Meet the Party
The Bride and Groom
Kelly Mullen
In March of 1990, Warren, Ohio welcomed it's second most notable native (next to Dave Grohl) into the world. Kelly was raised an only child (to her knowledge), and spent her high school years dancing, shredding it on the flute (and piccolo), and getting bit by the acting bug. At 18 she chose to move to the Queen City known as Cincinnati (go Bearcats!) to attend business school. There she regularly attended football games, and, you guessed it, continued shredding it on the flute. One bachelor's degree, and four years later, she decided to abandon her Yankee status and move to the other Queen City of Charlotte, NC. Currently, she works as a Program Manager at Lash Group. She spends her free time playing Dungeons & Dragons, brewery hopping, and never missing a season of the Renaissance Festival. Recently, Kelly also fell in love with Judaism and officially joined the tribe in June 2018. L'chaim!
Jason Lecker
How does one describe Jason Lecker? Many have tried. “…A tortured soul,” “…impossibly handsome guy,” “…aura and enigma about him.” These were quotes about James Dean, but you can imagine that the ones about Jason were basically the same. He was born in 1990 in New Jersey (through no fault of his own), lived in northern Virginia for a few years, and then ended up in Charlotte, NC. Other than a five-year stint at the University of Miami (go Canes!), Jason has been living in Charlotte ever since.
Jason tries to maintain balance with his hobbies. He loves college football, so he balances that with Dungeons & Dragons. He loves drinking beer, so he balances that by drinking wine. He loves playing Rocket League, so he balances that by losing at Rocket League. Jason is currently a mechanical engineer at Devita & Associates, and between that, the house, and wedding planning, he’s looking forward to sleeping some time in 2023.
On our special day, we will be supported by nine of our closest friends and family. You can meet our merry little band below, described in their own words:
Maids of Honor
Allison knorzer
The first 3.5 months of my existence were very grim as that was the only time Kelly wasn’t in my life. Our grandmas were sisters and we were their precious first born grand kids prompting numerous pictures of us in matching outfits (Kelly with cute hair and bows and Me the bald one) and lots of playtime together. Most girls played with barbies, but not this nerd. I made Kelly pretend to be hurt so I could be the doctor and take care of her (glad that always broken leg healed up Kel).
As flirtatious and quite good looking 9 year olds we made our way to our first ever concert together to drool over the Backstreet Boys. Kelly even managed to get us back stage passes where we got to meet our future husbands (oooops sorry if Jason’s past as a singer was secret). Later in life we parted ways as I ventured down to Appalachian State for college. After graduation Kel and I traded places as she made her way to the Carolinas and I found myself in Dayton, Ohio for medical school.
After growing up in northeast Ohio I didn’t think there were many places colder or snowier, but turns out there are! I currently reside in the tundra, better known as Minnesota. I finally have an ER full of my own real patients to care for so I don’t need Kelly to pretend anymore. While I’m sure she won’t be following me up here to live it’s okay because when we see each other its like we are those cute little stumbling toddlers again and those drooling pre-teen girls, except now there is wine involved and a real husband... well, for her anyways ;)
Keisha Chuop
Kelly and I met back in 2013 when she started her career at Lash Group. As soon as I saw her, I was bummed that she wasn’t assigned to train with me but we managed to still get to know each other. It started with taking lunch breaks together and then “hey let’s hang outside of work!”. I think I became one of her first friends in Charlotte, which she would later come to make many more friends in North Carolina! She opened up to me about her weight loss journey but still joined me for dinners out since she knew I was huge foodie! I was even with her when she tried sushi for the first time ever! Like I have a passion for food, she has found her passion for beer and is now the infamous brew_girl_clt on Instagram! Lets also not forget the moment when she invited me to the Backstreet Boys concert with her and we fan-girled out! The past five years knowing Kelly has been such a blur, time has flown by! We’ve shared late nights and girlfriend gabs and we’ve both witnessed dating ups and down in each other’s lives. I’ve also had the privilege of watching her excel at work and become a fantastic leader. Through it all we’ve remained great friends! I’m so excited to be standing next to her as one of her Maids of Honor on her wedding day as she becomes MRS. LECKER!
Sarah Freeman
Animal savior. Hummus entrepreneur. Additional info coming soon!
Groomsmen
Chris Barber
The epic of Jason and Chris began in a land full of treachery and danger; of backstabbing and jealousy. Many know this world as "High School." It was here that Jason and Chris formed a bond through school and on stage that would stand the test of time. Though many years passed between then and now, it was thankfully the world of Dungeons and Dragons that brought them back together again. On a fateful night nearly 3 years ago, Chris joined a merry band of adventurers including our wonderful bride and groom on a their weekly journey to the land of creativity and craft beer. Since then they've enjoyed many a game night, brewery visit, and even actual physical activity on a run through the mud. Chris is eternally thankful to have rekindled this friendship, is extraordinarily honored to be a groomsman, and looks forward to a lifelong friendship with both Jason and Kelly.
Jeff Melando
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
But it didn’t really get interesting until Jason and Jeff met in autumn of 2002. Jeff and Jason were classmates at South Charlotte Middle School (go, Shockers!) and were members of the theatrical troupe known as the Shocking Players. Despite going to different high schools, Jeff and Jason remained friends throughout high school and reconnected after college.
Jeff and his wife, Kelsey reside in Charlotte, NC with their two, perfect puppies. Their hobbies include drinking beer, traveling the world, watching Dr. Who and entertaining the future Mr. and Mrs. Lecker at weekly Dungeons and Dragon sessions.
Mark Lecker
I met Jason on a chilly day, February 27th, in 1990. I think it’s safe to say that, other than his parents (and possibly his other siblings), I’ve known him the longest. At first, it was an interesting relationship, as he was unexpected and usurped my position in the family as the “youngest.” Growing up, I often felt like we had very little in common. As we’ve grown older, we’ve grown closer. We can share a beer, play Rocket League, and talk about how our lives are going. I’ve found a friend, a confidant, and someone I truly admire. I’ve never seen Jason happier than when he talks about Kelly, and I can’t succinctly express how proud and happy I am for him.
Currently, I live in Chicago while pursuing my doctorate, but thanks to technology am able to speak with and see my family every week.
Matthew Scola
Jason is probably the only person outside of family that Matt can say he has known for over 20 years. This can only be properly appreciated when considering that neither of them are 30.
Matt met Jason when his family moved into Jason’s neighborhood in 1995 (or 1996… point is, it was a while ago). The property values never recovered, but as children they were much more concerned with hunting monsters in the woods, trolling around the pages of Homestarrunner.com, and trying to stay strong every time Mark absolutely crushed them in 007: Goldeneye for the N64 (Donkey Kong mode and all weapons unlocked, obviously).
As the boys grew, their friendship remained as strong as ever even while their interests matured to more adult pursuits like craft beer and Guild Wars 2. Matt finally escaped Charlotte for Fort Bragg, NC, where he spends his days as a contractor for the Army doing things that only seem interesting because their classified status means he can’t tell other people how boring they actually are. Despite this, his and Jason’s friendship endured, and he couldn’t be happier to stand beside him when he ties the knot with Kelly.
His fondest wish is to one day finally finish that Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles save file he and Jason have been working on for over a decade. If they can beat it before any of his or Jason’s own children do, even better.
Morgan Beggs
In the beginning, Jeff stole all of the religious humor, so Morgan had to resort to pithy comedy instead. Jason and Morgan have been friends since their days at South Charlotte Middle School. After 18 years (including 2 living together and 75 of listening to Jason break out into random Hamilton musical interludes) and countless UNC-Miami games, their friendship continues (despite several medical recommendations to the contrary.)
Morgan currently resides in Charlotte, NC (he got here first!) with his wonderful girlfriend Katie, where he enjoys drinking at local breweries, playing board games, and taking credit for the future Mr. and Mrs. Lecker's appreciation for beer. He could not be more honored to stand by Jason's side on his wedding day, even if he laments losing a reliable Valentine's Day movie date.
Sean Tyndall
Sean Tyndall is Jason Lecker’s coolest (and only) brother-in-law. He married into the Lecker tribe on October 20, 2002 when he tricked everyone by allowing him to marry Judi and Dave’s beautiful daughter, Amy. They met and graduated from Appalachian State and have spawned two kids. Elijah is 12 and will soon be either a Fortnite world champion or some combination of golfer, video game creator or comic book artist. Aliyah, 6, is affectionately known as the Tutu Wearing Twirling Tornado of Terror. She is fierce, funny, smart and will melt your heart and steal any show. Along with being the world’s most awesome dad, Sean is a certified baseball nut and his favorite team is the New York Yankees. The Tyndall family wish Jason and Kelly the best of luck in their nuptials and beyond. They are absolutely perfect for each other.