on me and has always taken full advantage. Nonetheless, he's always been there for me; always. Mike has a quirky sense of humor and balances it with a very sharp and insightful mind. He's also the greatest Sega Coach K Basketball player in Louisiana Tech history. Mike has worked in college sports most of his life, spending the last 13 years at Purdue University as senior associate director of athletics for development (he's really good at getting people to give up their cash). Mike is married to Rebecca, and he used to have a dog named "Big Larry." R.I.P.
Hannah Hartz
Bridesmaid
Hannah and Elizabeth met while working at the Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream store on State Street in Madison, WI in 2009. As a fellow recent graduate of UW-Madison at the time, they fully enjoyed the carefree days of working at an ice cream store in a college town while figuring out what they might want to do with the rest of their young lives. In the meantime, they crashed Harry Potter premiers and had many late night adventures around town, talking into the wee hours. Their friendship could be captured with the phrase "Random hilarity ensued..." Hannah lives in Chicago and is a Licensed Medical Esthetician at CaTara Medical Spa. She will be accompanied to the wedding by her SO Dan Caron.
Trevor Leverson
Groomsman
Trevor is Elizabeth's brother. We met last June while helping Elizabeth's sister Emily move. It was a bonding experience; Trevor brought stuff to the truck, I efficiently packed it into the truck. That was my first weekend meeting Elizabeth's family, and Trevor was among the many people that made me feel at ease from the first moment. He introduced me to fried cheese curds by way of Café Bavaria in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin; this still remains one of the culinary highlights of my life. Trevor is an attorney in Milwaukee and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. He also has a striking resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio... but only from "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?"... a film that Jason Turner, Mike Braughton and I quoted a lot in college. His wife is Jennifer, who grew up in Victoria, Texas.
Lydia Riesch
Bridesmaid
Lydia and the Bride met at UW-Madison while living in the dorms, then lived together for their junior year on Gorham Street. They immediately bonded over deep talks about family and hanging out with friends. Elizabeth takes partial (is it full, though?) credit for introducing Lydia to her doting husband, Andy, with whom Lydia has two beautiful daughters (Lilian and Cora).
Jake Rippee
Groomsman
Jake and I met in early 2004 through Baylor Baseball. He was a middle infielder for the Bears, and I was the communications director. Jake is a tremendous athlete and a scratch golfer (believe it). He's also a very good friend. Our friendship really blossomed after his playing days ended, and we shared a house for a few months before I moved to Round Rock. Jake is quiet, reasonable, logical—a sharp mind. It shows most at the poker table. Jake WAS one of the best poker players I've ever personally known; then, he got married and had kids, and now he's just pretty good. He works for the Veterans Affairs Department in Waco; yep, he's a paper-pusher. Jake and his wife, Shannon, have two children (Cade and Kallie).
Jared Shaw
Groomsman
Jared (who refers to me as Jack) and I met in September 2011 when he joined my Pink Floyd band. He's an extremely talented musician (guitar, bass, vocals) and a great friend. Jared grew up in Waco and is currently studying computer programming. He's played for several Waco bands through the years in various musical genres. Jared is a deep thinker and possesses a dry sense of humor. Our friendship has deepened significantly over the past few years. He is married to Penney Hapenney, who has been a very close friend of mine since 2006. While I didn't technically introduce them, I certainly encouraged both of them to pursue each other. So, it's all my fault. Jared (happily) has no children, but he does have a few cats (mainly the adorable Jeff) and two dogs (both of whom hate me).
Matt Wheelis
Usher
Matt (who refers to me as Jack) joined my Floyd band in 2015. He's a great drummer and very chill. We quickly became friends through shared interest in golf and poker. Matt is one of the happiest people I know, and he's simply a joy to be around. He and his wife, Meaghann, are pet parents to several dogs and other animals, most of whom are named for Seinfeld characters. Matt and Meaghann have become great couple friends for Elizabeth and me over the past year.
Blake Ewing
Usher
Blake and I met through church about seven years ago. We are very different in many, many ways, but we connect through faith, film and counseling each other about general life situations. Blake is a deep thinker and quirky, and he's one of the most well-versed film critics I've ever known. Stands to reason: Blake holds two degrees in film and digital media from Baylor University. He also runs his own film critique website: www.creativecriticism.net.