Ryan & Jessie
Wedding Party
Cassidy Pendergraph
Maid of Honor
20 years! That's how long Jessie has known Cassidy. They met on the first day of kindergarten and instantly clicked! Fast forward through years of Girl Scouts, horrendous middle school years, tons of birthday parties, and every stage of life since then, Cassidy and Jessie remain best friends. Cassidy is such a gem to have in your life. She's upbeat, creative, positive and fun. She graduated from Lee university last year with her BS in Elementary Education and now has her very own first grade classroom! She loves Disney, concerts and her fiancé, Kody (NEWBY WEDDING DECEMBER 2020!). Jessie and Ryan are super blessed to have this ray of sunshine in their wedding party! Thank you Cassidy!
Eric Endsley
Best Man
Ryan met Eric back in high school when they were on the bank board together. They became great friends when they both decided to attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and were roommates. Some of Ryan's favorite memories during college involve Eric, including fun nights out, getting "swole", and living their best college bachelor lives. Eric was the first person Ryan told when he decided to propose to Jessie, and was in on helping him plan it from the beginning. Eric has always been a great and dependable friend. When it came to picking his best man, Ryan didn't think twice (even though Eric is weaker than Bradley Martyn #longarms).
Kayla Manzek
Bridesmaid
Jessie met Kayla on a double date with Ryan and Eric. From that moment on, Jessie and Kayla bonded over their love for makeup, true crime, and good television! Kayla was there for the proposal, and videoed the whole thing. One of the best parts of the video are her excited screams in the background! Kayla is wonderful to talk to. She's supportive, encouraging and hilarious. Nights out with Kayla are always memorable and so much fun! Ryan and Jessie are so thankful to have Kayla by their side for this celebration!
Austin O'Byrne
Groomsman
It was a dull day during Ryan's Calculus 2 class during his freshman year of college. Bored, Ryan's eyes drifted round the room. At some point a "jacked dude" caught his eye. "Dang," Ryan thought to himself, "that dude's got some big arms." That jacked dude was Austin. Ryan and Austin eventually became friends and even decided to room together during their senior year. Ryan describes Austin as being a freakin' genius, kind hearted, well spoken, and cute.... wait, should Ryan being marrying Austin???
Melanie Clark
Bridesmaid
One day in a high school psychology class, the teacher commented on a documentary he was showing to the class. Jessie thought the comment was hilarious, but soon realized no one else in the class was laughing. Little did she know, the girl in the next row was having the same reaction. Trying to suppress their laughter, Melanie and Jessie's eyes met and they realized they were both laughing at the same thing. Instant friendship. Melanie graduated from UTC last year with her BS in Biology. She is super smart, thoughtful and hilarious if you can get her to talk long enough to show it! Melanie is married to Andrew (also one of Jessie's good friends but he wouldn't agree to wear a dress to be a bridesmaid) and they live in Chattanooga with their two dogs, Rubia and Band-Aid.
Ryan Whittle
Groomsman
Ryan met Whittle (as he's referred to by his friends) on his first day of middle school. The two instantly clicked, and were basically instant best friends. Since then, Whittle and Ryan have been on some crazy/illegal adventures together. The two went to prom together, where an iconic picture of Whittle cradling Ryan in his arms was taken. When it comes to Ryan and Whittle, every one of their classic high school stories involves the other. Ryan is thankful to still call Whittle one of his closest friends #bros4life.
Kaitlyn Morrison
Bridesmaid
Once on a family vacation, Jessie and her family were spending a week at the parks of Universal in Orlando, Florida. While waiting in line for a ride, Jessie heard her name called. She turned to find a frantically waving Kaitlyn behind her in line. Jessie waved back and thought what a coincidence that she ran into a friend from her tiny middle school in Chattanooga among the thousands of people at Universal Studios. After that, every ride Jessie and her family went on, Kaitlyn was close behind, even at completely different parks. Was Kaitlyn stalking Jessie? Jessie thinks so. Anyway, they have been friends ever since. Kaitlyn is funny, artistic and outgoing. She loves reality TV, Dr. Pepper and Taco Bell. She has 2 sons, Harrison and Luke, as well as a brand new baby girl, EmmaLou!
Kody Newby
Groomsman
Ryan met Kody on a double date with Cassidy and Jessie. What started as a forced outing that Ryan wasn't too excited about ended up being a fun night out with two people Ryan could call his friends. Cassidy and Kody quickly became one of Ryan and Jessie's favorite couple friends to hang out with. Cassidy and Jessie often laugh about how similar the two are. When the four go out, the girls usually dominate the conversation, but you can often spot Kody and Ryan off to the side laughing together about who knows what.
Emmett Hastings
Cute Baby In Wagon
Ryan and Jessie are already married so they don't really need a ring bearer. Maybe they'll think of something functional for him to do, maybe he'll just be a cute baby in a wagon. Either way, let's just hope he doesn't cry the whole time.
Opal Noles
Cute Baby In Wagon #2
Ryan's youngest sister, Opal is the baby in the wagon least likely to scream the whole time. She might even wave to you! Yay, Opal!
Lilly Hastings
Flower Girl
She's 3, she's sassy and she loves getting dressed up. Lilly is going to absolutely rock this "flower girl" role. (note: she may ask you to call her Cinderella)