Callan & Jake
Saturday, October 5, 2024 • Marion, OH
Callan & Jake
Saturday, October 5, 2024 • Marion, OH
Wedding Party
The maid of honor
While all of Callan's bridesmaids have been friends deserving of the title of maid (or matron) of honor, this special role has been reserved for Callan's first best friend, and the person who would have been the most excited to be by Callan's side for this special day.
Callan's sister Caitlin taught her everything. She taught her how to dance and which boy bands to listen to (N*sync always, Backstreet Boys only when desperate). She gave her fourth grade-level relationship advice, which was basically boys are annoying and it still stands up (not you Jake!). When fifth grade band sign ups came around, Caitlin pushed Callan in the right direction to play flute. She influenced Callan's high school experience having demonstrated the fun of joining the marching band. Caitlin was even the first one to read Harry Potter and started the Harry Potter-mania for Callan (and it helped that mom would read for us each night before bed and could usually be convinced to read just one more!).
Most importantly, Caitlin taught Callan how to approach life with a sense of humor, how to make the most out of every moment, and how to love fiercely. Caitlin always wanted what was best for Callan. She definitely would have given Jake a close inspection (and we feel confident that he would have passed).
Caitlin blazed the path ahead for Callan, so that Callan always knew what to expect of major life events. Getting ready for homecomings and proms, learning to drive, joining NHS, performing in marching band competitions, getting a first job, graduating from high school and starting college were all done by Caitlin first, so Callan knew exactly what to expect and how to do it well, even after Caitlin's passing. One thing they didn't get to experience together was Caitlin's wedding. Callan would have loved to be by Caitlin's side on her wedding day and to have been part of the planning process. Both girls would have been major parts of the other's day. It is important to Callan that Caitlin still be a present part of her wedding day.
No one can know what life would be like if Caitlin was still with us, but its certain that she would have remained Callan's biggest cheerleader and would have loved to welcome Jake to the family, even if that would have technically meant welcoming an annoying boy to family events!
Caitlin will be with Callan as she walks down the aisle, represented in Callan's bouquet with the inclusion of the tiger lily, Caitlin's favorite flower. Some of the music choices throughout the evening will also be played in Caitlin's honor.
Bridesmaids
Ashton Ute - Bridesmaid
Callan and Ashton attended school together in Fredericktown. Their friendship started during an auction at Callan’s grandma’s house. They spent the day exploring and challenging each other to daredevil climbs in the old barns. Callan and Ashton especially reconnected after college, and Ashton was the first non-family member to visit Callan at her Upper Sandusky apartment. It was at Ashton's suggestion (and several ill-advised swipes during a visit) that Callan was more active on dating apps, which led her to Jake. Now, whether it's trying out a dive bar, enjoying a party together, or having a girls night trying a new recipe and watching a movie (sometimes involving Ida May and Jake) the two have found safer ways than daredevil climbs to spend time together, and it's always a good time.
Ashton lives in Bellville with her husband Isaac, their daughter Ida May, and numerous dogs, cats, chickens, and house plants.
Becca Stettin - Bridesmaid
Becca was Callan’s roommate at Ashland for senior year. Fun fact: She memorized the song Rap God with daily practice that year. Callan and Becca lived on the honors floor together freshman year and especially bonded over a Reacting To The Past Class in which they were asked to emulate historical figures. They worked together to take down the senior history nerd, who in retrospect was probably just there to have fun, but was dealt a soul crushing blow that we expect decimated his love of history.
Callan and Becca bonded over video games like Mario Kart and Clue and still find time to play together online. Post college they have also taken wild adventures together like whitewater rafting in the Ohiopyle River where they saw many moons from fellow riders. Together they've braved Ashland “townie” bars and the one bar in Upper Sandusky with the cockroach.
Becca lives in Lakewood with her fiancé Will and their dog Yorick.
Courtney Uldrich - Bridesmaid
Though there is some debate about when Courtney and Callan became best friends (some say 2nd grade, others say 3rd) Courtney was there for many of Callan’s formative life moments and vice versa.
Their friendship started when the two were paired up as milk helpers to go and collect the afternoon milk cartons for their class. They spent their high school years enjoying slumber parties on weekends, after school evenings eating pizza rolls and playing Mario Party and Mario Kart Double Dash on the GameCube, trick or treating, discussing boys, marching band competitions and trips, school plays and musicals, and even had their first job together at Pizza Dock where they mostly did dishes and killed flies.
Courtney is also a major reason Callan chose to attend Ashland University. The two spent freshman year together as roommates and have continued to be close friends and confidants even as life has taken them in different directions.
Courtney lives in New Mexico with her husband Dennis and their cats, Lady Biz, Wimbley, and Mickey.
Haley Dorne - Bridesmaid
Haley and Callan lived together all four years of college. They taught each other a lot in those four years especially good communication. They were two peas in a pod through college and even started dressing the same by the time all was said and done, kind of like one of those old couples that starts to look the same. Haley made Ashland home for Callan and was her partner in crime for Mario Kart nights, nights out on the town, and movie nights in. The second half of senior year when Haley lived at home for her teaching internship, she made a habit of coming back to Ashland most weekends so they didn't have to spend a single semester apart.
Post college, Haley and Callan have been together for the big things including Haley's wedding to Alex in 2022 and celebrations throughout the years with other college friends and each other. Haley has remained a close pal and confidant (the Dorothy to Callan's Sophia).
Haley lives in Columbus with her husband Alex and their two pups Enzo and Chuck (Charlie, or Charles depending on the occasion).
Hope Huvler - Bridesmaid
Hope and Callan have been friends since grade school. They were on the school basketball team and in 8th grade marching band together. Along with Marissa, the two spent basketball practices goofing off with each other. As high school started they each had their own school activities to keep them busy. Turns out basketball was more Hope's thing and band was more Callan's. Hope and Callan found many ways to spend time together in and out of class. They were paired up for a few Spanish class projects that they took just a little too far and enjoyed making each other late (mostly Callan's fault) to NHS meetings because the coffee and English muffins weren't quite ready when it was time to go. There was the ill-advised makeover for a ferrell barn cat too. Senior year was spent in senior council meetings planning prom and graduation. They stayed close through college and have continued to be with each other through life's big moments.
Hope lives in Mount Vernon with Colton and their children Mia and Bryson.
Johnathan Benko-Scruggs - Bridesman
Callan met John on their first day of college through a roommate and the two hit it off. In college they spent many nights watching movies, enjoying the wine bar (RIP), and traversing campus. Don't tell Kathy from security, but one time they even ran the full length of the football field when the stadium was closed! Callan would usually stay on campus until the dorms closed for breaks so they could have an extra movie night in together before the long winter or summer holidays.
During Callan's internship summer John often came over for dinner and drinks on a weekly-ish basis which helped Callan feel a lot less homesick as she missed out on summer at home. The two share many hilarious memories together such as John's perfectly executed javelin toss and the time Callan nearly died while playing the floor is lava (because actually the floor was concrete) and a few serious memories too!
John lives in Wooster with his husband Matthew and their cute pup Nicolette
Marissa Dowalter - Bridesmaid
Marissa and Callan have been friends since grade school but became especially close in middle school sports including cross country and basketball when the two spent lots of time listening to Black Sabbath and AC/DC on Marissa's iPod and working on their Zoolander blue steel looks. Class field trips were a blast as was middle school and high school band. They spent many nights on the band bus cracking each other up.
In college Marissa showed Callan the wonders of OU (she took Callan to see Rocky Horror Picture Show with absolutely no forewarning). After college when Marissa was working at the Columbus Zoo and Callan worked at the Mount Vernon News, they would spend free evenings together watching a new fun (or scary) show, getting dinner and drinks, or going on bird walks. Marissa also lived by Put-In-Bay during her internship after college and taught Callan a lot about the importance of snakes and bugs (even spiders, grudgingly), as well as where to find the best lobster bisque and cheapest shark shots.
Marissa and Callan have stayed true to their word of being BFFL. Callan was honored to serve as Maid of Honor at Marissa's wedding in 2023. Marissa lives in Las Vegas with her husband Anthony, and their pup Bean and kitty Zog.
Taylor Carpenter - Bridesmaid
Taylor and Callan were friends before their brains started recording memories. They were best buddies at the babysitter's and often got into trouble for talking through nap time. This didn't change when they became step sisters and got into trouble for tearing down a closet shelf while snooping for Christmas presents.
Don't try to out-quote Taylor and Callan with lines from Spongebob or the Simpson's Movie. In high school, they spent hours together trying to beat their high score on Wii tanks. Senior year the two spent a memorable week together completing a list of things they wanted to do together before college and life separated them. Mostly they baked a pie at 2 a.m. and went putt putting.
Life has taken them in different directions, but the two have stayed close. They took turns visiting each other at college. In 2017, Callan was blessed to be Taylor's maid of honor. During Austin's deployment, Taylor moved back to Mount Vernon with her oldest son Hayden and the two were able to spend more time doing some of their favorite things, including going to Cedar Point and screaming all the way down the hills (though not on Millennium Force after that one time).
Taylor lives in Centerburg with her husband Austin and their four kids Hayden, Hudson, Holden, and Rory and their dogs.
Groomsmen
Jordan Needles - Best man
Jordan has been Jake’s best friend since high school. Jake and Jordan first met on the school bus in junior high. Jordan, Jake, and Trevor took French class together. Nous ne savons pas combien French was learned, but that class formed lasting friendships. Je t’aime, salope. During the summer, after football practice, Jordan would go to Jake's house and play Call of Duty. This turned into a tradition. They still play video games together to this day. They will often text each other a simple, ‘you on?’ and moments later a call will come through making plans to play together. These seemingly simple interactions with each other mean a lot to Jordan and Jake. Just ask Abby and Callan, as their game time usually involves a few hours of loud yelling and laughter (though Jordan keeps it down when it's Jasmine's bedtime). It is often that other plans are made while they are gaming, too. Jake was honored to be Jordan's best man for his wedding. Jordan and his wife Abby also honored Jake by naming him as godfather to their daughter, Jasmine. Jordan, my best friend, thank you for being the constant in my ever-changing world.
Zachary Aurand - Groomsman
Zach and Jake have been together since birth. They are cousins after all (and roommates too!). They have lived together in Upper Sandusky for about four years now. They have had many adventures in that house including several wild games of Nerf War, but let’s take it back to their childhood. Zach and Jake spent a lot of their childhood outside. They had the nearby woods, a trampoline, and a pool to keep them busy. They would spend a good portion of the day out in the woods, but often would brave the woods at night as well. Zach and Jake were very brave and adventurous for their age. They would walk around the woods at night with walky-talkies and their old Walkman recording their childhood wisdom. If anyone can locate that Walkman, they would be eternally grateful. Zach and Jake used to play a game called ‘Randy Moss’ on the trampoline. This was basically just playing catch with the football, but Jake would try to do all sorts of flips during the catch. This game was inspired by a PlayStation 2 game called ‘NFL Street 2’ where, of course, Randy Moss was a star and had incredible jumping abilities. After a game of catch they would wind down in the pool. They used to relax in the pool and talk for hours. Now they spend their free time chatting over games of Uno, video games, and evenings around the campfire. Love you buddy!
Jake (Smithy) Smith - Groomsman
Jake and Jake AKA Smithy first met in junior high track. Jake came out of the locker room and saw Smithy sitting down listening to music by himself. It was an indoor track practice kind of day, so they had to jog 20 minutes indoors. They spent all that time talking and getting to know each other. On the way to their first track meet at Hopewell, Smithy and Jake sat beside each other on the bus. Smithy introduced Jake to a band called ‘Disturbed’ which Jake still occasionally listens to, to this day. Smithy and Jake continued to hang out after track. They started skateboarding together. This turned into a nearly daily occurrence. Smithy skated for many years and somehow never broke a bone. But, one day after a baseball game, while Smithy and Jake were hanging out at the campgrounds... fate intervened. Smithy decided to try to jump over a pretty big rock pile, and that was the day Smithy broke a bone. Jake convinced Smithy that he was totally fine and should walk it off. But a full day at the hospital spent together later, it turns out it wasn't really walk-off material. The Jakes share too many memories to fully encapsulate their relationship. In 2023 Jake was honored to be in Smithy's wedding and is excited to have him by his side at his own. Lost LT!
Trevor (Radar) Weaver - Groomsman
Trevor and Jake started their friendship in middle school when all the local schools combined to create one school called Mohawk. Trevor Weaver is the reason Jake got into computers. Trevor went to Sentinel (a post-secondary school) where he studied computers. Jake studied law enforcement. Trevor and Jake tragically lost a good friend they met at Sentinel which led Jake rework his career goals. Jake ended up going to college for computer science inspired by Trevor's passion for computers and he still works in the field to this day. Trevor and Jake started a couple of businesses together. The first one at the age of 14 was called Ghost Teams Investigation (G.T.I.) where they investigated many places. One such location was the Tiffin Museum, which later asked them to do a presentation. They talked to the crowd about different kinds of haunts and what they found while ghost hunting. The museum was very supportive! Their website was up until earlier this year. They are not entirely sure how it stayed up for so long, but now it's in the beyond. The most recent business was J&R Computer repair. They fixed computers for many customers and made some friends along the way. Yes, it really is as simple as turning it off and back on again. Trevor and Jake still talk about bringing that business back. Don’t look far, Call J&R.
Michael Randell - Groomsman
Michael and Jake met around the same time Jake met Trevor, when all the schools combined into one. It was hard not to notice Michael because he was just as tall, if not taller than all the teachers. Their relationship started to develop more after high school when Michael was working at Level Up in Tiffin. Level Up sold skateboards, so Jake became a regular customer, just to visit Michael. They went on many skate trips together along with Smithy. One of the best trips was to Kettering where they skated at many skateparks including Rob Dyrdek's Skate Plaza. They watched some crazy skate competitions too. Michael was an absolute lobster after that trip. It was an annual tradition to go to Kettering on Go Skate Day (First day of summer) for a long time. These days the time they spend together is much calmer; they enjoy having drinks around the fire at Jake’s house and Michael is always down for a party at Jake's house.
Rickie Hyer - Groomsman
Rickie and Jake have been friends since we were born. At a very early age, they played tee ball together. Their relationship flourished after college. Rickie and Jake built a home gym together and created an Instagram called @Healthdudes which was meant to promote a healthy lifestyle. Callan derailed those plans because the room is now a very cozy lounge (but we still love it!). Not only did they work out together, but they also basically did everything else together too. Rickie taught Jake to put seasoning on his food (though it must have taken some time to stick, because Callan has had to reiterate the value of using seasonings a few times). Rickie bought a motorcycle and convinced Jake to buy a motorcycle too. He also patiently taught Jake how to ride by taking him out to the high school parking lot for a practice session to gain some confidence. They've ridden many places together. When they weren’t riding motorcycles or in the gym, they were talking about girls or anything computers. Rickie and Jake both worked in I.T. Departments and would share stories and give each other advice. Yeah ... mostly turn it off and turn it back on again.
To Dad
Dad,
I miss you every day. I know I'll miss you even more on holidays, Father's Day, and on my wedding day.
It's not fair that you're not here. I know this wedding day would have been an exciting time for you filled with tears, laughter, tears, hugs, a bit of your wonderful singing, and tears. Though you're not here with us to celebrate, Callan and I know you're watching over us.
I never realized just how much I'd miss our back and forth zingers and reading "love you shithead" at the end of our texts or hugging you goodbye after an afternoon together.
Thank you for teaching me how to be a man who loves wholly and who doesn't shy away from expressing emotions at the beautiful moments of life, both happy and sad. Thank you for welcoming Callan into our family with open arms. Thank you (and Lynn!) for fostering my love of Halloween and Michigan football. Thank you for being my dad.
Love you shithead,
Jake
To our family
To our family, pictured or otherwise, we love you! We are lucky to have grown up with your influence, love and support. We are eternally grateful for each of you and cannot wait to share our day with you!