Lauren & Ryan
Wedding Party
Mallory Logue
Matron of Honor
Lauren met Mallory when Mallory joined the University Program Board at Slippery Rock University (thanks Ryan Logue). They quickly hit it off, and Ryan Logue and Mallory encouraged Lauren to join the Musical Theatre Society. This is where Lauren eventually met and fell in love with Ryan, so I guess you can say she had a lot to do with it. This is also where Lauren and Mallory grew to become best friends, which is only fitting since the Ryans are best friends too. Even when the two couples lived in Virginia Beach and New York City (and during a pandemic), they had zoom double dates nearly every night. Now years later, Mal and Lauren share a love of Taylor Swift, breweries, and kick-ass double dates with their Ryans.
Ryan Logue
Co-Best Man
Not to be confused with the man of the hour (Ryan Barlow), Ryan Logue was the very first person Ryan met when he arrived at Slippery Rock University in 2013. Logue, a year older than Mr. Barlow, was a member of the welcome/move-in crew for freshmen and was there curbside to greet Ryan and his parents to help move him in to his new dorm room. Unbeknownst to either of them, the two reconnected a few weeks later at a rehearsal for the Musical Theatre Society at Slip and became fast friends. Over the next decade, the two pals shared many incredible memories together, ranging from going to Buccos games, singing side by side in MTS Cabarets, and accidentally watching the How I Met Your Mother series finale out of order (both are still bitter about that one). After all these years, these two pals have become seemingly inseparable (that is until either Logue's wife, Mallory, or Lauren are ready to go home).
Mindy Cleary
Maid of Honor
Lauren met Mindy at her first ever MTS rehearsal (are you starting to see a trend in all of these friendships???) and thought to herself "I really want to be this girl's friend." And that's exactly what happened! Over the next few years, Mindy and Lauren shared countless nights choreographing dances for MTS, doing karaoke at Ginger Hill, and screaming show tunes in Ryan Barlow's apartment. 7 years later Mindy has become her roommate, maid of honor, and one of her best friends. Not only that, but Ryan refers to Mindy as "the closest thing to a sister he's ever had." Aw.
Andy Barlow
Co-Best Man
Andy has been known to describe August 17, 1994 as the greatest day of his life because that's when his snot-nosed little brother, Ryan, came into world and ended his reign of terror as an only child. Despite this massive change of events for the then 6-year-old, Andy took his job as "big brother" very seriously and never ceased in his efforts to teach Ryan about the finer things in life, ranging from the trials and tribulations of loving the Pittsburgh Pirates to sneaking Ryan downstairs during his visits home from college to introduce him to the crude humor of Family Guy. The age difference and the physical distance could never stop the two from being best pals from day one, even through all the ups and downs they shared together.
Olivia Freed
Bridesmaid
BIG props to groomsman Brody ( ---> ) for bringing this cutie into the mix. Once Liv decided to join MTS and our crazy friend group, she and Lauren hit it off instantly. Between Wedding Singer rehearsals, late night Boozle runs, and game nights on a random Tuesday, they grew very close. Even during a few years of living in different states they remained best friends and now get to enjoy a weekly Bachelor wine night together.
Brody McKenna
Groomsman
Ryan and Brody didn't meet until Ryan's senior year at Slippery Rock, but the moment the two of them became friends, you could just tell that each other had made a friend for life. They first started hanging out on Thursday's after MTS rehearsals back at Ryan's old Slippery Rock apartment at The Grove (IYKYK), and the two buds got closer and closer over that year all the way up to Ryan's graduation that spring. Despite Brody still having three years to go at SRU, and Ryan moving all the way to Virginia Beach with Lauren, the two of them remained very close, and a constant in each other's life, supporting each other every step of the way through life's ups and downs.
Savannah Merrill
Bridesmaid
Lauren met Savannah in ... you guessed it... MTS!!! Although they weren't super close at first, Lauren knew Sav was a cool person she'd love to be friends with. After a few years and after Lauren graduated, they started hanging out a lot more and now have built an awesome (and hilarious) friendship. Sav is the best person to have around when you need to laugh until you turn blue in the face or when you need some words of encouragement. She can always be counted on to send you a funny tweet, which is the best compliment I could give.
Bronsen Euard
Groomsman
It's hard to believe that two choir boys from Girard, Pennsylvania could remain good buddies long after high school, and despite both of Ryan and Bronsen's lives going in different directions, the two pals always shared an understanding that it was always important to check in with each other regularly, even if it was just to provide support from afar. Whether it was sharing a spotlight on stage, car pooling to their summer gigs at Waldameer, or calling each other to talk about life from their college dorm rooms, Ryan and Bronsen could always confide in the other when life felt too heavy or if they simply just needed a quick little trip down memory lane.
Carly Nalepa
Bridesmaid
This entire page wouldn't have enough space to talk about Carly Nalepa. LOL. Lauren met Carly on her second day EVER at Slippery Rock University. The two of them weren't roommates, but next door neighbors in Watson Hall. From that day (August 24, 2013) until they left, Carly and Lauren were inseparable. There was no Boozle run, late night Bailey Library stay, ARC class, breakfast/nap in Weisenfluh, or Happy Bus ride that they didn't enjoy together. They were the same major and even had all of their classes together. And if it's possible, living together the next two years made them even closer (424 forever). Even though Carly now lives in Florida and Lauren is still in PA, they still have a friendship that will never be like any other. College would have been a long four years without Carly Nalepa.
Cody Nespor
Groomsman
Ryan met Cody during his Sophomore year at Slippery Rock University for the first time when Cody began contributing to the school newspaper, The Rocket, when Ryan was Assistant Sports Editor. When the paper began staffing for the next school year, Cody threw his hat in the ring to join the staff as well, and soon the pair began co-managing the sports section, and had an absolute blast doing it. The countless hours the two spent in The Rocket office were some of Ryan's absolute favorite memories at Slippery Rock, whether it was spent talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates, Marvel movies, Hamilton, or that one time the two of them were pretty sure they caught a certain Slippery Rock athlete's parents in the act of buying bot votes on their online voting poll for Athlete of the Year (it was quite the scandal). When it was all said and done, and especially throughout the years, Ryan was always grateful for his friendship with Cody and the two of them regularly like to keep in touch with updates about life, talking about their beloved Pittsburgh Pirates, and just discussing the wild wide-world of sports in general.