Wedding Party
Rebecca Byrd
Bride
Rebecca is from Summerville, SC who grew up in a very vanilla family with an older brother who likes to drive her crazy, as older brothers usually do. Rebecca always thought she wanted to be teacher like her mom, but life things happened which put her on the path towards medicine. She attended Wofford College where she studied Biology and History and found her love for travel after going to Italy and England during a few January terms. She spent the year between college and medical school in Memphis, TN where she participated in the Memphis Fellows Program, cultivating her passion for the Lord and learning what it is like to live out her faith in the workplace. Rebecca started medical school at MUSC in Charleston, SC in Fall 2021, and is now in her last year and on the track to become a future anesthesiologist. In her free time, Rebecca loves to bake (literally anything), go shopping, take a spin class (especially if it's a themed throwback Jonas Brothers/Hannah Montana/Disney ride), and check out new coffee shops and restaurants. Rebecca's favorite thing about Ryan is how he loves her so well, that he is able to match her goofiness at any time (insert one-eyed Mike from Monsters Inc), and is willing to kill any bug and fix her car problems. Rebecca is so excited that she gets to marry her best friend and can't wait to do life with him.
Ryan Losensky
Groom
Ryan grew up in Cameron, MO, a small town north of Kansas City. Like any younger brother would, he loved to pester his older sister growing up. When Ryan was a kid, he had a wild imagination and wanted to be an inventor. As he got older, his love for airplanes, cars, and trucks turned him towards engineering. Following high school, Ryan attended Missouri University of Science and Technology where he graduated with honors in Mechanical Engineering in December 2021. After graduation, Ryan moved to Charleston, SC to work at Nucor Steel as a Mechanical Engineer. In his free time, he likes working on his ‘86 Dodge pickup truck, tinkering on projects in the garage, and taking Rebecca to new restaurants. Ryan’s favorite thing about Rebecca is her bubbly personality, and also ability to be a giant goofball with her. He loves that Rebecca is his biggest cheerleader and that she does little things to make him happy, like making her delicious banana muffins. Ryan is so grateful the Lord put Rebecca in his life and can’t wait for all of their adventures together.
Reeves Goettee
Maid of Honor
Reeves is from Summerville, SC and a savvy environmentalist who works as an Assistant Park Director for one of the local parks. Rebecca and Reeves first met in early elementary school where they carpooled together, but lost touch in middle school when they each went to different schools. However, Rebecca and Reeves rekindled their friendship freshman year at Wofford College living on the same dorm room hallway and became roommates later in college. Rebecca and Reeves followed each other back to Charleston for grad school where they added a 3rd roommate, a fluffy, highly energetic standard poodle, Bean. One of Rebecca's favorite memories with Reeves is from college when they went on a typical Chick-fil-A milkshake run, and while on the drive back to campus, Rebecca discovered the BIGGEST flying bug of some sort in Reeves's car. Rebecca proceeded to scream at the top of her lungs causing Reeves to scream, leading to both screaming back and forth. In the chaos, milkshakes were spilled, car lights turned on, and them frantically jumping out of the car (while in the median, of course). A fun fact about Reeves is that she absolutely hates glitter.
Jonah Montgomery
Best Man
Jonah is from Cameron, MO and is a bona fide genius who can also shred the electric guitar. Ryan and Jonah met in second grade at school but started hanging out consistently in fifth grade and have been close ever since. After graduating high school, Jonah also went to study at Missouri University of Science and Technology where Ryan and Jonah were roommates for several years. Jonah and Ryan have been through thick and thin together, and have often joked that they are “brothers from another mother”. Some of Ryan’s favorite memories of Jonah, albeit too many to count, include many late nights playing video games in college, taking chemistry lab together, and hanging out at Jonah's mom’s house when they were younger. A fun fact about Jonah is that not only can he play the electric guitar, but also the bass guitar, acoustic guitar, drums, and saxophone Remember that part about Jonah being a genius??
Kaleigh Holt
Bridesmaid
Kaleigh is from Lawrenceburg, TN and now lives just outside of Nashville. Kaleigh recently finished her Masters in Social Work and currently works as a mental health liaison in the Tennessee school system. Rebecca and Kaleigh met in 2020 during the Memphis Fellows Program where they became not only overnight roommates but pretty instant friends. Rebecca and Kaleigh bonded over their similar upbringings, love for country music, love for Jesus and having deep spiritual conversations, and always being down for late-night TCBY runs. One of Rebecca's favorite memories with Kaleigh involves a trip out to Charleston Tea Garden, drinking too much of the free tea, a long drive back home without a bathroom nearby, and culminated with back roads, a rattlesnake, a tea cup that became a pee cup, and something along the lines of "Oh no, I missed!" Pull Kaleigh aside and she'll be sure to tell you the full story if you want a good laugh! A fun fact about Kaleigh is she loves to dance and is down for a dance party at any time!
Scott Losensky
Father of the Groom
Scott, aka Ryan’s dad, spent his early years growing up in Kansas City, MO before moving to the then family farm to raise cattle. After graduating from Cameron High, Scott went on to eventually begin work as a postal carrier for the USPS. In his free time, he enjoys many different hobbies such as woodworking, gardening, tinkering on projects, and walking in nature. So you can see where Ryan gets it from?? One of Scott's favorite places to visit is the Rocky Mountains, but the Smokies aren't too bad either. Scott devoted a large portion of his life to providing for his family and teaching them many lessons along the way such as the importance of hard work. Some of Ryan’s favorite memories of his dad include going to scout camp together, going hunting, and fishing together. A fun fact about Scott is he is very good at hand drafting architecture, and not to mention building just about anything woodworking or carpentry-related.
Michelle Pinan
Bridesmaid
Michelle is from Cincinnati, OH but is a true southerner at heart, winding up in the great state of Tennessee for college. Michelle has traversed the globe ultimately finding the love of her life, Bryan, and marrying him. Michelle and Bryan have settled back in Knoxville, TN where Michelle works at a free medical clinic for women's health. Rebecca and Michelle met in 2020 during the Memphis Fellows Program where they became the closest of roommates, truly by sharing the master bedroom together. Some of Rebecca's favorite memories with Michelle are playing in the snow in Memphis, playing bananagrams, screaming when there was bug in our that needed to be killed, celebrating Michelle's wedding in Ecuador, and the sweet FaceTime calls they still have. A fun fact about Michelle is that she has 2 Ecuadorian cats, Felix and Nala, who had a hard time getting used to American cat food when they moved to the States.
Slayde Day
Groomsman
Slayde Day is from Cameron, MO and is an outdoorsman as well as a devoted friend. Slayde loves spending time walking outside in nature, hunting, shooting sports, fishing, and taking care of his chickens. Slayde and Ryan met working at Walmart in high school where Slayde worked the hardware counter and Ryan worked in lawn and garden. Just ask Slayde about all the crazy stories from back in the day and he'd be happy to share! Some of Ryan’s favorite memories of Slayde include going hunting together and doing gunsmithing projects together. A fun fact about Slayde is he dreams about going on safari and hunting big game in Africa one day.
Kevesha Snow
Bridesmaid
Kevesha is from Olive Branch, MS which is right outside of Memphis and has a background in engineering but currently works as a lower school teacher at a Montessori school in Memphis. Rebecca met Kevesha during the Memphis Fellows Program and fast became friends when they realized they were two peas in a pod when it comes to a Type A personality, organization and planning. Yes, they still schedule their monthly phone calls weeks in advance so they can write it in their planners! Some of Rebecca's favorite memories with Kevesha are driving around Memphis for their Memphis neighborhood project, late night talks sitting on Kevesha's bedroom floor, and their monthly phone calls. A fun fact about Kevesha is she has freckles on her tongue!
Andrew Katzung
Groomsman
Andrew is from Washington, MO and is an avid fan of tinkering on anything that interests him. Andrew grew up hunting, fishing, and working on tractors. After graduating high school, he went on to study at Columbia College before transferring to Missouri University of Science and Technology where he majored in engineering. Ryan and Andrew met each other in their junior year of college in Dynamics class where they bonded over tractors and trucks. Andrew spent time on the Baja racing team with Ryan and Tyler where they had fun turning wrenches, learning how to weld, use a lathe and so much more. Andrew was even an assistant instructor for the machining lab on campus. Ryan and Andrew eventually became roommates during their senior year of college. Some of Ryan’s favorite memories of Andrew include cooking together, rebuilding a four-wheeler engine in their garage, building a full size flight simulator, and taking a trip to Ryan’s grandparents house (and breaking down). A fun fact about Andrew is that he owns too many old tractors to count and loves restoring them with his brother.
Eliza Monts
Bridesmaid
Eliza is from Charleston, SC and has a background in English and Theatre from Wofford College. She currently works as a K4 teacher at one of the local schools in Charleston. Rebecca and Eliza met at Wofford College during Eliza's freshman year and Rebecca's sophomore year at a sorority recruitment event only to find out that 6 months later they would become not only sorority sisters but Big and Little! Some of Rebecca's favorite memories with Eliza are their 1:1 coffee and dinner dates at Wofford, deep spiritual conversations while doing book studies together, RUF ministry team, growing their Theta family, and now sharing life things together in Charleston. A fun fact about Eliza is that she got married on the day of Rebecca and Ryan's first date (yes, the actual day and date, she tied the knot with her now husband, Will, like 5 hours before Rebecca and Ryan went out for the first time).
Tyler Tschannen
Groomsman
Tyler is from Foristell, MO and loves spending time outdoors, hunting, fishing, and target practice. Tyler met Ryan during his freshman year of college on the Baja Racing team where they spent time together designing, building, and wrenching on race cars. Ryan and Tyler took many classes and labs together throughout college, spending many late nights studying and doing homework together. Tyler was an expert at keeping Ryan from pushing buttons and playing with all of the lab equipment (just ask). Later in school, Tyler moved in with Ryan and Andrew where they all enjoyed going hunting together, target practice, and trapping squirrels. Some of Ryan’s favorite memories of Tyler include doing doughnuts in the snow, being rescued from a snowbank, and working on their trucks together. A fun fact about Tyler is he is an expert at making just about anything on the grill or in the smoker.
Alexandria Leland
Bridesmaid
Alexandria is from Greenville, SC and is currently a budding neurologist as she finishes her last year of medical school alongside Rebecca. Alexandria and Rebecca met during the spring of their first year of medical school when they were both searching for a roommate, ultimately being set up on a blind dinner date by a mutual friend who knew they were both in need of a roommate. Guess neither of them thought the other was too crazy as they became roommates and subsequently best friends. Some of Rebecca's favorite memories with Alexandria are their spontaneous decisions to go out for Tex Mex at Taco Boy or Pink Cactus, watching a movie together in their free time (with subtitles of course), and disagreeing over how early is it ok to decorate for Christmas. A fun fact about Alexandria is that while she was studying abroad in China during undergrad, she slid down a slide that came off the Great Wall of China.
Joshua Byrd
Groomsman
Joshua is Rebecca's older brother who lives in Charleston, SC. Joshua attended Charleston Southern University where he majored in Education, ultimately teaching middle school science and social studies for 5 years. While teaching, Joshua was forever involved in coaching some sport whether it was tennis or baseball. However, after 5 years, Joshua left teaching to pursue a full time career in tennis which he loves. In his free time, Joshua enjoys taking naps, hanging out with friends, and watching all of the college sports games he can. Some of Rebecca and Joshua's favorite memories are spending every summer at Ocean Isle Beach with their extended family, building forts out of couch cushions and pillows, competing over anything and everything, fighting over who was going to get to eat the "swirly" from the top of a new butter container, and if you asked Joshua, bothering the heck out of his younger sister at any given minute as evident by the numerous pranks he used to pull on her. A fun fact about Joshua is that he has an extensive tennis shoe collection of multiple colors, styles, and purposes.
Lisa Beckmann
Bridesmaid
Lisa is from Osnabruck, Germany and currently lives in Vienna, Austria where she is in her final year of medical school, soon to be a general surgeon. Lisa and Rebecca met in 10th grade when Lisa came to the States to study abroad for the school year and lived with Rebecca's family. Lisa and Rebecca found the sister in each other they never had that year. Just like sisters, they have traveled across the ocean to see each other since the end of 10th grade. Some of Rebecca's favorite memories with Lisa are traveling throughout Germany together, indoctrinating Lisa into the Byrd family way of doing things, and the story that never gets old which is "flying rolos." A fun fact about Lisa is that she can speak 3 languages: German, English, and French.