Wedding Party
Baylee Porter
Co-Maid of Honor
Baylee is my fierce younger sister, and the best one I could ever have. While we fought like no other as kids, as adults we are best friends. Gabe once commented that I talk on the phone with my family way more than most people he knows and most of the time I'm yapping on the phone with Bay about the most random stuff. One time we had the most heated argument about whether or not mac and cheese is a soup. (spoiler its not). Baylee is so strong and boldly follows life to the beat of her own drum. She's one of the first people I call when I need to vent about my day because she just always knows what to say. She is absolutely beautiful and I couldn't imagine getting married without her there to help support me. My favorite memory with Baylee is the time we went on an off road jeep adventure in Colorado in the pouring rain. (Baylee may or may not resent Brooke for dragging her off on this adventure) I am absolutely thrilled to have Baylee as my Co-Maid of Honor
Hope Skeen
Co-Maid of Honor
I met Hope at Central College. She lived down the hall from me and every so often I would randomly just pop on down to hangout. We both majored in psych so we had a lot of classes together, but we didn't really get close until I randomly asked her to be my roommate for nursing school where we trauma bonded. From there we moved to des moines, got jobs at Methodist hospital, and continued rooming together for a few years. Funnily enough, we had been living together for a few years before we realized that although our birthdays are less than a week apart we are different horoscopes. We liked to celebrate our close birthdays with tattoos, piercings, and trips. Hope is the most thoughtful friend someone could have. She lifts up the people around her so they always feel welcome, and is a great supporter. I never would have made it through nursing school without her. Now, Hope knows my memory is awful so thinking of a favorite memory was difficult. One I did think of was our trip to Toronto. There we learned that if you are planning to uber everywhere in another country make sure you have cell service there. We quickly figured out to find the local free wifi coffee shops.
Josh Higginbottom
Best Man
Josh and I met in college, though we didn't really get close until right after graduation! We were sitting in my Ames house one evening and I mentioned that I was planning on taking a trip overseas post-graduation. The rest of the conversation went something like this: Josh: "Hell, if you wanted to go to Japan, I'd tag along with you!" Gabe: "Hah, yeah, that'd be an amazing time!" Josh: "Heck yeah it would!" . . . . . . . . . Gabe: "...Are you being serious?" Josh: "...I mean, I am if you are..." The resulting two weeks in Japan was enough to create best friends for life! Josh is the absolute best friend that anyone could ever ask for! He looks out for everyone's best interests before his own, is always there at the moment he's needed, and is ALWAYS a joy to be around! He also holds the world record for the most "dabs" ever performed post-2020, which is yet another strong bullet point on his resume! I really can't choose just one memory, but if I have to, I'll go with our experience go-karting down the streets of Tokyo! To this day I still have no idea how it's legal, but dammit if we didn't have a great time doing it! I couldn't be anymore honored to have Josh as my Best Man!
Dustin Schultz
Wedding Council Member (Gabe)
Dustin and I have a truly unique story behind our friendship! Dustin was first introduced to me as the 25-year-old boyfriend to my 19-year-old little sister, so I was understandably apprehensive towards him at the beginning. Things stayed that way for awhile until Dustin found a job near Ames, and Elle suggested he move into one of the newly vacant rooms in my house. Arguments ensued, but eventually I relented. Luckily, the living arrangement that I was convinced was poised for disaster turned into one of the greatest I could've imagined. Now being forced to live and interact outside of Elle, Dustin and I formed a strong friendship of our own, bonding over our shared love of sports, movies, anime, and biking. Even when Elle moved in some six months later, it became a regular occurrence for us two to hang out on our own, something that continues to this day! Not many brothers can say they get along with their brother-in-law, but I'm lucky enough to call mine one of my best friends! My favorite memory with Dustin is the moment we stared at each other in disbelief as an Irish bartender poured us a free glass of $600 whiskey. Nothing will ever taste sweeter!
Matt Gardner
Wedding Council Member (Brooke)
Matt and I met freshman year at Central College. So many fond memories of staying up late playing mafia, watching anime, and playing board games. (don't ever play games where Matt and his brother are on the same team because they will destroy you). Matt and I started a snap chat streak back when that was a thing and our goal was to make it a full year....well on August 10th, 2024 our streak will have hit: 3,007 days or 8.23 years. I have no intention of stopping so who knows how long that will go for! Matt is a kind and faithful friend and a great listener who works to make sure everyone feels accepted. He is a friend anyone would be lucky to have. Matt also excels at story telling and tells the world's longest joke with vigor. "Theres a man crawling through the desert" My favorite memory with Matt is a tie between the time in college when we binged all of Attack on Titan season 1 in a night or that DND session where I was one shot killed.
Brittnie McIntyre
Wedding Council Member (Brooke)
I was fortunate enough to meet Brittnie through another friend Kayla. We were both in Kayla's wedding party and now Kayla & Brittnie are both in mine. Brittnie and I grew close and she even trained me for the short amount of time that I worked in the ICU. Brittnie is one of the kindest souls you could ever meet. She is selfless, sincere, and genuine beyond measure. She is an all around generous and wholesome human being. My favorite memory with Brittnie is the day we celebrated my first publication with morning mimosas at Americana and then enjoyed the farmers market.
Jordan Eder
Wedding Council Member (Gabe)
I met Jordan in my early years at Iowa State when, after some intense recruiting, I plucked her off the intramural volleyball free agent list. At the time I was a lot better at landing on Jordan's feet than I was at hitting a volleyball, but thankfully she was very patient with me as I learned how to actually play! After countless more seasons, amazing trips to Branson and Colorado, and way, way too many Moose Drools, I am beyond fortunate to count Jordan among my closest friends! Even though she lives far away these days, and we don't get to hang out as much as we used to, every time I get to see Jordan is a special one! My favorite memory with Jordan is undoubtedly our accidental seven hour stint at the Ames Whiskey River. "Just one more beer!"
Jeannett Clampitt
Wedding Council Member (Gabe)
I met Jeannett on a random summer day, when she and one Jacob Yarian showed up as subs for my sand volleyball team (Jacob may make an appearance later on!). It didn't take long for Jeannett to become a full-fledged Neutrakills member, and over the next five years that group had more adventures than we can even count. The word "family" gets thrown around a lot when we talk about the Neutrakills, and it's fitting! Time spent together is always special with that group, and Jeannett is a large, large reason for it. Jeannett brings joy and happiness wherever she goes, and it's an honor to be able to call someone like her a close friend! There's too many memories to try and pick one, but among my favorites are the many times we donned "onesies" and frequented the local movie theater. Ask for pictures, they are epic!
Kayla Wallerich
Wedding Council Member (Brooke)
I have no idea how we met because Kayla and I have known each other forever. We grew up down the street from each other and grew really close in middle school. Which was perfect because 7th grade was full of trying to figure out who to be, but around Kayla I knew I could always be myself. She has always been the type of friend I could be my authentically weird self with. We had so many late nights full of disney movies, junk food, and uncontrollable laughter. Kayla is lifelong trustworthy friend anyone would be lucky to have. She is a friend who will tell you how amazing you are and inspire you to be your best self. Also it has been amazing to live in the same town as my childhood friend so many years later. My favorite memory of Kayla was hard to choose so the phrase "What meat is Zebra striped?" will represent instead. Oh or the time she helped throw me a surprise birthday party when I was 16. That was also great :D
Jace Wallerich
Wedding Council Member (Brooke)
I was introduced to Jace as Kayla's friend from camp who eventually became Kayla's husband! Jace and I bonded over our shared interest in anime. He thought I needed to watch some weird anime called "Demon slayer" ....welll its definitely one of my favorites of all time. Jace has exceptional taste in anime and is always down for board games. (Beware he will probably win) Jace checks in on the people he cares about and supports them in any way he can. He's sincere, encouraging, and always has a positive attitude. My favorite memory with Jace is that time she beat him at that board game that she can't ever remember the name of. -True story Oh or the time he surprised us at anime iowa when we all thought he was home with his very pregnant wife at the time (turns out she came with so I didn't have to murder him) Jace is also a dad so he gets a dad joke thrown in here: Did you hear about the guy who was afraid of hurdles? He got over it.
Colin Brocka
Wedding Council Member (Gabe)
Colin and I go way, way, way back. There are pictures of us dating back to Kindergarten! Even so, it wasn't until college when we started getting close. Colin moved into my house in Ames, and together with our other great friend, Zach, many shenanigans ensued. Whether it was nights out on Welch Ave. or epic Game of Thrones viewing parties, lifelong memories were made on a daily basis. College was one of the greatest times in my life, and Colin's presence played a HUGE role in that! Colin is the type of person that's impossible to say anything negative about. He's the kindest person you'll ever meet, and you'll never find a more loyal friend. It's hard to pick a favorite memory from a sea of so many, but one particularly great one happened in a state park in Florida. Colin and I were kayaking side-by-side down a narrow creek, with Zach lagging a bit behind. A ways into the trek, Zach yelled, "Holy crap guys, did you see this alligator?". So we turned our kayaks around, and sure enough, there was a stunning alligator sunbathing on the edge of the water! Zach wanted a closer look, so he inched himself a bit forward. Then he splashed the gator with his paddle. Colin and I have never paddled so hard in our lives.
Cael Rahnavardi
Wedding Council Member (Gabe)
I can't talk about Cael without first mentioning his older brother, Zach. Zach and I were inseparable since we became friends in early high school. Zach was the center to my quarterback, and I always joked that I touched his butt more than any girl ever would! Our friendship extended from high school into college, where Zach moved into my house along with Colin. The three of us were family, and every day was truly a new memory. Zach was fiercely loyal, kind to everyone he met, and always wore a smile on his face wherever he went. I will remember and treasure my friendship with Zach for the rest of my life. When Zach passed away in 2018, Cael and I grew closer. Cael became the little brother that I never had, and I've been incredibly proud to see him grow into the amazing man he is today. And even if I still doesn't completely understand the rules of wrestling, I still always enjoy watching Cael kick ass on the mat! Zach would have loved nothing more than to be a part of this wedding, but we all know he would have been thrilled to see the relationship that Cael and I have formed after his passing. As Cael himself put it, "we're family", and I am honored and privileged to be a part of Cael's family. My favorite memory with Cael is when he brought the HOUSE down on the dance floor at Colin and Kaycie's wedding! We're expecting even better at ours, Cael!
Elle Stackhouse-Schutlz
Wedding Council Member (Brooke)
Elle is my soon to be sister-in law! (although I have referred to her as this for some time now). Gabe introduced me to Elle (and Dustin but this is about Elle) shortly after we started dating and I just remember thinking how I really wanted her to like me. I wanted her to like me as Gabe's girlfriend, but I also just wanted to be her friend because she seemed so cool. A few years later I can confirm Elle is not only cool but also a fearless feminist who isn't afraid to speak her mind. Elle is an inspiration to women everywhere and she is absolutely killing it as a new mom. I am so happy Gabe and I have upgraded to Aunt & Uncle status. My favorite memory with Elle is the Paramore concert and hanging out on a rooftop bar afterwards.
Danna Smith
Wedding Council Member (Gabe)
Danna and I first met back in middle school, when we were wee babies! Our first interaction came when we were seated next to each other in Economics class. I knew that Danna's now-husband, Parker, had a crush on her, and I was ecstatic to report back to Parker when I overheard Danna expressing the same feelings. For years afterwards, I truly believed I had played a significant role in bringing those two together. It was years later when Danna finally confessed that she had orchestrated the whole situation herself! Danna is one of those incredible friends that anyone would be lucky to have. She's been a constant in my life ever since we met as awkward teenagers, and I couldn't ask for a friend more thoughtful, caring, and kind as Danna! Danna is an absolute joy, and I'm honored to have her as a part of the Wedding Council! My favorite memory with Danna involves another wedding...but that's a bit of an embarrassing story, so you'll have to ask her about it! 😉
Jacob Yarian
Officiant
Our devilishly handsome officiant Jacob cannot be adequately described in the space we have here. For one thing, there is no description of Jacob that can be made without some sexual innuendo and this just isn't the place for that... so I will just allude to it and leave it at that. In all honesty though, Jacob is a hallmark friend. He's sincere, caring, trustworthy, supportive, honest, and all the other adjectives that come up when you google "what makes a good friend?" Brooke's favorite memory of Jacob is standing up on the tubes in Branson. Gabe said he would put down his favorite memory but Brooke thought just in case GST came into play she would write this out. If you are reading this Gabe didn't come and delete it and write his own memory down. So enjoy this dad joke instead: What do you call a rude cow? Beef Jerky