Wedding Party
Melanie Galloway
Bride
Mel is not only brilliant and talented, but she is absolutely GORGEOUS! The absolute love of Ryan's life! Such beauty! Much Smart! WOW!! When not enjoying a cup of coffee and knocking out crossword puzzles in record time, Mel can be found replaying classics such as Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy X, or Donkey Kong Country (or at least watching video essays on YouTube about them). . . . .
Ryan Streeter
Groom
The love of Mel's life! Ryan is the full package! He’s incredibly handsome, handy around the house, a complete geek for both tech AND power tools, an IT guru, gym nerd, and best cat dad to Zuko, who absolutely loves him! Ryan is Mel's fairytale prince that every girl dreams of! Every day he finds new words to tell Mel how much he loves and adores her! When he’s not confessing his undying love for Mel, he can often be found playing Bloodbourne or Elden Ring, modding games and game systems, 3D printing, running to Home Depot, bugging Zuko, or making Mel coffee.
Rachel Baldwin
Maid of Honor
Rachel and Mel go far back to the days of White Bear Band and the White Bear carpool crew. Since then, Rachel has been Mel’s ultimate partner in convention party planning and coming up with creative events to make life interesting. From Deadly Delights, to Crypticon, to winning “Best Rock Band” during the e-Lemon-ators CoreCon Trip of 2019, Rachel and Mel have seen it all, and continue to find new ways to live life enthusiastically. Mel is immensely grateful to have her by her side in planning this wedding. .
Kimo Kuppe
Best Man
Ryan and Kimo battled through the turmoils of high school together. After high school, their adventure continued when they started working together at the Bloomington Veterinary Clinic. Ryan and Kimo have continued to bond over their love of video games like Zelda and Elden Ring, anime and manga, and hosting room parties at conventions. Kimo has been a huge supporter of Ryan's love of Mel. Even more, Kimo has yet to complain at how often Ryan will 'gush' about how amazing Mel is! Ryan is both grateful and proud to have Kimo standing next to him while starting this next chapter in his life.
Nicole Kelley
Bridesmaid
Another member of the White Bear carpool crew, Nicole and Mel met in 9th grade, when they were seated next to each other in Communications class. Mel wasn’t too sure about Nicole since they had a crush on the same boy, but they quickly got over that when they bonded over their love of horror movies. Since then, no matter where life took them, they always made time to reconnect and catch the latest horror movie in theaters or dominate at Harry Potter trivia. Nicole is Mel’s best Disney World travel partner and can’t wait to plan their next trip to Epic Universe after the wedding! .
Greg Orris
Groomsman
Ryan and Greg met when they started working together at Saints Roller Rink and their friendship grew once they started hanging out at Kennedy High School. When not eating Zebra Cakes at their lunch table, Ryan and Greg also would close out Applebee’s eating half-price apps while discussing religion, politics, and why M Night Shyamalan was never a good writer/director. If ever Ryan needed a new song to jam to, or just general life advice, Greg had his back - usually while relaxing at Centennial Lakes. Greg has continued to be one of Ryan's closest friends and Ryan is thrilled that Greg will be part of his and Mel's wedding!
Kelly Mathias
Bridesmaid
Ryan and Mel both knew Kelly (separately!) because she was often their server at TGI Friday’s, the main dinner location for CONvergence-goers. After bonding over shared loves of anime and Zelda, she and Ryan ended up becoming great friends and put 300+ hours gaming together in Dark Souls 3, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. After Ryan moved back from Seattle, Kelly was the first one to try to get Ryan and Mel in touch with each other again. Well it worked, because the moment they started talking again, sparks flew immediately, and the rest is history. Recently, Mel officiated the wedding of Kelly to Mel’s longtime friend Troy, who is also part of the wedding party. Mel and Ryan loved being part of Kelly and Troy’s special day, and are excited for them both to be a part of ours!
Troy Mathias
Groomsman
Troy has officially known Mel the longest of the party, given that they were born on the same day in the same hospital! Troy and Mel originally bonded over shared love of Zelda (and were two parts of the Triforce in high school), and since then have shared many adventures including the e-Lemon-ators journeys to CONgregation and CoreCon. Troy has always welcomed Ryan into the friendship circle and has always made him feel welcomed. Since they met, Ryan and Troy have bonded over their love of video games and general nerdom. Ryan was honored to be a witness to Troy’s marriage to Kelly, and is excited to have Troy and Kelly be a part of his and Mel’s special day! . . .
Maureen Connor
Bridesmaid
Mel traf Maureen zum ersten Mal im Deutschunterricht von Frau Hunstiger in der 8. Klasse. Another member of the White Bear carpool crew, Maureen is one of Mel’s oldest friends, from being members of the Irken Alliance, to working together in WB theater, to co-hosting Deadly Delights and Crypticon. Mel’s favorite memory of them together is still when they went to meet The Click Five after getting their senior pictures together! Mel truly appreciates the encouragement and hype Mo brings to the wedding planning process and can’t wait for the big day.
Erin Veness
Groomsman
Ryan met Erin at Ryan's 18th birthday party. Erin handed him a traffic cone and said "Hi - I don't know you, but happy birthday", and proceeded to jump into the pool fully clothed. Erin and Ryan have since bonded over their love of anime/manga, movies, video games, etc. Erin was actually partially responsible for getting Ryan to visit Japan - a bucket-list destination Ryan never thought he'd make it to. Erin is a super swell guy and Ryan has continued to be in awe of Erin's ability to jump head-first into any situation and be completely comfortable. Ryan is tremendously grateful that Erin will be standing up with him as he embarks on this new journey with the love of his life!
Madeline Galloway
Bridesmaid
Growing up, Mel always aspired to be as cool as her older sister Madeline, but never quite succeeded. When Mel first brought Ryan over to meet the family, Madeline secretly turned to Mel and whispered, “Where did you find this guy? He’s a keeper!” She’s been incredibly supportive of their relationship since the beginning and Mel is so happy to have found someone who fits right in with her wacky family.
James Jaeger
Groomsman
Meeting in college through a mutual friend, James and Ryan bonded over tech, video games, and conventions. James actually helped Ryan move back from Seattle - flying out to Seattle to help finish packing and then driving the U-Haul the entire way home. Since moving back, James initiated a 'Hardware Night' for Ryan - giving an excuse to fix random computers or video game consoles. James is a strong supporter of Ryan and always has his back - Ryan is proud to have James stand with him on this special occasion.
Mary Galloway
Bridesmaid
Mel and Ryan started dating right around the same time as Mary was getting married to Mel’s brother, David. It was too late to invite Ryan to the actual wedding (Ryan had a DeadMau5 concert that night anyway, which scored points with Madeline), but Mary and David invited Ryan to hang out at the hotel after-party afterwards. It was so meaningful for Mel that Mary welcomed Ryan to share that time with them, and that ended up being the first time Mel and Ryan said to each other “I love you.”
David Galloway
Groomsman
While David is Mel's brother first, Ryan has certainly loved talking David's ear off about Zelda, Elden Ring, and video games in general. David also came in to save the day when Ryan needed an awesome home theater sound system - designing, implementing, and finely calibrating the audio settings just right. David and Mary welcomed Ryan to spend time with them after their wedding, so it means a lot to have David up there with Ryan at his. .
Jessica Simmer
Bridesmaid
Jessica and Mel first met in high school, and spent many years together hosting convention party rooms and bonding over the art of costuming and dressing up. When Mel first started crushing on Ryan after he’d moved back from Seattle, Jessica was the first to know. Mel kept her constantly updated on the status (probably annoyingly-so!) and Jessica was so encouraging and excited for Mel. She’s been such a supporter of Ryan and Mel’s relationship since the very beginning, and a champion of hyping up the wedding. Zuko also loves her because she is always bringing him hand-made toys!
Derek Cormier
Groomsman
Meeting in high school - and similarly working at Saints together - Derek has seen much in Ryan's life. Derek will most certainly tell the story of Ryan's first "date" with Mel in which Ryan (who was living with Derek at the time) couldn't seem to figure out which cupboard the cups were in - something he'd clearly known. Derek knew Mel was special and Ryan would continue to sing her praises at every opportunity. Derek is thrilled that this wedding is *finally* happening so Ryan will stop. (Spoiler alert: I won't!) . .
Annabelle Joyce
Flower Girl
Annabelle is Mel’s niece. She loves teaching Mel how to do cartwheels, although Mel is still quite terrible at them. When Mel brought Ryan to his first Galloway Thanksgiving, Annabelle and her sisters loved him right away because he was happy to chase them around the house. Nicknaming him “Stumpy” (for reasons Aurora will be happy to tell you about), the girls are always asking when they get to see Uncle Stumpy next!
Roman Patterson
Ring Bearer
Roman is Ryan's nephew. While he loves his uncle Ryan, he might love his aunt Mel, more! When Mel is around, all Roman wants to do is hug his favorite aunt. Ryan, however, provides Roman with more than hugs - Roman loves the 3d printed toys Ryan has printed for Roman. Roman also loves talking about video games with both Ryan and Mel - often updating us on his latest Minecraft adventures.
Beau Juneau
Usher
Ryan first met Beau back when Ryan worked at Play & Trade. Beau liked to pester Ryan by frequently coming in to play games he wasn’t supposed to play, and Ryan had to be mean and keep kicking him out. From many bonfires, board games, and late-nights watching Mel play old Zelda games, Beau is always down to chill with the couple and Zuko. .
Alex Podewils
Usher
Alex serves as the couple’s “Zoomer to Millennial” speech translator. Without him, they’d never understand whatever the kiddos are saying these days. When not posting memes and other curiosities on their Discord server, Alex and Ryan geek out over computers, tech, and anime while watching Mel play video games. As long as Zuko lets him, of course. .
Dr. Mark Berkson
Officiant
Mel met Mark when she took his “Intro to Islam” course at Hamline University. His enthusiasm and appreciation for world religions is what led her to add Religion as her second major. After being Mel’s professor, he was also her colleague when she went back to teach at Hamline after grad school, and also was her band-mate in the best cover-band known to man, “Ibaba”, where Mark played guitar and Mel played drums. Mel and Ryan are both so honored to have him officiate their wedding!
Zuko
Cat
Zuko is a cat. He loves to bite. . . . . . . . . . . . .