Wedding Party
Melise Williams
Bride
If you have never met Melise and only know Jacob, here is what she looks like! You'll be able to spot her on their wedding day by either her red hair or her wedding dress.
Jacob Klink
Groom
If you have only met Melise and not Jacob, well now is your chance! He's easy to find in a crowd because he has dark hair, a beard, and is the only one wearing a jacket with his suit.
Lynn Williams
Mother of the Bride
There is way too much to say about my mom. I absolutely love her. Every person that meets her says how much they love her. Mom is my very best advocate and is always looking to help me and others. She is the most self-sacrificial person that I know. She is always up for adventure and is a fantastic peace-maker. She is loving, kind, and compassionate to everyone that she encounters. She has been there with me throughout my whole faith journey and she has continued to explore and discuss with me as I have been branching out. I cannot wait for my new family and new friends to get the opportunity to meet her and experience the incredible love that she has to offer.
Robin Klink
Mother of the Groom
As my mom, she has had a lot to put up with. Hosting tons of people every weekend, housing many of my friends throughout the years, dealing with the craziness that I got myself into, and always being there for me even if I "left the nest too early." I absolutely love my mom for being one of my best friends, and adding Melise to the team, the three of us are a force of fun to be reckoned with. She is a very smart and beautiful person who listens to me very well and challenges me very well. Both Melise and I are excited about the adventures ahead with my mom.
Dave Williams
Father of the Bride
My dad is best described as a jack of all trades. He is so talented at learning and growing while also remaining open to new ideas and new ways of doing things. Like my mom, my dad is very good at advocating on behalf of others and he is always willing to help somebody, even if he has to go very far out of his way. Beyond that, my dad makes decisions and sticks to them. He commits to helping someone and he continues until the job is done. My dad is generous with his time and his resources and he is geared toward providing for others. Of course, he is a huge fan of dad jokes too and he uses them liberally. He has been and continues to be a wonderful, thoughtful dad that shows his love for his family as generously as he shares his dad jokes.
Jon Klink
Father of the Groom
My dad has always been around, trying as hard as he could to be there for me and with me through everything. Whether that was the baseball games as a kid or living as close to me as possible when I was older. He values family more than anything, as he will text daily to check in and express his love. My dad cares deeply about those in his life. He is constantly loving and kind, trying to show his care for you every chance he has. This is one of the things Melise first noticed about him when they met, and it still stands out now as his defining feature.
Marissa Allen
Matron of Honor
Melise met Marissa first in 2001. Instantly they formed an unbreakable bond. Not only is Marissa Melise’s oldest sister, she is also one of her best friends. Marissa is a natural caretaker, both in her job as an occupational therapist and as an older sister. She is a pun-lover, much like the rest of the family, and (don’t tell her I said this), but she is the best at it. Marissa is loving, kind, funny, smart, and more. If you haven’t noticed yet, Jacob is better at describing his relationships with people, but Marissa is one of the two best sisters anyone could ever ask for.
Matt Kinnally
Best Man
Matt and Jacob have been best friends since kindergarten. They met in the daycare program before class and remained best friends throughout school, even though they never shared a class again. Each year they would compare teachers and classes, and never once did they get into the same class until the 11th grade. Matt was the one who brought Jacob to the church that they attended in Albany. The two of them have spent almost their entire lives together, through the highs and lows of their school years in Albany and even out to the same college in Buffalo. Matt and Jacob agreed when they were young to be each other's best men, and it has come to pass.
Madi Williams
Maid of Honor
Since they met in 2001, Madi has been like a sister to Melise, in the form of being her actual sister. Her greatest strength is encouragement and her greatest weakness is being too funny. Madi is loving, compassionate, and will laugh at all of your jokes (even when they’re just so-so). Also, Madi has toured Europe singing, so make sure you ask her to sing you something.
Ethan Tanis
Best Man
Ethan has been Jacob’s right-hand man for the last many years of their life. While Ethan had a hard shell to crack, once they got to know each other, they spent every waking hour together. In Albany, Jeremy, Ethan, and Jacob were never apart, they all piled into Jacob’s moms basement and drove all over the region exploring and goofing off. Once Ethan moved to the Rochester area, Jacob joined him, they shared a room and got the same job. They were literally hip to hip, and they shared some of their favorite memories together, including multiple cross-country road trips. Ethan and Jacob walked together through challenging seasons of their lives, and have stuck together through thick and thin. Melise and Ethan also share a very close friendship.
Rachel Williams
Bridesmaid
After meeting first in 2001, Rachel has quickly become the sister that Melise never had. She is adventurous, spontaneous, funny, and overly-talented. In her free time, you can find Rachel doing all the things that you wish you could do, if only you had the motivation. She is an avid paddleboarder and a fierce competitor on the pickleball courts. Rachel is the reason that Melise has been on so many road trips. She is also the reason that Melise has gone without a shower for 3 weeks (not counting “river showers”). She is loving and generous and is much better than your average cousin.
Joe Radigan
Groomsman
Jacob met Joe in 2019 where they started a BEMA group together in Rochester, NY. They emailed each other to meet for coffee and the rest was history. Joe very quickly became one of Jacob’s closest friends. As Jacob had just moved out of his parents house for the first time, Joe taught Jacob a lot, from cooking, and spiritual things, to simply being adventurous. Joe took Jacob hiking, urban exploring, and playing in the snow. Joe was one of the most influential people in Jacob’s faith life, and if anyone knows him, they would probably say the same thing. Joe is so fun to be around, always has a smile, and an adventurous spirit that brings joy to everything that you do.
Marcy Brabander
Bridesmaid
Marcy is Melise’s best friend, closest confidant, and is also getting married this year (so make sure you congratulate her). Melise met Marcy during her first year at public school in 2nd grade for girl scouts. In middle school, Marcy moved into Melise’s neighborhood, where the fun really began. They spent summers going to each other's houses, walking the neighborhood, jumping on Marcy’s trampoline, and swimming in the lake behind Marcy’s house. Marcy is the sweetest, most gentle, most kind, and most thoughtful person that Melise has ever met. And she feels very lucky to be able to call Marcy her best friend.
Jared Milford
Groomsman
Jared has always been like Jacob’s older brother. When they met in 2012, Jared looked exactly the same way he does now. Their relationship started with disc golf, nerf gun fights, and various church events, but sooner or later their relationship grew to becoming late night board games and chatting about girls through the night. In fact, Jared met his wife through Jacob (which is a story for another day)! Jared has been one of Jacob’s closest friends. Through all the years of uncertainty, they always held onto each other through thick and thin and have walked side by side in all their stages of life.
Katie Klink
Bridesmaid
Katie is Jacob’s oldest sister, which makes her Melise’s best source of information. Katie is very loving, genuine, and caring. Katie and Jacob are going through the same stages of life right now, as they are both getting married! Katie, having been in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend, will be getting married right after Jacob, and Jacob will officiate. This is a fun turn of events because the two of them, growing up, would pick on each other non-stop, but there was always the glimmer of softness in their relationship, whether that be Katie dressing Jacob up or doing his make-up, to driving him to school everyday in high school. This part of their relationship is what has stood the test of time, as they get closer and closer through their adult life, no matter how far geographically they are.
Jeremy Harris
Groomsman
Jeremy has been a close friend to Jacob since middle school. However, it was in high school that Jeremy and Jacob became hip-to-hip. They spent every opportunity to get together before and in between classes. Once they got cars, there was no stopping them. From morning coffee shop Bible reading to the gym, they did everything together. Sorry to both Jeremy’s mom and Jacob’s mom because the two of them were everywhere together except home. Jeremy and Jacob walked through life uniquely with one another, always there when one struggled and always protective of the other. Jeremy is known for this in all his relationships, and Jacob loves this most about him.
Rowan DelBene
Bridesmaid
Rowan is Jacob’s step-sister. She is talented, fun, and easy to be around. Seeing as Jacob’s family (including Rowan) all live in Albany. Despite the distance, Melise has still been able to visit. Rowan has been an incredible addition to the family, as she is sweet, kind and compassionate. Jacob and Rowan got along immediately and he loves seeing her when he’s around. Now that she is off to college closer to him, he hopes to see her more, and take her around the adventures western New York has to offer.
Nate Cornaire
Groomsman
Nate showed up in Jacob’s life every once in a while when they were younger. Jacob distinctly remembers one of the first times getting close to him in Guatemala when Nate immediately drank the tap water right before we were warned not to. He later spent two days in his bed sick. Nate later joined Jacob in the great migration west across New York and has been a faithful roommate through and through. Driving across the country, and sleeping multiple nights in a soggy tent, really make a friendship special, and spending countless hours in the same Minecraft world makes this friendship something that will last a lifetime.
David Pitrone
Officiant
Melise met David in May 2020 on one of her first visits to her new congregation. David is easily the smartest person that Melise has ever met. He is incredibly thoughtful, caring, genuine, and he overall just feels like home. David joined the BEMA group that Jacob and Melise met in 2 years ago, so David has become a close friend of Jacob’s as well. David has been deeply involved in both Melise’s and Jacob’s faith journeys and has been an integral part of their relationship. Melise and Jacob are thrilled to have David do them the honor of officiating their marriage.
Sam Gerardi
Go-to Guy
Sam, there is a lot to say about Sam. Once enemy turned friend. That is not terribly true, but speaks volumes about their relationship with one another. Sam and Jacob also met at camp, where Sam was his boss, and the camp director. Their relationship grew tense as their faith and theological ponderings grew deeper. Sam and Jacob used to meet at Starbucks every time Sam was home from college to wrestle and argue theology. However tense their conversations were, they always seemed to keep meeting, which was a standing stone to their love for one another. Eventually, through years of arguments, they continued to argue with each other, even though they started to say the exact same things. What had happened was God brought them to the same truths through different paths. This was the beginning of the great migration toward Buffalo. Once Sam and Jacob were on the same page, they worked together to get everyone they could to move to the city together. Sam is an incredible man, deserving of all the roles of the entire wedding, so that is why Melise and Jacob made him pretty much just that, the go-to guy for everything.