Johnny & Mallory
Wedding Party
Della Stegall
Mother of the Bride
Kind, thoughtful, compassionate, tenacious, spunky, goofy, smart, hard-working, godly, and all-around beautiful. It is an understatement to say that my mom is simply amazing. And if you see any of those qualities in me, you know just where I got them from. She is the kind of person who is both gentle and strong, intelligent and humble, gracious and truth-filled. My mom makes people feel welcomed, accepted, cared for, and loved. She is also unafraid to speak up when she knows something isn’t right. She truly embodies the Shakespeare quote, ‘Though she be but little she is fierce' :) She fiercely loves and fiercely perseveres. And she taught me to do the same - work hard, endure, and love courageously. Not to mention her solid faith in God is an inspiration for my own. I simply would not be the woman I am today if it wasn’t for her. And I can probably credit her fearless interest in exploring wildlife (aka bear caves) with my knack for finding and picking up various kinds of wildlife (aka snakes, frogs, etc.) ;)
Marie Krantz
Mother of the Groom
My Mom is where I get my zest for life, love of people, reverence for God & most of my sass. She is also truly an inspiration & testimony of faith to so many. Despite having MS for 41 years, she has defied all odds & battled thru adversity with grace, resilience, humor & sacrificial love. She has always been my greatest supporter, encourager, & prayer warrior, keeping me grounded in my faith and modeling the grace of God to me, even and especially during my wandering, rebellious years. (this woman deserves a Purple Heart for surviving my teens). I have learned everything I know about love, life, relationships, forgiveness, healing & perseverance from my amazing, beautiful Mom. She has been praying for a Mallory to come into my life far longer than I'll ever know & has been training me to treat her like a princess my whole life.
Steve Krantz
Father of the Groom
My “Fajah” is my hero and role model. He taught me the ropes of life, played catch with me as a kid, was my all-time favorite ministry partner (until I met Mallory) and is my real life Obi Wan Kenobi when I need Jedi wisdom. Pastor Steve isn’t just an amazing Dad, he is my best friend, a man of great faith, humility, integrity, creativity and occasionally funny Dad jokes. By God's grace, he miraculously survived 26+ years of Chronic Disobedient Son Syndrome, a feat few live to talk about. I am so grateful for his unconditional love in my life and so blessed by his friendship, counsel and discipleship. Side note: Mallory was finally ready to become a Krantz, only when she found out that Abba was my Dad’s favorite band. So I have that to look forward now too. Sigh. 😳
Muriu Makumi
Officiant
Muriu is our dear friend and faithful pastor who led us on the journey of a lifetime to his home country of Kenya in 2022 with a group of our friends from Mariners Church. It was there that God confirmed what Johnny had suspected for 7 years: That Mallory was the woman he was destined to marry. Muriu counseled and encouraged us both as we worshipped God, served others, stepped out of our comfort zone, bonded with our team and experienced the best of Kenyan culture, food, music, and life. We can think of no better person to officiate our wedding than Muriu. He is our joyful, wise, leader and friend and a man after God's own heart.
Tyler Bowman
Dude of Honor
TyBo & I developed our unlikely bromance as smack-talking rivals on the Little League diamond. By high school, we had become inseparable, navigating the drama & adventures of teenage life side by side. Tyler is a well-dressed and eloquent, chiseled and charismatic OC real estate entrepreneur and occasional Lance Bass hair icon. But at heart, he is a fiercely loyal & deeply compassionate brother, husband, and father who has been a true friend when I've needed him most. His late night motivational pep talks literally got me through college, and for 25 years, he has been a relentless inspiration to persevere, stay positive, and never lose my "Johnnyness."
Anna Cox
Bridal Bestie
I met Anna in the first week of dating Johnny. She quickly became one of those "I feel like we have been friends for a long time" kind of friends. We bonded over our mutual loves for musical theatre and ABBA as well as backgrounds in counseling and common bond as sisters in Christ. Anna is honest and authentic as well as kind, thoughtful, and compassionate. She is the type of authentic that makes me feel like I share just about anything with her. And I can always count on Anna to support my love of ABBA music when Johnny gives me a hard time about it!
Evan Cox
Dude of Honor
Evan was my amazing roommate, friend, adventure buddy, accountability partner, and prayer warrior when he moved to Newport Beach in 2019. At one point, he was also Orange County's most handsome and eligible bachelor before meeting his wife, Anna. Evan is a wise, funny, disciplined, iron-sharpens-iron brother, leader, athlete, and encourager to live an abundant life in Christ. He & Anna have become dear friends to Mallory & I, modeling a godly marriage for us to follow, minus the terrible influence of Abba music that Anna & Mallory are somehow obsessed with, much to the ear-bleeding chagrin of Evan and I.
Jennie Krantz
Bridal Bestie
Jennie is Johnny's sister and my future sister-in-law! And what an amazing sister-in-law I am gaining! Jennie is artistic, sweet, encouraging, deeply compassionate, and the biggest Star Wars fan I have ever met. She has an emotional depth and insight that I greatly admire and am drawn to. Not only that, we also share a love for Taylor Swift, and one of my favorite memories to date is watching the Taylor Swift Eras Concert in theaters together. I am so touched by Jennie's sincere love for her family and how sweetly she has welcomed and loved me already as a sister.
Preston Geiken
Dude of Honor
Preston was my first new friend when I moved back to the OC in 2018. We bonded instantly over our love for God, passion for running, and shared burden for ministry. Since then, we have built community together, crushed 5Ks, prayed each other through countless battles & blessings, and perfected the art of Taco Tuesday. Preston is a walking powerhouse for the Kingdom and a living testimony of God’s grace. He also famously prophesied that if Mallory and I were to go on even one date, it would be game over and she would become my wife. We're glad he was right. :-)
Carolyn Laughlin
Bridal Bestie
Carolyn became one of my dear friends while I was living in Duluth, MN, from 2018 to 2021. What started as us just joking over the word "loquacious" and getting together so I can color her hair (it was so nice of her to trust me like that!) grew into a sweet friendship. Carolyn is delightful, feisty, adventurous, intentional, and up-for-anything (like California adventures and henna tattoos). She is so good at checking in on me, listening to me be "loquacious", and asking thoughtful questions that let me share about what's going on in my life in a way that is such a blessing!
Chase Ginther
Dude of Honor
An Irvine native, USC Grad, Air BnB innovator & Nashville transplant, Chase is humble, godly, authentic, goofy, and easily one of the most likable humans you will ever meet. We went from strangers to besties at Mariners in 2019 after joining the same Men's, leadership & Finance groups, where he fell in love with Rachel; and I had the honor of serving as best man at their wedding. :-) Chase & I have rocked mosh-pits, conquered Big Bear, co-led Rooted, & prayed for each other regularly. In 2022, Chase literally cleaned up my life by baptizing me at Mariners, with my new girlfriend Mallory watching adoringly. He is a true brother and man of integrity I admire greatly.
Marissa Mielke
Bridal Bestie
Marissa became one of my dear friends while I was living in Duluth. Our friendship came about when we both discovered the other person really wanted to go to Europe, and so we decided we should go together! We ended up not going because of COVID, but by then, we had gotten to know each other very well. We bonded over our passion for helping others as well as just talking about life, faith in God, and future dreams. Marissa is so empathetic, nonjudgemental, and gets giddy and excited about stuff like I do. Her courage to pursue God's calling on her life is such an inspiration to me!
Conor Gunderson
Dude of Honor
Conor is tall, covered in tats, and looks like he could take down a charging rhino. But at his core, he is a soft-hearted, empathetic, funny, wise, hard-working teddy bear with a heart of gold. He is also my very first best friend. We met in 1991 as 6-year-old neighbors & have navigated more battles & adventures together than I can count. He once carried me home after I fell in a bed of cactuses & has been trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to keep me out of trouble ever since. No matter how much time & distance has passed between us, Conor has remained a loyal, loving brother. He is a man I greatly respect, a beacon of wisdom, and true blessing in my life.
Stephanie Schanno
Bridal Bestie
I moved to Minneapolis/St. Paul in 2017, just after leaving Boston, and met Stephanie while attending Grace Gospel Bible Church. Being in a new area and season of life, I was definitely needing a good sister-in-Christ friend who lived nearby, and so God brought me Stephanie. From "wiggle hugs" to "WOW"-ing to talking in British accents to going to church together to falling asleep while watching Hallmark movies, Stephanie fills my life with tender care, reminders to trust God in the midst of hardship, and, in the spirit of a true Enneagram Type 7, fun and enthusiasm!
Troy Haugeberg
Dude of Honor
He may appear to be quiet & soft-spoken, but Troy, a Montanan Engineer Wonderkind, is the most extroverted introvert I know. He is an intentional friend, has an active & adventurous spirit, is wise, funny, kind & one of the safest humans I know. Troy & I became friends in 2019 @ Mariners & connected on our love of God, adventures & community. We mastered the bro hike & invented SUP-board sunset therapy. We have conquered San Diego on Bird scooters, navigated Hawaiian waterfalls, explored Sonoma County on E-Bikes & partake regularly in iron-sharpens-iron Taco Tuesday seshes. Troy is a true brother & a life-giving influence who has enriched my life deeply.
Jessalyn Schmaedeke
Bridal Bestie
I also met Jessalyn while I was living in Duluth. Before I got to know her, I knew her as this cool girl who serves in the Air Force, loves acting, has an amazing spoken word testimony, and marches to the beat of her own drum in the best way possible. I knew I had to befriend her! We started to hang out, and it didn't take long for us to connect and for me to be blessed by Jessalyn's passion, encouraging heart, and tenacious spirit. We both ended up moving to Southern California, and I am so happy to have one of my Duluth besties nearby. And she is a fellow cat mom and lover!
Kevin Jones
Dude of Honor
Kevin "Dogger" Jones. Baseball Player. Life of the Party. USC Legend. Disney Karaoke Champion. Helicopter Pilot. Real Estate Dude. Captain of the ANHS Male Dance Team. Hubby to Emily. Brand New Daddy. Man of God. Kevin is a man of many talents & hats & the most fun human I know. We met on the baseball field when we were 9, became Christians together @ YoungLife at 13, best friends in High School & have been inseparable, lifelong brothers ever since. He is one of those rare, beautiful humans who sees goodness in others that they don't even see in themselves. Kevin & Emily have loved Mallory & I, and influenced my life more than I can ever thank them for.
Abigail Schwengler
Bridal Bestie
Abigail and I became dear friends also while I was living in Duluth. Getting to know her and becoming her friend was a precious process that started as and continues to be centered on ministering to each other's hearts. Through many long walks and coffee dates, we share our true selves and feel mutual acceptance for the other. Abigail blesses me by genuinely, non-judgmentally listening to my all thoughts and ideas (to my "Ted Talks" I say). A hard worker with a goofy side, she is fiercely loyal and loves deeply. And if you ever need a hug, Abigail is your gal!
Alex Polivka
Dude of Honor
Alex, Mallory's youngest brother, & I met in 2022 when he visited the OC shortly after Mallory & I started dating. We bonded over our shared love of outdoor exploration, quirky 90's comedians (Mitch Hedburg, FTW) & our mutual passion for chasing Marathon PRs. Alex is an impressive blend of discipline, creativity, passion, wit, faith, athleticism and mystique. His clever one-liners & impressions leave everyone in stitches. He is also an insightful & introspective philosopher, a diligent & innovative worker, a passionate athlete, loyal Cheesehead, & my soon to be loving, trusty brother-in-law/running buddy that I never had but always wanted.
Beka Whitemarsh
Bridal Bestie
Beka came into my life like a shining light of joy and hope when I was a sophomore in high school. I was in a really tough season of life, and she greeted me one day in our drama class with a big, warm smile and a "I love your earrings!" From that moment on, we became friends. And have been besties for the past 16 years! She has been a constant source of encouragement, love, joy, and support in my life. Beka is one of those people who will always leave you better than she found you and sees the beauty in every one and in every situation. She is a prayer warrior and her heart for people and God continuously inspires me!
Trevor Polivka
Dude of Honor
Never have I met a man with more instant dude cred than Trevor. Mallory’s middle bro & majestically-bearded Oregon transplant, I first met T when he visited SoCal after an epic, 60-day wilderness tour where he literally motorcycled the continental US before meeting me in Laguna Beach. What every young boy only dreams of, Trevor actually accomplished. Legendary. But Trevor is not only an adventurous, wild-at-heart explorer. He is also a humble, brilliant, kind, hilarious, & compassionate brother who has made me feel loved and welcomed since Day 1. One day, when Trevor's beard is enshrined in the Wilderness Man Hall of Fame next to his Green Bay Packers Lifetime Cheesehead Award, I will stand by him as his proud bro-in-law who saw it coming.
Butter
Best Cat
Butter has been Mallory’s best furry friend since August 2015. He is the best cat, and he knows it. At first, he treated Johnny’s attempts to love him with utter disdain and spite. However, as time passed, Butter realized there was no getting rid of Johnny, and he began to soften up. He still hasn't relinquished the title of "Most Important Man" in Mallory's life, but he has learned to passively tolerate Johnny's co-existence. We'll take it.