Melissa & Zachary
Wedding Party
Allison Garris
Maid of Honor
"Therefore, God's chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience". ~ Colossians 3:12 On March 22nd, 2001 we began our indestructible bond as sisters. Growing up with a little sister has taught me how to have patience while continuing to love during times with no patience, that "sharing" clothes is not the end of world, and most importantly no matter how rough life gets a sisters hand is always there to hold. God has blessed me with not only a little sister, but a life long best friend. I chose to represent my Maid of Honor with Colossians verse 3:12 because I never want Allison to forget her roots of childhood or where her relationship stands with the Lord. xoxo, Melissa
Vanessa Litzenberger
Bridesmaid
"True beauty begins inside". ~ 1 Peter 3:4 The beginning stages of our friendship only consisted of three hours, once a week, in a nursing lecture where we were suppose to be taking notes. Fortunately, it did not take me long to realize Vanessa is that friend who you could only live without, if you've never learned to live with them before. I am so blessed to be affected and influenced everyday by Vanessa's love for the world. I chose to represent Vanessa with 1 Peter verse 3:4 because she is truly just as beautiful on the inside as she is out. xoxo, Melissa
Anastasia Rees
Bridesmaid
"Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God". ~ Leo Buscaglia Stacie is a first cousin on my Father's side of the family. One of the best memories I share with Stacie from childhood was mixing our veggies, mashed potatoes, and turkey w/ gravy together during every single Thanksgiving supper. Looking past our fasiniation with mixing food, Stacie is an amazing person, athlete, and student. I think everyone can benefit from Stacies' radiating calmness and positive attitude. I chose to represent Stacie with the quote by "Leo Buscaglia" because she was born with natural talent most people work their whole lives to achieve. xoxo, Melissa
Devon Williams
Bridesmaid
"Without love in the dream it will never come true". ~ The Grateful Dead Devon is a first cousin on my Mothers side of the family. One thing I absolutely love about Devon is her ability to love others. I can honestly say that I have never met a more free spirited, adventurous, balanced, gregarious soul in my life. I chose to represent Devon with a quote from one of her favorite bands "The Grateful Dead" because dreams feed the soul and love will never fail you. xoxo, Melissa
Rachel Yednock
Bridesmaid
"Life is too short to worry about what others say or think about you. So just enjoy life, have fun, and give them something to talk about". ~ Unknown Writing a book about all the memories we have shared would never have enough pages. We've laughed, danced, sang, and cried our way through a pretty damn good life! Our friendship has endured the test of time and has proven that we truly cannot live without each other. I chose the above quote to represent Rachel because there has been plenty of embarrassing times when we really should have considered how others would react ... but instead we decided that giving them something to talk about was much, much, more fun! xoxo, Melissa
Marissa Lentz
Bridesmaid
"Always pray to have eyes that see the best in people, a heart that forgives the worse, a mind that forgives the bad, and a soul that never loses faith in God". ~ Unkown Marissa is the daughter of one of my moms closest friends from high school. I have always known Marissa as being a very sweet, very respectful, and very modest young lady. She embodies the beauty of her generation to come and gives us hope in everlasting grace. I chose to represent Marissa with the quote above because she poses qualities of youth and it is my hope that she will always remember her true self. xoxo, Melissa
Madielyn Lentz
Flower Girl
Maddie, my wish for you is that you always lead with kindness, grace, and wisdom. Remember that you are meant to dream big and to never give up on the things that spark your soul. One day when you are older and reflect back on your life, I hope you feel nothing but bliss and excitement. Never forget that your unique spirit is so special. Use your life to fulfill your stated purpose. Follow where your heart leads you, and trust that you will find a way to turn your innermost dreams into a reality. xoxo, Melissa
Belle Mahr
Flower Girl
Belle, my wish for you is that you have the ability to know your self-worth and realize your value in this life is irreplaceable. Your mind, your heart, and your hands are powerful and you alone can move mountains. One day when you are older and reflect back on your life, I hope you feel proud for who you've become and embrace all those who have loved you along the way. Never be afraid to stand up and fight for yourself, your beliefs, or for your dreams. xoxo, Melissa
George Garris
Best Man
Favorite Memory: Waking up incredibly early to go duck hunting on very cold mornings. Only to find out that George's defroster doesnt work on his old pickup! Have you ever hung your head out the window going down 422 in 10-degree weather at 02:30?... We have and it was so worth it! Funniest Moment: There we were... sitting in the middle of the river waiting on something to fly by. Then it happened ... a strange but familiar noise broke the silence! George looks over at me ... turns out if you blow in a duck call backward it sounds less like a duck quack and more like a butt quack! My Prayer to You: I pray that you stay strong and steadfast in your beliefs, fast and agile in your movements and kind but bold in your ways. - Yo Brotha
Daniel Long
Groomsman
Favorite Memory: Daniel was trying to fix his mustang. He wasn't doing too well with it so, feeling defeated, he asked me to help! I thought yeah why not, I can give it a shot! After putting our heads together and something like 100 Google searches, 25 youtube videos and 12 hours of "we are never going to get that broken bolt out of there" and "they don't even make a tool for that" later ... IT WAS FIXED! Funniest Moment: There are too many to count! But put us in a room alone and it won't take long till one of us can't breathe from laughing so hard! My Prayer to You: I pray that you stay true to yourself and be strong and courageous in your actions! - Yo Brotha
Travis Hodes
Groomsman
Favorite Memory: Travis invited me up to his hunting cabin to go bear hunting and as we hiked randomly for about an hour, up into a remote area of the mountain, we decided to finally go home. Something like 5 hours later and a dozen times of saying "I have not a clue where we are" we finally emerged from the bushes arriving at the cabin! Funniest Moment: At the cabin, we got the bright idea to throw a BIC lighter into the campfire everyone was sitting around. Needless to say, people fell over backwards trying to get out of their lawn chairs to run away! The explosion was glorious! My Prayer to You: I pray that you hold on to your warrior mindset and your never quit attitude. I pray that you stay strong, wise and calm in times of chaos. - Yo Brotha
Thomas Grant
Groomsman
Favorite Memory: Melissa invited TJ up to her mountain house a couple of months ago. We had a great weekend relaxing, going swimming and sitting by the campfire, talking about who knows what! Any time I'm around this guy we create new favorite memories, but this one stands above the rest! Funniest Moment: While we were at the mountain house TJ tried wakeboarding ... bless his heart, no one tries harder, but it sure was a sight to see him try to get up! Problem is ... I still think he was more successful at it than I ever was! My Prayer to You: I pray you stay selfless and wise. I pray you keep your sheepdog mentality. I pray life rewards you with the things you deserve and that you always strive to reach your goals. - Yo Brotha
Rick Gibson Jr.
Groomsman
Favorite Memory: The first time I went dove hunting was with Ricky! The spot couldn't have been more perfect, birds were everywhere! After a few hours had passed, we decided to end the hunt. We compared how many birds we bagged and the final count was something like Rick: 3, Me: 8! This was probably the first time Ricky saw me shoot and I am going to say, I did better than he expected. Funniest Moment: Every time we go clay bird shooting and I manage to pull a higher score even if it is only by one point! My Prayer to You: I pray you stay brave, strong, courageous and wise. I pray you take advantage of the opportunities life gives you and live life to its fullest! - Yo Brotha
Michael Gann
Groomsman
Favorite Memory: The picture of Mike says it all! Its the first time we went duck hunting together and was it a sight to see! The only thing that went right was getting that duck Mike is holding. During this trip, I think Mike was the only one who stayed dry. Looking beyond being soaked, it was such an awesome morning! Funniest Moment: Anytime I had the privilege of going with Mike and his Father Rich to the gun store! Times like those I will never forget! My Prayer to You: I pray you stay wise and steadfast in your ways. I pray you treat every day like a gift and live life to its fullest. I pray you accept nothing but perfection and always strive to reach perfection. - Yo Brotha