Wedding Party
Keldyn Young
Bride
Hey friends and fam! I am grateful to have the opportunity to share this special day with you all. Family and friends are my greatest treasure in life, so having everyone we love together in one space with us is something I will cherish forever. I can't wait to celebrate with you!
Elijah Pierson
Groom
Hey everyone! I cannot wait to have everyone together to celebrate this special day. If you don't already know them, check out the wedding party below! Having this wedding at a location that means so much to Keldyn and I is truly amazing and I cannot wait.
Sarah Shumaker
Maid of Honor
Sarah and Keldyn's friendship began back in 2013-ish. They swam together on the swim team at New Castle and were inseparable in all the weirdest ways one can imagine. If they were ever together, you could count on them going to McDonald's for a Diet Coke. Sarah is an English teacher at New Castle High School. Her glowing smile and witty sense of humor are things we love about her! Do you want to know a fun fact about the maid of honor? Sarah can rap Eminem's song, The Real Slim Shady! If you get the chance, ask her about her photo gallery of pictures with exotic animals.
Matthew Dickerson
Best Man
Matt, Eli, and Keldyn have been friends for over 10 years! However, Matt and Keldyn's friendship grew tight when they collectively needed to copy off of Will to pass AP Chemistry (thanks again for taking one for the team, Will!). Matt and Eli were freshman roommates at Ball State, where they frequently skipped class. Matt is a fellow die-hard Indiana Pacer & Indianapolis Colts fan. Matt's creativity and kindness are two qualities we love about him. If you don’t know who Matt is, he will surely be the tallest person at the wedding. You can’t miss him. If you get the chance, ask him about his music!
Alyssa Thurlow
Bridesmaid
Alyssa and Keldyn's friendship began when Will started bringing her around to gatherings in 2021. Alyssa has been the perfect addition to Keldyn and Eli's group of friends. Keldyn and Alyssa bonded over suffering through graduate school together and Taylor Swift. Alyssa's sincerity and positive personality are things we love about her (on top of being the perfect match for our friend Will). Do you want to know a fun fact about Alyssa? She is a lawyer! If you get the chance, spark a debate with her... We bet you won't win!
Max Pierson
Groomsman
Max is Eli’s Brother. He is an avid concertgoer. Max is also a huge Indiana sports fan and goes to many games every year. Max is currently a bartender in Fishers. His charismatic and infectious personality is something we love about him! Do you want to know a fun fact about Max? Somehow, his favorite movie of all time is The Big Lebowski. If you get the chance, ask him about his concert repertoire!
Brileigh Burris
Bridesmaid
Brileigh is Keldyn's little cousin! Brileigh and Keldyn are about 17 years apart in age! Brileigh is energetic, goofy, and very smart. These are all things we love about her. Brileigh enjoys gymnastics and dance. If you get the chance, ask her where she has traveled for gymnastics!
Dawsyn Young
Groomsman
Dawsyn is Keldyn's brother. Dawsyn enjoys farming, hauling livestock, and harvesting corn and beans in the fall! Keldyn and Dawsyn have the typical love-hate sibling relationship. Dawsyn's stubbornness, authenticity, and smart-assery are some of our favorite things about him. Do you want to know a fun fact about him? He is a welder and recently built a haywagon. If you get the chance, ask him about it!
Bernie Hoffman
Bridesmaid
Bernie and Keldyn met during graduate school. Their friendship formed over shared tears, group projects, and sleepless nights that involved writing papers and working on statistics projects. Nothing says a lifelong friendship like trauma bonding. Bernie is full of life, energetic, and always ready for adventures - all things we love about her! If you see Bernie, ask her where she has traveled to present research on development and Autism!
Noah Dial
Groomsman
Noah and Eli met during their freshman speech class at Ball State. Noah is a very outgoing and kind person. Noah is a fellow die-hard Indiana Pacer fan. Noah works for Lambda Chi Alpha in Carmel. Noah's loyalty to the Pacers, his humor, and his energetic personality are things we love about him! Do you want to know a fun fact about Noah? He dressed up as "sexy pizza" for Halloween one year. If you get the chance, ask him about it!
Lizzy Rose
Bridesmaid
Lizzy and Keldyn's friendship began in 2016. Shared eye rolls while their boyfriends acted like typical teenage boys sparked a close friendship pretty quickly. Lizzy's caring, kind, and compassionate personality is something we love about her! Do you want to know a fun fact about Lizzy? She is an entrepreneur. She created her own business, designing and making children's clothes. If you get the chance, ask her about her business!
Clayton Rose
Groomsman
Clayton and Eli have been friends since they were 4 years old. Whether it was through band, broadcasting, or school, Clayton and Eli were almost always together. Unknowingly, Clayton's family and Keldyn's family are long-time family friends, so they probably crossed paths way back when without even knowing it! Clayton is ornery, full of life, and caring - all things we love about him! He is a huge Notre Dame Football fan and loves cars. Clayton is an electrician for Norfolk Southern! Do you want to know a fun fact about him? He takes the record in the friend group for broken bones. If you get the chance, ask him how many bones he has broken!
Maverick Rose
Ring Bearer
Maverick is the son of Clayton and Lizzy Rose. Maverick is very special to Eli and Keldyn, as he was the first baby to be born into our friend group. Maverick's smile will light up the room! He is all personality and loves to be goofy! He gets his beautiful smile from his mom and his energy and spunk from his dad!
Lovelynn & Kinsley Rose
Flower Girls
Lovelynn and Kinsley are the daughters of Clayton and Lizzy Rose. Like her brother, Lovelynn's smile will light up a room! Sweet and sassy is the best way to describe her. Baby Kinsley is the sweetest and most calm baby Keldyn and Eli know! Do you want to know a fun fact? While Keldyn was planting Hydrangea shrubs for the wedding, she called Lizzy to borrow an auger and accidentally interrupted Kinsley's birth! By that moment, it was evident Kinsley was destined to be a flower girl!
Bryce Miller
Officiant
If you have ever seen Bryce and Eli together, you know their bromance runs deep. Funny enough, Keldyn and Bryce are actually cousins! Bryce is one of our best friends and we couldn't imagine life without him! Through all the good and bad that come with middle school, high school, undergraduate, and graduate school, Bryce has been an important component in each stage of their lives. Bryce's sense of humor, creativeness, and joyful personality are things we love about him! We are grateful to have him officiate the wedding. Like the rest of the group, Bryce is a die-hard Pacers fan! Do you want to know a fun fact about Bryce? He is an actor! If you get the chance, ask him about some of his favorite performances!
Winston
Best Dog
There are not enough words to express Eli and Keldyn's love for Mr. Winston. Their covid puppy is their entire personality. He frequently goes by Winston, Winnie, Winniford, Goober, and Poo Bear. He is all bark and no bite. He likes to make sure everyone in the room knows who he is and that he will be your best friend if you give him snuggles! Winston's favorite things to do are going on walks, getting the zoomies, and stealing socks. Give him some head scratches and belly rubs if you get the chance!
Jodi Young
Mother of the Bride
Jodi is Keldyn's mom. She and her husband, Tony, are hosting the wedding. Jodi is a math teacher at Hagerstown. She enjoys working with students on math interventions. She also loves bright and vibrant colors, although pink is her favorite. Jodi created a yearly calendar reminder of the night Keldyn and Eli had their first kiss and still, to this day, sends it to Keldyn every year on January 17th. She is known for the love and compassion she shares with everyone around her! Do you want to know a fun fact about her? She can scuba dive!
Tony Young
Father of the Bride
Tony is Keldyn's dad. He and his wife, Jodi, are hosting the wedding! Tony is a full-time firefighter and a part-time funeral attendant. He also drills wells and farms. There is not much he can't do! He enjoys watching Yellowstone and debating with his son, Dawsyn, over the best ways to farm. He enjoys spending time with his grand-dogs Winston and Diesel. We all think he enjoys seeing Winston and Diesel more than Keldyn and Dawsyn... He probably wouldn't deny that if you asked. Do you want to know a fun fact about him? He is also an auctioneer.
Cyndi Pierson
Mother of the Groom
Cyndi is Eli's mom. She was an art teacher for Knightstown elementary and intermediate schools. She also facilitated an art club! She recently retired and enjoys continuing her love for the arts through various projects. Particularly, her favorite way to be creative is woodwork. Whether that be creating home decor, tables, or work benches, you can find her in the midst of sawdust creating beautiful work! She also enjoys going to art festivals and reading! She is known for her hugs! Do you want to know a fun fact about her? She has an Etsy shop dedicated to her projects!
Aaron Pierson
Father of the Groom
Aaron is Eli's dad. He is a musician! Specifically, Aaron is a drummer. He enjoys rock music and has a lengthy history of attending cool concerts! In his spare time, you can find him in the recording studio with his buddy creating music. He also enjoys watching football and rooting for the Colts! Do you want to know a fun fact about him? Back in the day he was the drummer for a band called 10:01 that toured around the Midwest and East Coast!
William Thurlow
Usher
Will and Eli (& Clayton) have known each other longer than any of the wedding party members, dating all the way back to preschool. Their bonds are truly inseparable. It turns out that while Keldyn, Matt, and Will bonded over AP Chemistry in high school, Eli, Will, and Matt bonded over sports that carried the group to where they are today. You can find Will playing tennis, hyping up the Colts, and trash-talking Tom Brady. Will is a data analyst and is married to Alyssa! Do you want to know a fun fact about Will? Anytime he looks at the sun, he will sneeze! If you get the chance, ask him to look at the sky!
DJ Shumaker
Usher
Dj and Keldyn's friendship began in 9th-grade biology over bird-calling. DJ is married to Keldyn's best friend, Sarah. If you don't know DJ personally, you probably know of him and know how special he is to everyone! DJ is the life of the party, and his outgoing personality is something Keldyn and Eli love about him! He is a teacher at New Castle High School and is passionate about show choir. Do you want to know a fun fact about him? His brain exploded! If you get the chance, ask him about it!