They come from all over.  They've got talent, dreams and they're hungry!  The new contestants of American Idol?  Nope.  This group is much, much, much cooler.  Without further ado, we proudly present in our own words... the Wedding Party!
Kathy and Jerry Tytko My parents met at Dayton's very own version of Cheers.  My mom had been out with several friends to see Fiddler on the Roof and my dad had just finished an MBA class, and as fate would have it, they both decided to make a quick stop at Kramer's, a place where everybody really does know your name.  My dad recognized one of my mom's friends and was soon charming the group with his infamous jokes and stories.  A few weeks later, he called my mom and asked her to a football game.  Good thing she thought his jokes were funny! They were married in 1973 in Cleveland, Ohio, which is where they both grew up and quite fittingly danced to "Sunrise, Sunset" at their reception.  A few years later, they celebrated the United States bicentennial with the birth of their first daughter... me!
	Betty and Bob Andretta I like to say Ma and Pa met across the pond.  A very large pond called the Atlantic Ocean.  My dad had been stationed in London with the Navy and then started work on his Masters in International Relations at Kings College. My mom was working towards her degree in Cultural Anthropology at LSE.   One of my dad's friends decided to throw a party and enlisted the help of his girlfriend to recruit some beautiful single women for the party.  Lucky for my dad (and lucky for me) my mom was both single and beautiful.  They hit it off right away and my dad gave her a ride home, where she rewarded him with the "worst cup of coffee ever made".  His words, not mine. They married in Washington, DC in 1973 and I debuted 3 years later.  All these years later, they still are crossing the pond.  Dad especially likes to go over to watch the footie.  Tea anyone?
Meredith Tytko To this day, Meredith swears that whenever we had to pose for a photo as children, I used it as an opportunity to strangle her.  Based on the photo to the right, I have absolutely no idea what she is talking about.  In fact, in my opinion, as the youngest... she got away with murder!  Ahhhh, sisterly love. Actually, I feel so blessed to have grown up with a sister I could play with, laugh with, cry with, smile with, gossip with and dream with.  We share so many stories and now even wear similar clothing sizes, so I get to raid her closet every time I visit her (you better believe she loves that!) I truly admire her outgoing nature, self-confidence, sense of humor and beauty and am gratified to have her as my Maid of Honor. If you're in the Tar Heel State, be sure to check out the Streets at Southpoint.   Meredith is the Marketing Assistant for this unique shopping/entertainment complex and can give you a behind-the-scenes tour.
	James Andretta I have known Jamie for longer than anyone else in the bridal party besides my parents.  It seems like he just showed up one day and has been hanging around ever since.  Growing up, I felt obliged to do all sorts of stuff for him including breaking in clothes, teaching him manners and letting him know when it was time to bathe.  The poor kid adored me so much he followed me everywhere.   After grade school, high school and college together, I finally forced him to find his own direction.  While he still does not like to be home alone when it’s dark, he has managed to do some incredible work since graduating from Gtown.  Some highlights include three years of service in the Chicago inner city school system, and graduate work at both Northwestern and Columbia.   He is now living the Berkeley good life as a Ph.D. candidate in counseling and education... that's of course when he isn't jetsetting with the rich and famous.
Stephanie Auffrey Stephanie and I met before we could say the word "friend" and soon became the best of neighborhood buddies.  Her family's move to a new neighborhood didn't dampen our friendship and neither would a later move to Los Angeles.   In fact, the proximity of her family's new home to Hollywood made it the perfect staging ground for numerous elaborate variety shows, highlighting our numerous talents.  We even employed her brother as our lighting man, making him hold colored beach pails over a spotlight.  A Broadway version is currently in the works starring Lindsay Lohan and Hillary Duff. These days she's molding young minds as a teacher and tutor .  While she may be too tall for her old clown costume, watch out for her "inner clown" to make an appearance on the dance floor.
	Katie Fitzpatrick By the end of our first soccer practice, we might as well have had "Mutt" and "Jeff" stenciled on the back of our jerseys.  As the shortest and tallest six year- olds on the now legendary SAY Soccer Passers Division Champion RED HOTS and then the Centerville Pioneers (we know you've heard the stories), we became instant friends. From building decks for our Barbies out of Lincoln Logs in grade school to surviving Mr. Peter's Algebra II and Trigonometry class in high school to fighting our evil landlord as twentysomething housemates in DC, we've truly seen the long and short of it. Katie is now working towards her Ph.D. in Economics at Syracuse University.  Ok, ok, so the truth is out... she actually survived Mr. Peter's class a bit better than I did!
Genoveva Llosa By luck, Genoveva and I became roommates when I moved to Boston for graduate school.  She had been in the "real world" for a few years and clued me in to many of the tricks of the trade, including how to oversleep by an hour and still make it to work on time!  In turn, I tuned her in to Dawson's Creek, which taught her everything else she needed to know to live a happy and fulfilling life. We've remained close, traveled all over and even contended for the "cutest couple" award on Icelandair's 2004 Honeymoon Express (just ask her for all the details.)  She is now working her way to the top of the NYC publishing world, so if you're looking to pitch that autobiographical toaster cookbook meets Elizabethan era sci-fi novel, she's your woman.
	Mary Vanden Bosch World's best volleyball setter.  The woman who has mastered 101 dance moves for those who can't dance.  Aunt to five and related to half of Dayton, Ohio.  Indeed Mary plays many roles, and I'm lucky that one of them is as my friend.   We met in high school and years of wacky exploits ensued, many involving Ms. Christy "Criddy 1-2-3" Kuczak, a greeter at the wedding.  Classics include a Baltimore boat ride, a "wild" night at Club Ensima and most recently, the Saga of Marysdottir.  Confused?  You'll just have to ask her at the reception. It seems like Mary works 57 jobs and the main goal of each of them is helping others.  She currently calls Cin City (aka Cincinnati) home, though she's secretly contemplating a move to Iceland to become a hairdresser.
Matt Baca "Baca" is how you pronounce vaca in Spanish which translates to cow.  So let's just call him Matt “Cow” which sounds a lot like Mad Cow.  Maybe that explains his obsession when he was growing up with baseball.  It’s a sport where all the players basically stand around in the grass while chewing something.   Most of my fondest memories of my cousin Matt come from time we spent at the beach together.  Apparently one can teach a cow to swim, sail, kayak and even ski.  Although I have discovered that it is difficult for a cow to both chew its cod and do water activities.  Maybe all that time spent watching the grass grow gave him plenty of time to ponder life because he sure has been doing well.  He is expected to graduate from Boulder next year before going on to law school.  Plus, he is fluent in Spanish, so for a few laughs you can ask him to translate "baseball playing cow".
	Matt Norwood Melissa affectionately refers to me and Matt as “Mathletes” whenever we get excited about anything educational.  This refers back to the good old days…and by this I mean the pre-Melissa era, when Matt and I commuted to Georgetown University from high school for Math classes.  Ever since we have done our best to uphold the “Mathlete Way,” which Melissa has informed us includes showing up early and staying late for work, doing research and participating in academic social activities such as journal club. Matt’s journeys have carried him far and wide and by that I mean to the Left.   Matt proudly fought the “Corporate Machine” while attending MIT as an undergrad.  Now after completing a Master’s degree from MIT and a JD from Columbia he has signed on with a Non-Profit legal group that helps to liberate intellectual property.  Free source code for everybody!  Of course, one would have to know what to do with source code... which brings us back to the Mathletes reference.
Mark Schwab To sum it up, “He’s from West Virginia.”  His upbringing is a bit of a mystery and most have decided it's better to just leave that one unsolved.  Our adventures are only about one year old, but already legendary.  Normally, legendary events are supposed to be left to the imagination where idealized visions can be evoked.  Unfortunately, Melissa has some video documentation supplemented by her own commentary of our rock climbing exploits at a local Bama climbing crag.  I’m just glad she hasn’t followed us to work…yet.   It’s hard to mention Mark without giving a shout out to his mild mannered Rhodesian Ridge Back (it's a dog.)  Most places Mark can be found, one can also find this red fireball running towards trouble.  The funny thing is that they share a lot in common, especially their love for running and eating.  I don’t know if Mark also likes to chase his tail or lick himself, but again…some things are better left unsolved.
	Chris Van Wyk Chris is one of those lovely British chaps who adores tea and crumpets.  Ok, I couldn’t resist making some British humor or should I have said “making fun of the British”…I can’t decide, my “American” is not that good.  I also have to admit that was kinda lame, but can you blame me?  There is no good Royal gossip! Chris and I first met while we attended King’s College London.  It was undoubtedly one of the best years of my life; however, it left me separated from family and loved ones... like my Irish Setters.  This became particularly evident during holidays.  I’ll never forget how Chris and his very large extended family made it even one bigger for Christmas by welcoming me.  It was a great time that reinforced the importance of family and friends in my life.   Chris has now moved back to his hometown on the Isle of Wight where he owns and operates a unique martial arts studio that focuses on incorporating the entire family into the learning process.  What do I have to say about that?   Brilliant, mate.  Bloody brilliant.