Wedding Party
Jodi Preuss
Matron of Honor
Jodi is Ariel's sister (from another mister). With their extreme age difference of 23 years Jodi has always been the supportive, thoughtful, and generous big sister. Jodi lives in New York wih her husband Gregg and their two cats, Sonny and Scarlet. Ariel always looked forward to Jodi’s good luck calls the night before camp and school every year. Jodi has been at all of Ariel's most important life events. Ariel is so happy to have Jodi with her for this momentous occasion.
Lee Gerstein
Best Man
Lee is Devin’s older brother. Being 5 years older, Lee is an ally and a role model and always paving the way for Devin to pickup new hobbies and ideas. Lee always felt like the wisest person Devin knew. Lee has guided Devin toward so many of his favorite pastimes, like comic books and good BBQ. Devin knows that Lee will guide him happily down the aisle on his special day.
Chelsea Schmidtlein
Bridesmaid
Chelsea and Ariel have been friends since 9th grade remedial math at Park Vista High School. Always honors kids, math was not their strong suit and they bonded over ill-fated substitutes and repeatedly moving classrooms. Chelsea began driving Ariel home after school in her cool, green, manual Mustang. It was then that their friendship solidified over the "3 slice special" at Mamma Mias - 2 slices of pizza and a slice of choclate cake (and lots of religious discussions). Chelsea introduced Ariel to Harry Potter and they saw each Twilight movie when they came out in theaters! What started out as a friendship has turned into soulmates over almost 18 years.
Barron Caster
Groomsman
Barron and Devin have been friends since they met in 8th grade. Upon becoming friends they discovered that they lived about 1 mile away from each other. They spent most of their free time together from then on and in the ensuing years reveling in bad (but great) movies, perpetually being disappointed by the Miami Dolphins, and of course having a lot of fun bouncing around Boca and Delray. Barron now lives in Oakland with his amazing wife Melanie and his baby girl, Mila. Devin know that Barron is always available to talk though anything, big or small and couldn't imagine his wedding day without his best friend with him.
Natalie Gerstein
Bridesmaid
Natalie is the sister Devin never knew he needed. Natalie is the best mom to Devin’s favorite Nephew, Adrian and pet parent to Josie the pussycat and Bliss the bulldog. Natalie has been a staple in Devin’s life for the better part of the last decade. Natalie imparted some of the best advice Devin ever received. She said, “do you,” and that authenticity stuck. And now Devin is ready to show Natalie how he can say “I do.”
Gregg Preuss
Groomsman
Gregg has been in Ariel's family longer than Ariel. Gregg began dating Jodi when Ariel was a newborn and celebrated her first birthday by wearing a full Barney "sweatsuit" costume. Gregg taught Ariel to whistle and years ago she dropped the "in-law" and refers to Gregg as her brother. Ariel is grateful for having Gregg's influence in her life all of these years; she only hopes that Devin can strive to become June’s second best son-in-law.
June Ladner
Mother of the Bride
The legend of June requires no biography and no blurb is long enough to encompass her and Ariel's mutual adoration of each other. Ariel always appreciated the wisdom of having a mother more experienced than the parents of her peers. Ariel and June are best friends and relied on only each other for much of their lives. June is proud of all of Ariel's accomplishments. June is over the moon to be celebrating Ariel and Devin's wedding with all of her friends.
Arthur Ladner
Father of the Bride
This is a celebration that we can imagine "Party Artie" is disappointed to be missing. Ariel lost her father to ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) in 2017 during her last year of law school. Artie will be walking Ariel down the aisle with her mother June in spirit. The “bank of Dad”would be looking forward to hearing "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang and "Piano Man" by Billy Joel. May his memory be a blessing.
Lisa Zwig Gerstein
Mother of the Groom
Lisa is Devin’s biggest fan. And Devin is Lisa’s sweet child. She always has that mum wisdom to impart and suggestions to make. Devin knows that Lisa’s heart and home are a place of love and caring. And it’s also where to stock up on all the homemade challah. Lisa can not wait to celebrate Ariel & Devin’s union with all of her friends and family.
Ira Gerstein
Father of the Groom
Ira is Devin’s example of what a successful husband looks like. Having enjoyed over 40 years of marriage its clear that Ira has the keys to success. Ira and Devin both cherish every opportunity they have together. From golfing at High Ridge to talking Marlins baseball, giving each other TV series reviews, and just kibbitzing. Devin knows that Ira is proud of him and the life he’s building with Ariel. Ira is truly enthralled to be honoring this Jewish lifecycle milestone.
The Hon. Judge Stacey Schulman
Officiant
Judge Schulman was the first Judge that Ariel practiced in front of after becoming a lawyer. At first Ariel was terrified of all judges (and her knees still shake in front of new ones). Judge Schulman made Ariel feel comfortable and confident and helped Ariel grow as an attorney and a person. Judge Schulman has became one of Ariel's role models (Ariel even dressed up as her for Halloween one year). It is truly special to have someone Ariel admires so much helping to officiate her next step in life.
Cantor David Muchnick
Officiant
Cantor David Muchnick is the Cantor at Congregation B'nai Israel in Boca Raton. Cantor Muchnick has been instrumental in his ability to create a memorable life event. His empathy, creativity, kindness, and flexibility are unparalleled. Ariel and Devin are excited about continuing their Jewish life cycle celebrations with Cantor Muchnick officiating their wedding. Ariel & Devin both wish to thank him for agreeing to leave his annual family vacation in South Carolina to be in town for their wedding.