The Bridal Party
| Matron of Honor - | |
| Irene Tollinger,
friend of Emily |
Emily and I have known
each other since my mother brought me to Sunday school in the fourth
grade. It was Emily and her family who raised me Jewish and our
friendship made for a gentle transition into adolescence . While all
the other twelve-year old girls were drooling over movie stars and
class hotties, Emily and I
were creating vast Lego realms complicated royal politics. As we got older Emily put up with
all my follies, like the notion that I was somehow the fashion
police. Though Emily and I haven’t lived in the same place since
we left for college, we see each other every few months and we talk
it is as if no time had passed. |
| Bridesmaids - | |
| Cathy Jin, friend of Emily | I first met Emily in Junior High. But we didn't get to really know each other and become friends until High School. In High School, we hung out in Celia's Celtic Heritage Club which gave us an excuse to bake naughty shortbread. All we ever did in that club was bake, sell our goodies, and go out to dinner with the money we made. We were also tracked into many of the same classes and we were in a play together and started to hang out more and more. Traditions which prevailed past high school and college began, like going to the Renaissance Faire every year. Although now with our lives advancing and changing, it is harder to get together, we still make the effort. We've been very good friends for many years now and I feel so lucky to be a part of Emily and Gary's wedding. |
| Mallory Russell, Emily's cousin | Emily has know me longer than I have consciously know her. I am Emily's favorite youngest cousin on her moms side. Maybe someday I will be her favorite cousin but that has yet to happen. When Emily moved up to Sacramento for work we really got closer and did a lot of things together watch movies, cook (well, really just found things in the fridge and threw it into a pot and hoped it tasted good), we spent many an hours talking about Lord of the Rings (we are both HUGE fans) and of course how hot Orlando Bloom is. Then Gary decided that Emily was having waaay to much fun with me without out him and he decided to move up as well. He may tell you that he came up to go to school but he really just wanted to live in the "party" town of Sacramento. He adjusted quickly and I to his presence and have become his favorite non related sister. Why I say that I am his favorite non related sister is for two reasons. One, technically we will never be blood related and two, he "let's" me mess with his transformers which is something he has yet to let Emily do. Did I mention he is also my designated driver for Target? Well, seeing how I am a favorite to both of these wonderful people it makes sense that I am a bride's maid in their wedding. So Long story short Emily is my cousin and Gary is my soon to be cousin in law and my non related older brother which is a very strong bond. |
| Best Man - | |
| Ari Parkhurst, Emily's brother | Bio still to come. |
| Groomsmen - | |
| Chris Clark, friend of Gary | Back as far as the 7th grade, I remember Gary and I sitting among all our friends, sharing lunch together every day. Well, to be honest, I never brought anything for lunch and Gary, taking pity on me, would give me the parts of his lunch that he didn't want. Well, to be completely honest, it was more a matter of him tossing them up in the air, and whatever anyone caught, they got to eat. Anyway our group of friends became one person larger (and taller) as we came to know Gary better and better over the years. His love of baseball, chocolate, and Japan have continued to endear with me, and I think Gary is a great friend and I'm privileged to be a part of his wedding. Oh, which brings me to Emily. I haven't known Emily for quite as long, but she's definitely a sweetheart, and very hospitable when my girlfriend Vanessa and I have stayed up at their place in Sacramento the last 2 years. I also found out she's got some artist in her blood, which I never knew and definitely admire. Oh and she always gives me and Gary plenty of time to play Transformers while I'm there. So congratulations to Gary and Emily, they are both lucky to have each other, and I feel very lucky to have them both as friends. |
| Michael Doss, friend of Gary | I met Gary in the fall of 1990, as we were beginning 7th grade together. He
lived across the street from our mutual friend Marek, who I'd been classmates with for 3 years. Gary was a man of extremes - he was almost a
head taller than me and growing, and he dressed more formally than anyone
else at our junior high. After a couple of years we all convinced Gary to
start dressing down, and he took our advice to heart; I'm pretty sure he
went over a year wearing only t shirts and shorts. The fun continued through high school, but Gary and I temperarly lost touch in college - I was in faraway Santa Cruz, and he'd met a girl in his dorms at UCI that was taking up all of his time. All these years later, we all know he found a great match. Emily's a great person and Gary's lucky to have her. Gary disappeared again to move in with Emily in 2002, but we're all looking forward to having him back in Southern California and attending his and Emily's wedding in July. |
| Adam VanderYacht, friend of Gary | Bio still to come. |
Enjoy our other sites: www.espark.org
and www.garyh.net.